# 136 Conditioning Complex

A couple of weeks ago I had a big interview. I needed to look a-mazing - chic, sleek, grown-up and 'with it'. Looking with it is a whole new challenge these days what with a new baby, gazillions of short-lead deadlines & a new job kicking off in less than two weeks. The problem is, post-baby, my hair's developed an entirely new personality. It's still shiny [thank gawd], but it's also prone to kinkiness and sheds in clumps in the shower [truly, it looks as though I have a dead mogwai in my bathroom bin]. I'm lucky to have enough to spare - but when hair's proving tricky I need something extra - something that keeps strands in place, come rain or shine. My sister - her of the feted Absolom-esque locks - cannot live without Pantene. I've never been a fan - I don't like Sodium Laureth Sulphate for a start. She has told me, over and over again, that nothing produces such reliable sleekness, malleable softness, shiny, tactile, styleability. Pass, I say, not for me. Having spent more time of late out in Kent with Ma & Pa Malcontent, I've became a dab hand at forgetting my essential grooming products. And the night before this 'big interview', I realised that my amnesia extended to haircare. After a minor freak-out [Ma Malcontent's TIGI was not to my liking], I decided to bite the beauty bullet and trial the leftover Smooth & Sleek range in lil' Sis' bathroom. Well. My oh my. Words duly swallowed. Hair blow-dried in record time, with supreme shine, and so slippery-sleek was the result that I wore it down for the first time in weeks [Mr Frieda, we must make another date soon!]. Gorgeous. And I never, ever say that about my hair. The following day hair was scooped up into a sleek ponytail, still very shiny and healthy looking. By day 2.5, however, gloss began to turn to grease... and by day 3 hair was crying out for another wash. Now, this is something I'm not used to. I have thick, full hair - and going 3 days without a wash is just par for the course. Just not with Pantene. And, I've since discovered, that if left on hair for more than a minute, the in-between-wash time is reduced by 24 hours. So, while it saves time with the dry and style, it also demands a more regular shampoo session... highs and lows. But... that initial smooth operation... the shine, the sleekness, the softness... hmmmm... I bought my own. Because, it's [just about] worth it.