I am the fortunate owner of a pretty awesome head of hair. It is long, healthy, generally cooperative, and free of processed-nonsense (color, perms, etc) that can cause it to be ornery. Although seasonal changes generally do not wreak much havoc on it, a couple months ago it started misbehaving. Split ends. Frizz. Breakage. Ridiculous tangles. Static. I hadn’t changed anything in my routine in terms of care, I hadn’t changed my diet, and I did not start heat-styling more often.

Like our skin, our hair changes as we age; I simply assumed my hair was experiencing such a change and was becoming more sensitive to the changes in humidity. My conditioner was doing a pretty good job (as far as I was concerned) and I deep-conditioned once weekly but in spite of my efforts, the situation continued to worsen. It was making me crazy; I like my hair low maintenance but because of the monstrous tangles I continued to get, I decided to toss another product in to help me out. Contrary to my usual obsessive pre-purchase research, I picked up a bottle of Pantene Split-Fix ($10 for 2 on Amazon + $3 off e-coupon, or $6 in drugstores) when I was out one day.

My first impressions of the packaging were positive – I like products with pumps. I don’t want to squeeze a bottle or flip it upside down or scoop out of a tub if I can avoid it. Pantene Split-Fix has a convenient pump-top that dispenses pretty easily – one pump for short hair, two for long while damp. If dry, apply an additional pump. I figured it was going to be a standard leave-in and be sufficient for my needs. I have had good luck with Pantene leave-ins in the past, so I was optimistic in spite of its claims to repair split ends and prevent 95% of new ones.

It falls on the nice-smelling side of Pantene products (they either smell nice or too artificial/chemical-ish) and isn’t so thick that it leaves residue on your hands post-application, but not so thin that it feels pointless to use. Distribute evenly throughout, blah blah. I ran a wide-toothed comb throughout my length to ensure it was lightly coated.

Anyway, I faithfully applied the Pantene Split-Fix for about two months – more than enough time for it to behave – and it yielded no results other than pleasantly-fragranced hair. The front of the bottle states, “System prevents 95% of spluit ends,” and that it is an, “Instant Split End Repair Creme. Flipping it over on the back, Pantene Split-Fix claims to help: “Bind existing split ends with one use,” and that it, “eliminates splits over time.” It did neither.

As I mentioned before, I do not frequently heat style. I blowdry maybe two times per week, always with a heat protectant. I use a flat-iron or curling iron less frequently than that. I do not subject my hair to the chemical gaunlet that many heads of hair are exposed to. It does not have a war to fight – but it did nothing for me. It temporarily calmed frizz, but that’s not even what it is for. I noticed zero reduction in split ends for the duration of my use of this product (and not simply at a casual glance – no, for science, I was inspecting).

Although a temporary repair of splits isn’t too crazy – any good leave-in or oil can accomplish that – this claims to eliminate them over time. How? Pantene Split-Fix is not an adhesive, it cannot do so. The only way to, “treat,” splits is to remove them. I am not anti-silicone, but this silicone-heavy product did not help at all. Of course, in fine print it says it is best used with their Everlasting Ends system. Sorry, Pantene – this product failed to impress, I’m not bothering with the other components of the so-called system.

In summation, this product was pointless. As a former Pantene fangirl, I was very disappointed and let-down by this and would have to say it is not worth it.

Disclosure: None of the items listed here were sponsored, I purchased them on my own. That said, some of the links in this post are affiliate links – this means I may get a very small percentage of the sale if you decide to buy something. I will only actually call something out as awesome if I have personally verified that much and believe it to be true.