When it comes to hair, low maintenance is the name of my game. While I wish I was a girl who had glossy, perfectly bouncy hair, my life doesn’t really give way to maintaining nicely coiffed locks. And even if I had the time and budget for photoshoot-ready-hair, genetics make it nearly impossible to keep life from turning my straightened hair into a nest of waves. I’ve learned to work with what my mama gave me (wavy hair). Plus add the time I have to get myself put together in the morning (10 minutes) with my budget for hair products since having babies (which is limited), and you’ll realize while I’m realistic about the necessity of my low maintenance status. I love to experiment with new products, preferably, those that work harder for me so I can get on with my day.

Most recently I’ve been trying products with an unexpected ingredient: activated charcoal. I’ve enjoyed a delicious Charcoal Lemonade from our fave local juicery Truce, consumed water from a bottle fitted with a charcoal stick, and added charcoal soap to our powder room bathroom (aka- where we put the nice soaps)! My most recent charcoal-based product experiment? Shampoo and conditioner.

So, what’s all the fuss? Why use a shampoo and conditioner with this surprising ingredient? It has everything to do with activated charcoal’s ability to trap impurities (while releasing antioxidants), and allowing them to be washed away. I’ve tried charcoal soaps in the past and while I’ve loved the scent and idea of the products themselves, many were messy and left black bits on my shower floor.

We were recently asked to give the new Pantene Charcoal Collection Shampoo and Conditioner a try and given my curiosity around activated charcoal, I agreed! Upon opening the bottles, I expected a similar color and consistency as other charcoal shampoos but, to my surprise, I found there was no runny black mess! Their charcoal system includes the blend of pro-vitamin B5 with activated charcoal and antioxidants, so you get the experience you’ve come to expect from Pantene (I think almost everyone I know has used Pantene at some point!) with the benefits of activated charcoal. All in all, my hair felt so much softer and I felt relieved when it actually air-dried into soft bouncy waves. For a girl who loves to keep it low-key in the beauty department, I was a happy camper. For a limited time only, earn a $5 gift card when you purchase two products from the Pantene Charcoal Collection at your local Target.

And if you’re interested in learning more about the health benefits of activated charcoal, you can learn more at Dr. Axe (found via Truce).  

Ed. note: This post was sponsored by PANTENE. The compensation received in exchange for placement on Wit & Delight is used to purchase props, hire a photographer, write/edit the blog post and support the larger team behind Wit & Delight. 

While compensation was received in exchange for coverage, all thoughts and opinions are always my own. Sponsored posts like these allow for the development of additional dynamic content to be produced, unsponsored. Thank you for supporting our partners!