Hello everyone! today I am reviewing Clairol Herbal Essences Highlights (home highlighting kit) which is produced by Procter and Gamble UK.
I have spent more money than I care to mention over the years having my hair professionally highlighted at the hairdressers. This set me back about ... Read review
Advantages: Easy to use, cheaper than going to the hairdressers Disadvantages: You can't dye your whole head
...everyone! today I am reviewing Clairol Herbal Essences Highlights (home highlighting kit) which is produced by Procter and Gamble UK.
I have spent more money than I care to mention over the years having my hair professionally highlighted at the hairdressers. This set me back about £40 every three months. Ever since a series of home hair dying disasters in my teenage years (green hair anyone?) I have steered well clear of doing it myself. ... ...the cost. I recognised the Clairol highlighting kit from a magazine advert and yes their marketing worked on me.
How do I recognise this product on the shops
*************************************************
shelves? What's the Packaging like?
***************************************
The highlighting kit is sold in cardboard packaging which is 'tube' shaped. This is as specific as I can get on the shape ... more
Hello everyone! today I am reviewing Clairol Herbal Essences Highlights (home highlighting kit) which is produced by Procter and Gamble UK.
I have spent more money than I care to mention over the years having my hair professionally highlighted at the hairdressers. This set me back about £40 every three months. Ever since a series of home hair dying disasters in my teenage years (green hair anyone?) I have steered well clear of doing it myself. But not anymore the bad memories have faded and this resulted in a very puzzled girly standing in front of the hair colouring products in Superdrug.
Why did I chose this product? ******************************** I had grown out highlights in my hair already and was looking for a hair colourant that could replicate the same look at a fraction of the cost. I recognised the Clairol highlighting kit from a magazine advert and yes their marketing worked on me.
How do I recognise this product on the shops ************************************************* shelves? What's the Packaging like? *************************************** The highlighting kit is sold in cardboard packaging which is 'tube' shaped. This is as specific as I can get on the shape I'm afraid. On the front of the packaging is an attractive model type woman with lovely long highlighted blonde hair. Next to her picture is a close-up picture of the applicator tool (more on this later) and a highlighted hair close-up shot. I found this picture very useful as I was able to see what I was going to use to highlight my hair with. This also meant that I didn't have to open the container in the shop. The text on the front of the packaging states:
"New! Herbal Essences Highlights, for Light to Medium Blonde Hair..... one application"
I'll move on to the rest of the info on the back of the packaging during the rest of the review.
Are there different highlighting shades on offer? **************************************************** Yes I bought the one for light to medium blonde hair (ie close to my natural hair colour) Clairol also produce highlighting kits for dark to light brown hair 'Golden Blonde highlights' and for medium to dark brown hair ' Rich Copper highlights'
*What wild and wonderful claims does Clairol make about it?*
The claims are quite extensive so I'll just give you a taster.........
"Herbal Essences makes it so simple to create true intense highlights exactly where you want them.............the low ammonia formula will energize your sences with the refreshing Herbal Essences fragrance"
Is this product suitable for me? ********************************* Clairol advise against using this product on hair that is treated with henna, gradual colour-restorers, metallic dyes, permed or relaxed hair. Although they state that it can be used on previously coloured hair it is not recommended for hair that has been extensively treated with permanent hair colour. Personally I would advise people to avoid using any chemical hair dye over hair that has any kind of colour already on it, it's just not worth the risk.
What do you get in the highlighting kit? ***************************************** The pack contains:
Highlighting powder Developing Creme Highlighting Creme A 42ml tube of Colorseal conditioner A bright green highlighting applicator Instruction leaflet Plastic gloves
Most of what is contained in this pack is pretty standard in home hair colourants in general, except for the strange looking green applicator. It's made of strong plastic, it's about 6 inches long with an 'hour glass' shaped handle. On the end is two pronged circles with a further four comb like prongs sticking out of each one (sorry they are very hard to describe!). The developing creme contains hydrogen peroxide which is the chemical that 'lifts' the darker shade out of your hair to produce the blonde effect.
