Brand Review: Head and Shoulders Shampoo and Conditioner (P&G Malaysia)

Dandruff can be a pain in the a$$. It is also something humiliating to a grown up. There were few occasions where I stumbled upon high-ranked individuals ranging from Managers to VIPs all dressed up in freaking expensive attires and drive luxury cars only to have their image spoilt by white flakes of dandruffs stuck to their hair.

Trust me it is humiliating and frustrating. I had bad experience fighting dandruffs until I found P&G Head & Shoulders Shampoo.

I’ve tried numerous shampoos previously from specific anti-dandruffs like Selsun Blue to shelf-ready shampoos such as Clear, Sunsilk, Palmolive and Kao and NOTHING WORKS as good as Head&Shoulders (“H&S� from now on).

P&G recently introduced the new look for H&S. This is the second new look after the quite recently released blue look of the shampoo (that rivals Clear for Men’s look). Below is my independent, FOC (I wish I got paid for this!), honest review of H&S Menthol Shampoo and Conditioner.

PRODUCT

The shampoo comes in a slightly modern-look bottle that beats the old boring square shape bottle. This is a good thing as H&S is fighting a losing battle with other brands especially Clear for Men when it comes to the packaging and labeling. Personally, I don’t give a damn on how the packaging looks like as all matters to me is the quality of the product. This may not be the case in indirect trade especially in rural areas.

The Ingredients:

The one that I always use is H&S Refreshing Menthol, the ‘coolest formula ever’. I love the menthol sensation in the shampoo especially after a long-day at work and before settling to bed. The new version in my opinion carries the same formula as the old bottles as I can still experience the menthol sensation.

The only sad thing about this new packaging is the cap/tab. It is pretty hard to open with one hand especially if you just start using it.

However it does have a plus point of having a shape that is easy to grab. Pretty usefull in slippery conditions such as in the shower..Duh! Overall it does have a nice new look at the same time maintaining its classic look.

One thing that makes me wonder is by having both blue and normal packaging of H&S will it confuse the consumers and trade? I guess being a fan of the brand, I always go for consistency when it comes to new look rather than drastic change that might confuses the trade.

The biggest complain that I have for the product all this while is how it makes my hair SUPER DRY after using the shampoo. If I use the shampoo before going to work, people might confuse me as Don King’s lil brother.

However the introduction of the new H&S conditioner has given hope to this problem. Just 30mins ago I used the conditioner for the first time and I love it. My hair is not as dry as it used to be and as always no signs of dandruffs.

The conditioner comes in normal conditioner tube packaging that resembles the same labeling as the H&S shampoo.

One small complaint though is how the conditioner also has its own flavor/formula. I seriously don’t believe it and I think it’s just a marketing crap. Why do I want menthol in my conditioner when I have it already in my shampoo? Did I not use the shampoo with the conditioner? If I want more menthol I might as well smoke a Marlboro Menthol or move to Salem Country Heights. stretching the marketing tricks a bit too much perhaps?

Ingredients:

PRICE & PLACE

I have not checked the retail outlets but Watson has the both the products at RM4.50 for 90ml. So both shampoo and conditioner cost me RM9. Will it sell in the rural areas at this price? I don’t think so. I was looking for H&S in small shops in Alor Star and could not find it. That’s why we still see normal shampoos like Sunsilk, Kao Feather, Rejoice, Palmolive has an anti-dandruff variant in their range to cover the lower-income market.

PROMOTION

I’ve seen the TVC and media support on this product and I think it’s doing well in a very congested shampoo market in Malaysia. I always like H&S TVC as it is educational and informative just like their website!
I rather see such TVC rather than cheap gimmicks used by Clear’s “Nama Saya Rain� TVC.

On trade displays, I saw a second site display with Gondola End stuff at Watsons so I guess P&G is spending well on the product’s campaign.

As a conclusion, I have to say this product is a must every time I travel as shampoo hotels tend to destroy my hair. If I’m the Brand Dude for the product what I will do next is to maybe introduce sample packets for rural areas and at the same time push for Malay Language to be included in the labels. I know it is a common bundle for Malaysia and the Philippines and maybe even Vietnam but if P&G is serious about tackling the Malay low-income market this is a must. Even for a slightly upper market like myself, it won’t hurt to read about Halal status on the pack. With constant attack by so called Muslim brands like Syurah, Zaitun and Safi it is time for MNC’s to go with the flow whether they like it or not.

Kudos to P&G for this wonderful product. 4.5 star out of 5.

More brand reviews coming soon!