[amazon_link id=”B005LNYNVS” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link] Clairol Natural Instincts Creme Dye

So I dyed my hair this past weekend, and I thought I would share my thoughts on the product I used! I have only ever used henna dye from Lush on my hair (click here to read my experience with that). I liked the henna, but the downsides to it were that the color only lasted about 4 weeks, and it was pricey and a bit messy. So I decided to see what I could get at the drugstore. I knew I wanted a dye that was semi-permanent and close to my natural color (reason for getting it in the first place is to cover up my stubborn grays!). The first two brands I wanted to try were sold out (Garnier Herbashine and one by L’Oreal that I forget the name of) so I went with the Clairol in the shade “Coffee Creme: Darkest Brown”. It was only $8.99 and the color looked very close to my natural color.

It was super easy to mix and apply to my hair. You’re supposed to apply it to hair that does not have any product build-up in it but that is also not freshly washed. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that beforehand so my hair probably had a bit of product in it since I hadn’t washed it in a couple days. After applying it all over my hair (concentrating on my bangs mostly since that’s where my grays are) I waited 15 minutes, which is what they suggest if you’re trying to cover grays…the normal time is 10 minutes. I then washed it out (only using the conditioner they provided) and blow-dryed/styled as usual. The first thing I noticed was that it looked like I hadn’t dyed my hair at all as far as the color goes. My grays were completely gone, but my hair was literally the exact same color as my natural shade, which is awesome since that’s what I was hoping for! Unfortunately, I also noticed that my hair was a bit drier than it usually is, which I guess is to be expected when using boxed dye (the henna dye had the opposite issue…extremely oily!). It still looked great, though, and it accomplished what I wanted it to do, which was get rid of the grays. It is supposed to last 28 washes, which for me is about 8 or 9 weeks (I wash my hair roughly 3x a week). I’m curious to see if it does last that long! There is a “refresher” that comes with the box that you’re supposed to use after 2 weeks but I may wait longer. I’m continuing to use the L’Oreal EverPure shampoo and conditioner to prevent fading, and just recently purchased the “Moisture” version since I’m running low.

Overall, I’m happy that this dye covered my grays and that the color is perfect for me. The only con so far is that it dried out my hair a bit. After this fades in a couple months, I will try another dye and let you know what I think about that one!

Review Update: This dye did not last as long as 8/9 weeks…my grays were very prominent after about six. Therefore, I’m taking a star off of my original rating.