TRESemmé Platinum Strength Shampoo & Conditioner

TRESemmé’s been one busy company this year. Back in March, it released its new Keratin Smooth Collection, which  I reviewed over here. This month this company’s focus is on its Platinum Strength line, which claims to “repair up to two years of damage in just five uses*.”

While this collection contains four products, I only got to try out the Strengthening shampoo and conditioner (I received my free samples in my SampleSource pack). Thankfully, the shampoo and conditioner are really all you need to test out this line’s main claim; at least that’s what I took away from the fine print beside the asterisk (“*In five uses when using Shampoo & Conditioner as a system vs non-Conditioning Shampoo").

I was able to get five uses out of my samples (I actually got six out of the conditioner) but sadly, these uses didn't “…repair up to two years of damage* and reinforce hair’s natural protective layer.” According to TRESemmé, this line is intended to “give hair a fighting chance” against everyday styling by using its special “Renewing Complex” to strengthen hair and leave it “…protected against future styling damage.”

Now, it’s hard to evaluate that last claim but I can say that while using this product, and in the days after, I didn't notice any change in the strength or actual health of my hair.  Breakage rates (which, to be fair, has never been a big problem for me) didn't change and while appearance-wise my hair looked great, it didn't look dramatically better.

TRESemmé also says that these products leave hair, “…beautifully smooth and healthy-looking hair…” and while I don’t agree with the “smooth” part, I do agree with the rest of that claim. These products certainly did leave my hair looking beautiful and healthy and they also left it very, very shiny.

But it didn't leave it smooth because these two products didn't really do much to fight frizz, especially around my crown.  Interestingly, these were results that didn't change regardless of whether or not I used a hair dryer, heat protecting spray or other styling products. Unlike TRESemmé’s Keratin Smooth line, which produces different results depending on what else I was doing to my hair, the Platinum Strength line delivered very consistent results:  Shiny, soft and a bit frizzy.

This line is suitable for colour-treated hair and, like all TRESemmé collections, is easy on the wallet, with the shampoo and conditioner both being available for under $10. Both products also have a light, almost fruity smell and both lather up nicely.

Would I buy this product: Probably not. While the results weren't bad, they weren't great either. Between this line and the Keratin Smooth, I would opt for the latter collection.

Should you buy this product: While I do regularly blow dry my hair during the colder months, I generally avoid exposing it to heat. And compared to a lot of people’s hair, my hair leads a lazy life in which it’s not actually exposed to that many products. So maybe my hair just isn't damaged enough to reap the benefits of this collection. Or maybe it doesn't actually repair two years’ worth of damage.  

This certainly isn't a bad product line but it’s no, miracle worker. If you want a reasonably priced, reasonably working shampoo and conditioner, check out the Keratin Smooth collection.