What's it like to apply? Hard / Easy? How do you ***************************************************** do it? ****** Clairol provide a very detailed step by step instructions in English and Spanish. I will provide an edited version of this so you can get the general idea. Obviously use the instructions that come in the pack when you do this for real!
1 - Get Prepared: Ensure that your hair is dry and is in it's usual style. Where you usually have your hair parting is especially important. Have an old towel ready to protect your clothes and put on the fancy plastic gloves. Clairol recommend practising the application of the dye by using conditioner first. I was too impatient for that!!
2. - Get the product ready: First you need to add the Highlighting Powder packette to the Developing Creme bottle. Put the cap back on the lid of the Developing Creme bottle taking care to cover the hole on the top with your finger. Follow this with a rapid shaking action to mix the two together. Once mixed the colour will be bright blue. DON'T be alarmed this isn't the colour your hair will go, it's that colour to help you with the application process.
3 - Now you are ready to highlight your hair: With the applicator at the ready, squeeze a small blob of the dye out of the developing Creme bottle into the applicator. It is important for the dye to be in the two pronged areas of the applicator only, to ensure a highlighted effect is achieved. Simply pull the applicator through your hair as close to the root as possible in one motion. If you have a parting in your hair like me, use this as a guide of where to highlight from, making sure there is about an inch between each highlighted strip of hair. If you are highlighting your hair for the first time obviously you will need to pull the applicator from root to tip of your hair. If you are applying the dye for the second time to highlight any re-growth just cover this area. Don't cover all your hair as the result will be uneven.Do not attempt to re-do areas as this will ruin the whole look, the dye could smudge and the result will be a mess. It is at this stage that the reason the dye being such as bright colour is understood; it makes applying the dye in the correct places alot easier and there is no confusion over which bits of hair has been dyed. Repeat this process until the area you want to highlight is covered. I know this all sounds very complicated but when you are actually doing it and following the instructions provided it really is straightforward.
What now? ************
If you are organised set a timer for 30 minutes or if you are like me just use a clock. Wait until the time is up and wash the dye off with a gentle shampoo. Squeeze the excess water out of your hair and apply the Colorseal conditioner. Leave the conditioner on for 2 minutes and rinse.
I'm really scared now, I wonder if it's worked? / ************************************************ What's the end result like? *****************************
Yes it did work and no my hair didn't turn green! I styled my hair as usual which basically meant applying serum and blowdrying. I was pleasantly surprised with the result, my dark roots were replaced with subtle yet precisely placed golden blonde highlights.
Pros: ***** (1) It's alot cheaper than going to the hairdressers for highlights (2) The instructions provided are very easy to follow (3) The application process is simple (4) The product has a pleasant smell as it's low in ammonia. (5) But for me the best pro of all it that it works! and the result is subtle and natural.
Cons: ****** (1) It is hard to highlight all your hair (layers etc) in one application because unlike hair dyes designed to provide total hair coverage this product relies upon gaps between the stripes of dye to give a highlighted effect. Trying to highlight each layer is likely to cause smudging and a very uneven result.
(2)To highlight any re-growth you will have to buy the complete hair dye kit and there is alot of waste as the product can't be kept.
Ok so how much? ******************** I went to Superdrug as they had an offer on 2 packs for £7. They are usually price at £4.99 each in Superdrug. I think this is excellent value for money and frees up lots of my cash to buy other wonderful beauty products with!!
Further Information: ********************* www.clairol.co.uk - This is a really informative website. The site provides lots of information about Clairol hair colouring products in general and has a specific section dedicated to the Herbal Essences range including the highlighting kits. You can even upload your picture and experiment with different hair colours and styles before taking the plunge. I haven't used this facility so I can't really comment on whether it works or not.
www.herbal-essences.co.uk - This site has information about the Herbal Essences range of products but I couldn't find any specific information about the highlighting kit.
