****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
So for those who cannot, or not want to, use chemical-based hair color, this is definitely a new type of product.However, compared to the ease of use of chemical-based hair color and the gorgeous results you can get yourself or in a salon, it's still a "last resort".I turned to this product because my hair had been thinning for a while and my scalp getting more and more sensitive. I checked out my hormones (perfect) and had no other conditions that cause hair loss, including thyroid or glandular or female imbalance. No autoimmune conditions linked to hair thinning. The dermatologist said - it's from hair color.So I changed to the "natural' or "low chemical" brands were causing my hair to fall out. The only ones that I could tolerate still had ethanolamine or other derivatives which are now being shown to contribute MORE to hair loss than ammonia. Anyway, it got to the point that my scalp was tender and the dermatologist said - you choose. Either stop coloring your hair or watch it fall out. Period.I am way too young to enjoy being silver and blonde looks terrible on me and I still have a lot of dark spots. it's quite a pickle.So I switched to this. It is MUCH easier to use than powder henna and MUCH less prone to red tones.That said it does not compare to regular hair color. it is runny to apply, stains everything if you are not careful. You MUST wash your hair and get any product or conditioner OUT of it if you want decent grey coverage. I also have to leave it on longer than 30 minutes...So it is kind of an annoying, long process of washing your hair clean of anything, messy application, wait an hour, rinse it out, then condition and style. It's about 2 hours.Also, it helps if you avoid product with silicones that build up because otherwise you will be in an endless cycle of coloring and then washing it out - I use lightweight products and DEFINITELY as sulfate-free shampoo. The less you wash it, and the more gentle your product, the longer it will last. But it definitely fades noticeably for me after 2 weeks.I had highlights which I scrupulously tried to protect but eventually this stuff ran down on to them. It didn't look bad but definitely it is hard to use this product for spot root touchup if you have light highlights and dark smugde roots like I do. I have had to become a lot more flexible about my haircolor, let's put it that way.I am lucky in that I can still go to a salon to get my lengths toned (I found a salon willing to do a toning while trying to avoid my scalp) so now I only use this to try to do root touchups and then one every two or three months I have the salon try to make sense of the color.If I did not have them to help me, I would just have to switch to one color.My hair HAS STOPPED THINNING and HAS STOPPED FALLING OUT - so, for me, it was obviously the hair color that caused my problem. My scalp is healthier and my hair is thicker and healthier. The dermatologist thinks I can try coloring again but at this point I am just sticking with the toning. I don't want to sustain another round of hair loss.If I go totally grey at some point I will reconsider things. Maybe someone will have invented a true holy grail product by then!!So.... it is definitely better than nothing. It's better than being prematurely grey and much better than thinning or . But, it's not a panacea and my hair color looks OK, but not great. Instead of contributing something positive to my appearance, it just "doesn't take away" if that makes sense.More important, even tho it is a somewhat non-descript, ordinary color, I have a full head of healthy hair again and a healthy scalp.Sorry to go on and on but I hope this is helpful to other women in the same boat!
