My natural hair colour is pretty nondescript, it’s not dark enough to be called brown, nor fair enough to be blonde, it’s somewhere in the middle, a bit of a mousy colour and I hate it! So, in an attempt to brighten myself up a bit, I use hair colours to lighten my locks in the hope I can get away with being a dizzy blonde rather than a quiet mouse.
Up until very recently, I’ve used quite harsh chemical based permanent hair colours which although work very well, can cause irritation to the scalp and skin, and have that awful chemical ‘ammonia’ smell which can make your eyes water and your nostrils sting and last for days after using the product. They can also cause your hair to become very dry and brittle over time, losing it’s natural shine and lustre.
In Superdrug at the weekend, I came across Clairol’s Herbal Essences range of haircolours which according to the packaging did exactly the same job as the chemical based products but without the irritation and revolting chemical smell. As someone who suffers from very sensitive skin, the fact that it boasted it’s ingredients as being completely botanical and organically based too was a huge plus point. It was also being offered at half price so how could I possibly resist? I chose shade 16, Brilliant Light Blonde…...well, I’ve always wanted to be a brilliant light blonde...hmmm, must start that diet soon!
Today was the test, I just had to try it out. Inside the box I found a bottle of permanent coloursolution, a bottle of developing cream, a rich conditioner to be applied afterwards, a pair of plastic gloves (in a fetching eco-friendly light green shade and woooo hoooo, these actually fit!) and very simple and easy to follow instructions.
It is always advisable to do the sensitivity and strand tests recommended in the instructions, 48 hours before you use the product, although it is rare that people suffer allergic reactions. But as I’d coloured my hair on many previous occasions with no real problems other than minor irritation, I was in too much of a hurry to get on with it and bypassed this step altogether (naughty naughty!)
Basically, you pour the colour solution into the cream bottle and shake the combined contents thoroughly. Then part your dry hair into sections and apply to the root areas first and work your way to the ends of the hair to ensure even distribution. When done, simply pile the hair loosely on top of your head and wait for the suggested developing time, from 25 to 45 minutes depending on how vibrant you want the resulting shade to be.
The first thing that struck me was the glorious fresh smell, quite light and refreshing and no irritation to my eyes or nostrils. There was no itchiness to the scalp either, which is a fairly common complaint with chemical based permanent colours. And as the colour developed on my hair, there were no red angry patches of skin around my hairline which I have found to be a problem with chemical based brands. So far so good!
Once the developing time is up, it’s just a matter of rinsing off the product thoroughly and applying the pre-provided conditioner and leaving it in your hair for two minutes or so. There’s no need to use shampoo so the whole process is quite fast. Then just rinse and style your hair as normal.
So, was I impressed with the final results? Well yes, more than impressed in fact. The resulting shade was very natural, and my hair had wonderful condition and bounce with no nasty after-dye chemical odours. In fact, my hair had never felt in such good condition and was a joy to style. I can’t recommend this enough, go try it! The only downside as far as I can see is the ordinary RRP, £7.99 a time which is very expensive but the results are more than worth it!
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I'm afraid the review is quite misleading, as this hair dye is just as chemical based as any other brand!! It's just a marketing gimmick to boast "it’s ingredients as being completely botanical and organically based too", so the author's not entirely to blame for falling for it, but anyone looking at the ingredients list in the dye box can see they are far from "natural and organic"!! Pls see e.g. http://www.allcures.com/shared/product.asp?id=82303&txt=CLAIROL (end of page) for list of ingredients!
gransurfer1 30.06.2001 22:33
In years past (too many to quote here) I have used this product and always loved the results.
Now I am trying to let my hair go grey. But it is stubbornly refusing to. ;-( I just may have to resort to Clairol once again.
Very Helpful op.
gransurfer1
student 29.06.2001 23:31
I love herbal essences - with others I've normally been half choked by fumes, and suffered with burny eyes, but now there are no side effects, and I normally buy them on sale for about £3.50.
Mar 12th, 2001
(Jun 26th, 2001)
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