Salvatore Tanino Therapy Restructuring Shampoo Step 1 (300ml) is the daily strengthening shampoo for damaged hair, in a gentle formula with silk amino acids, aloe and panthenol. The list carries no formaldehyde, no formaldehyde releaser and no glyoxylic acid. It is Step 1 of Salvatore's home pair. It cleans and leaves moisture on weakened, brittle lengths so the Step 2 mask can add body and strength. Sold on its own here, or as the 550 ml duo.

Why this shampoo

Damaged, weakened lengths need a wash that cleans without taking more out. That is what this one is written for. It cleans with sodium laureth sulfate softened by betaine, so it lathers and rinses clean. Aloe, silk protein and a moisture binder keep the lengths from coming out squeaky and stripped. Salvatore's own label is plain about the job: daily use, gentle cleansing with lasting moisture that helps against split ends and brittle strands. We'd start every client with weak hair on this bottle, because the mask works better on lengths that kept their moisture. Made in Brazil at Salvatore's plant in Presidente Prudente.

Key ingredients

Sodium laureth sulfate, cocamide and cocamidopropyl betaine form the cleansing base. Aloe barbadensis leaf extract and saccharide isomerate hold moisture in the fibre, panthenol conditions, and the silk gives the lengths slip and body. Cyclopentasiloxane adds a light finish, guar and polyquaternium-10 leave the hair combable, and citric acid sets the pH. Preserved with sodium benzoate. Full INCI on the product image.

What to expect

A wash that feels soft rather than stripping, and lengths that come out ready to take the mask. What we tell clients is plain. This wash keeps the moisture in; the mask does the strengthening. Used daily, brittle ends stop feeling parched within the first few washes.

Who it is for

• Damaged, weakened hair that feels brittle and splits at the ends
• Anyone who wants a gentle daily wash that will not strip already-fragile lengths
• Anyone replacing the shampoo half of the Restructuring pair

Who it is not for

• Lengths fresh out of a chemical service that mainly need the pH settled, where the Chemical Repair pair fits better
• Scalp concerns, since this is a wash for the lengths and the Scalp duo covers the root area
• Clients who need a wash without sulfates, because this one cleans with a laureth sulfate

Professional tip

The mistake we see most is damaged hair scrubbed at the roots and dragged at the ends. Salvatore's own directions say the opposite: "Distribute the product from the length to the tips, without rubbing the fiber." Your hair is at its weakest wet, so use a small amount, work the lather down gently with your fingers, and repeat once if you had product in. Then squeeze before the mask, since the cream spreads further on damp lengths. And follow the line's own logic: alternate this pair with Chemical Repair when the hair is also fresh from a colour or a smoothing.

How to use

Use it as the first of two steps, daily if the label's daily-use line fits the client, or on wash days at the very least. Rinse with cool or warm water; hot water is hard on fragile ends.

The order matters because the mask feeds the fibre best on lengths that are clean and still holding moisture. The shampoo does that first, which is why a small amount, rinsed well, does more than a large one.

1. Wet and apply. On wet hair, apply a small amount of the shampoo and massage gently, because the scalp needs the lather and fragile lengths do not need the friction.
2. Draw down. Distribute it from the lengths to the ends without rubbing, so the cuticle stays flat while it cleans.
3. Rinse and repeat. Rinse until the water runs clear, and repeat if the hair carried product, since a second pass on clean hair adds nothing.
4. Squeeze and follow. Press the excess water out with your hands and go straight to Step 2, which is where the proteins and the butters go in.

Where it fits in the range

This is the first half of the pair; the Step 2 mask 250ml is the half that adds the body, and the 550ml duo is the two together. We'd buy the pair first and this bottle alone when the shampoo runs out ahead of the jar. The other concerns, scalp, blond, chemical aftercare, curl and moisture, each have their own pair under Salvatore Home Care.

In short

• 300 ml of the daily wash for weak, brittle, damaged lengths
• Silk protein, aloe and panthenol on a mild laureth sulfate base; no formaldehyde or releaser listed
• Daily use printed on the bottle; small amount, lengths to ends, no rubbing, rinse
• Step 1 of the pair; the 250 ml mask follows it

The Restructuring line is the strengthening home care for hair that has gone weak and brittle, between salon visits. The Salvatore home care chooser shows which set follows which service, and the aftercare guide covers the first thirty days.