by Megan As Well

Created on: January 10, 2009   Last Updated: March 09, 2009

The first time I washed my hair with Garnier Fructis Length and Strength, I knew my hunt for a favorite shampoo was through. When my hair dried, it felt softer than it ever had before. It was incredible to me that after only one use my hair felt so silky and healthy. This, in turn, eliminated one more item from my list of worries and boosted my self-confidence.

Garnier's Fructis line is made up of shampoos and conditioners for every hair type. I use Length and Strength, which is designed to help repair and prevent split ends. I have always had trouble growing my hair long, because I naturally develop split ends and lots of breakage. With Garnier Fructis Length and Strength, I have been able to grow my hair longer than it has ever been.

On occasion I still have to trim off some split ends, but with Garnier Fructis Length and Strength, the amount of damage is drastically reduced. The times when I have to trim are times when I extensively damage my hair with hot straightening, crimping, or curling irons, or when I color my hair with damaging dyes.

Length and Strength is not the only kind of Garnier Fructis that I have tried. Once my usual grocery store was out of Length and Strength, and so I tried the basic Daily Care 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner. I tried it and didn't notice any drastic differences.

The only negative thing I have noticed about Garnier Fructis is that the shampoo contains sodium laureth sulfate (SLS). Sodium laureth sulfate is a foaming agent which manufacturers regularly use in shampoos, soaps, toothpastes, and cleaning supplies because it is inexpensive and creates a lot of foam. The trouble with SLS is that it is a known irritant which can cause minor skin irritation, rashes, eye irritation, and dandruff-like scalp irritation.

In the wintertime, my scalp tends to get dry and itchy anyway, but with Garnier Fructis it seems to be dry year-round. I don't get flakes but sometimes my scalp does itch. Until I learned about SLS I thought that it was just the way my hair is. However, SLS doesn't affect everyone. It is extremely common to see this ingredient listed on common household products. In fact, it's kind of tricky to find champoo without SLS in it (or without a similar ingredient like sodium lauryl sulfate). It isn't make-or-break-at least not for me, which is why I will continue to use Garnier Fructis Length and Strength shampoos and conditioners.

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