I’m a sucker for Instagram marketing. I know the claims in the bright, energetic well-made videos are mostly rubbish, but every here and there I find something that’s truly brilliant. So I plan to write some reviews on the products, let you know what works as advertised and is worth your hard-earned, and what is sold by charlatans which you should avoid.
First one – Mane Root Activator Shampoo & Conditioner
I’m thinning on top. I’d had too much pride to admit it, but I saw the CCTV at work and there was no denying that my hair isn’t as thick as it once was. I’m not full chrome dome, it’s just not all there. Around this time I’d been looking for rosemary oil because I’d heard it was effective in kickstarting hair growth, but Instagram had different ideas. They bombarded me with ways to regrow my hair wihout changing my daily habits. The claims on their Instagram and Facebook ads and independent reviews say you can notice the difference in 3 weeks. Review websites say 6 weeks. The Mane website says from 12 weeks. I should be cautious with my wallet, right? Wrong!
Here’s a review I found some this supposed Mens Lifestyle magazine, whose ads on Facebook always put Mane at number one in their top 5, and mention them in other products they’re reviewing.
I bought the shampoo and conditioner from thesuperiormane.com using one of their 50% OFF YOU GOTTA BE QUICK, ENDS TONIGHT coupons (which is still active two months later, I didn’t need to rush.) The shampoo and conditioner flew over from USA via DHL, and, with a delay in Los Angeles for a few days, made it here three weeks later. Not Mane’s fault, so they don’t lose points.
I got home and right away gave my hair a wash and condition. The bottle says to use a quarter size squirt, but I don’t know what that size is (Is is a quarter of one pump, or an American 25c coin?) so I went with a small squirt, maybe between a 5c and 10c Australian coin in size which I worked into a lather, and it seemed to be a good amount. I didn’t notice anything different, not that I should – it’s just shampoo and conditioner. A week later I’d started to get really strong dandruff, and had to return to washing my hair with Head & Shoulders in the morning, and Mane in the evening. Again, the dandruff wasn’t Mane’s fault; I get dandruff when using any regular shampoo, but keep this in mind if you’ve a dry scalp and are going to ditch H&S for another shampoo.
As of September 6th, it’s been six weeks of daily use and I’m half a bottle down. The claims of making a difference in 3 weeks I can tell you is wrong. I don’t see any difference, other than the hair I already had on my head had grown longer in this time. I had my hair trimmed a week ago, so the start/finish lengths are pretty similar. While I’m half way there, usage-wise, I honestly can’t see it getting any better. Not when the ads claim there’ll be noticeable differences in 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 12 weeks… depending on if it’s your brother, wife, colleague or friend who is commenting on your hair. It’s just an expensive shampoo and conditioner (I paid $84AUD for both with shipping) that made my scalp dry and flaky.
Here’s a before and after photo from the day I received the product and six weeks later.
Mane Root Activator. It’s a nice gimmick with funky advertising that is making someone a ton of money. Like, half price and it’s still $40 each (they’ve since put the price up) for a 250ml bottle of shampoo. I can get my money back, says their guarantee, but lord knows the hoops I need to jump through to do it. So, like many, I won’t waste my time. So my advice is to do yourself a favour and save yourself $80 + postage by not buying Mane.
I’ll update this in a few more weeks to let you know of any sudden improvement, but for now I’ll give you a score. On a scale of 1 to 10 I have to rate Mane Root Activator Shampoo & Conditioner a score of Peggy Bundy (It does not work).
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