Advantages: Fun to Use, easy method of highlighting, aftercare shampoo included Disadvantages: Poor packaging (check everything is included), requires someone else to apply
Having sat an watched endless TV over the Christmas period I obviously was subject to quite a large amount of TV advertising. Whilst lolling about with some friends an advert for a hair highlighting kit using some kind of comb came on. One friend kindly offered to do my hair with it. In a bored state of mind I absentmindedly agreed. I forgot all about it until one lunchtime she called me up and said we were heading into town to purchase the produce. ... ...hair dying products we couldn't remember which one we had seen on TV. I quite like experimenting with hair colour (after all if it goes badly wrong you can always dye it again) and so opted for the most fun looking highlighting gadget and one of the most vibrant colours. In my experience the colour on the box is always fair more "lively" than the colour you actually achieve as so was not put of by the almost orange stripes the model had on the box. ...
tigletty 08.01.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Clairol Herbal Essences Highlights
Advantages: easy to use, lasts for months, cheap Disadvantages: none
i have blonde hair, but a friend of mine told me why dont i get some blonde highlights, just to make a difference. i have never dyed my hair in the past, so we went to a hairdresser, paid £30 and i have to say i loved my hair. The blonde highlights looked great. However, 3 months later the highlights had started to fade but £30 a go for highlights every 3 months is expersive, so i went to boots to have a look round for maybe a kit so i could do it ... ...kit, it looked alot simplier than all the other kits and wasnt a bad price at £6. With the kit you get a blue applicator, and few different bottles, you mix all the bottles together and shake hard. Then with a friend, use the applicator and comb the applicator through your hair, we do it in layers. The dye is blue so you can see where you've done, but dont worry your hair wont stay blue. Anyway it takes about 10-15 minutes to do and you need to wait ...
nicnncha 19.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Clairol Herbal Essences Highlights
Advantages: Goodish value & fairly clear instructions Disadvantages: I looked like streaky bacon
I had heard good things about this home highlighting kit, and as i always use the herbal essence shampoo and conditioner and along with every other person i know find it smells fab and makes hair soft, i thought this was the dye for me.
I have dark brown hair and wanted to highlight it copper blond, i chose the dye and checked it was suited to my hair. On an up note it was easy to apply with good,clear instuctions.
THE END RESULT... Disaster!!!! ... ...copper blond was more like washed out rust(or something) as the streaks started to grow out it looked worse and worse and worse...
The procees was a nightmare and i have had to live with the effects for months (it;s not getting any easier!)
It can be purchased from most good pharmacy-type places and is reasonably good value
MOORHEN XxX ...
moorhen 27.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Clairol Herbal Essences Highlights
Advantages: cheap, easy to see where you are highlighting, works pretty quickly, and the color is awsome. Disadvantages: Can't color as well underneath top layers.
I have tried 5-6 different highlighting kits and this is defiantly the best one. The feature that I like the most is that you can see exactly where you are going to highlight. Depending on which shade you get, while mixing the solution the stuff turns either bright yellow, blue, or pink and this really helps to see how much you have highlighted. It works alot faster than some that I have used (30-45 min as opposed to 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours) and it ... ...The comb tool is so easy to use and the instructions are very clear. This is an all-around great product and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who doesn’t want to pay a lot to get their hair highlighted. The product cost 10 US dollars, I do not know how much it costs in the UK. There are 3 shades to choose from: Light blonde to medium blonde, dark blonde to light brown, and medium brown to dark brown. Included in the kit is a tube of conditioner that ...
mizthang819 30.04.2004 (01.05.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Clairol Herbal Essences Highlights
Advantages: You choose where you want the colour, it's cheap and looks great! Disadvantages: none
Yesterday I went to the store and bought "Cool Blonde" Herbel Essences highlights to use on my boyfriend who had asked me to do it for him since he didn't want to pay $80 for a hairdresser to do it. I was really nervous colouring his hair because in my experiance, blondes always turn brassy when from a box. His hair was already a dirty blonde though so I decided to try. To my suprise, It worked beautifully on his wavy hair. The comb was insanely ...
dodgerleigh 12.09.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Clairol Herbal Essences Highlights
