Unlisted Brand • Herbatint - Permanent Haircolour Gel • Hair Color

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cadbury on 2/28/2013 3:29:00 AM more reviews by cadbury

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Trying to use something more gentle on my hair, I decided to try this. As reviews mention, colors run darker. If you look on the Herbatint website, they will tell you to go 2 shades lighter than you normally would. Don't get caught up with the names, because "dark blonde" may be light brown, "chestnut" may be dark brown, etc.

In order to get a dark brown, I chose 5N Light Chestnut. The N colors provide the best grey coverage, and it is recommended you use one or mix it together with a non N shade to achieve proper coverage.

The product has no scent, which is great. It is also easy to mix the two together, and once mixed, they make a gel that does not drip.

After my first coloring, some white hairs were completely uncovered, some were covered and some were yellowish.
After the first wash, more were yellow and more were visible. I usually color my regrowth every two weeks, but this was so poor it was if I hadn't bothered at all.

I waited and recolored after two weeks. My regrowth was double what it normally would be in some places, because the dye didn't take last time.

From the second time I used it, it started working fine. I'm glad I gave it another chance because it is lasting just as long as my previous hair dye - I am using sulfate free shampoo which may help. I will stick with this if it will keep my hair healthy.

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ironicsymphonic on 2/21/2013 6:26:00 PM more reviews by ironicsymphonic

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

STAY AWAY. I used this for about 8 months. I re-touch my hair every 6-8 weeks or so. I switched to this from drugstore color because it's got less chemicals and doesn't test on animals. The first few dye jobs were fine, but after four or five of them, my hair slowly went to hell. It got dry, it lost its shine, and worst of all, it started falling out in clumps - and I'm young and healthy and have been dying my hair for YEARS, and have always had pretty hair until this. Also, the last time I put this stuff in, my hair honestly felt like frayed, dry ROPE when I rinsed it out in the shower. Conditioner mostly smoothed it out, but huh? I couldn't even get my fingers in there - it was like a helmet of matted tangles. And I take excellent care of my hair and have never experienced anything like this. Sigh. I'm now shelling out for high-end reconstructing shampoo to fix some of the damage. Off to find a new brand of hair dye.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

a1010 on 1/19/2013 7:57:00 AM more reviews by a1010

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I am usually allergic to hairdye so when my hairdresser recommended a natural product I found this one. It was promising to begin with and the instructions were very easy to use. My only problem with it is that the colour is completely different than it said on the box... I went for 4R which was described as copper chestnut but my hair is literally bright red now. Don't get me wrong, I like it but it was completely unexpected. I probably should have done a strand test but I never expected there to be such a variation in colour! Especially when it wasn't a henna product! Overall, my hair feels okay but I'm worried about how dry it has become - better get some strong conditioner if you're using this product.

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krisiva on 6/29/2012 8:19:00 AM more reviews by krisiva

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

I am happy to discover this hair color after using henna for years (which is a sort of messy and somehow doesn't work for me anymore). I love the fact that it contains fewer dangereous chemicals than most hair dyes and leaves my hair soft, shiny and strong. My hair does not fall after the color treatment, which is amazing having my bad experience with other brands. And the conditioner is great. I use it in shade 5N Light Chesnut and the color is fantastic match for me, but for sure it is a little bit darker than light chesnut. Highly recommended product, really!
I manage to buy it at very good price from www.iherb.com (and you can use code TOV126 for $10 discount).

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Thaxter on 4/15/2012 6:52:00 PM more reviews by Thaxter

Age: 44-55   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Wow! Where has this product been all my life?? I took the plunge and put a straight color of Golden Chestnut (4D) into my chin-length, greying hair, which had been dyed at the salon about four months ago. The result was a very rich brown shade which, in the sun, has a wonderful reddish tint. It is quite subtle. The shade was much darker than I would have thought, and had I taken the time to read all the reviews on the vitacost site, where I bought the dye, I would have gone toward a lighter shade. All the same, I just love it!


Ease of application is amazing. Just mix two liquids in a plastic bowl and stir, or use a cheap plastic haircolor bottle and shake. The product forms into a light gel. I used a hard bristle toothbrush (couldn't find a tint brush at the drugstore) to touch up my temples and roots first, then finished my hair, which I had sectioned into three parts. The application went quickly, and it was easy to use a wide tooth comb to distribute all the gel through my hair. I hate messy applications, and this gel is a dream -- it doesn't glob, drip, or otherwise make life a hassle for you.


After distributing the color, I piled my hair on top (the gel stuck nicely together), put on a shower cap, and set a timer for 40 minutes. No strong odor or unpleasant sting was felt.


In the shower, this washed out like a dream. Again, there was no mess -- no pools of really dark color from drugstore brands, none of the grit of henna . . . just a lightweight gel that washed right out and didn't stain the tub, walls, or shower curtain. I used a LOT of conditioner and air dryed my hair.


My luxurious color is so beautiful. Yes, it's dark for me, but since I've always loved dark brunette, I'm okay with it for now. I've already ordered my next two colors: light ash blonde and light golden chestnut, which I'll mix.


When looking at the colors at the web site, bear in mind that the actual base color is the darkest shade you'll see in the samples, not the highlighted bright tresses illuminated by artificial light in the photos. So search out the shadowy part of the hues, and use that as a guide. Always go lighter than you think. This is an Italian brand, and their definitions of "blonde," "chestnut," etc. are very different than ours.


I'll never go back to any product -- I love this. It also hasn't left my hair dry as others have said. I hope they never stop making this all-natural hair gel. Oh, and yes, it deeply colored ALL my grey! I'll check in in the future to give an update of wear over time.


9/1/12

Here's my update of wear over time. This color lasted a long time. I have taken to using Light Golden Chestnut, which still gives a rich auburn shade to my otherwise medium chestnut shade. This really covers my grey well and lasts over a month. Note that the grey hairs come out lighter than the nongrey hairs, and this works, as it creaetes a natural highlighting effect. Color stays rich throughout the month with minimal fading.

This does leave my hair drier because it doesn't use silicones like the drugstore brands, but their conditioner, Royal Creme, works wonders (as does Aubrey White Camilla conditioner).

No harsh chemicals, beautiful subtle shades, terrific coverage, long lasting, and no stains on your bathtub or sink . . . what's not to love? :)

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geb910 on 3/18/2012 1:59:00 PM more reviews by geb910

Age: 44-55   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

Just tried this product for the first time. My hair was not in the best shape going into this color (dry from going brown to blonde back last July!) so I wanted to spare as much more damage as possible and still cover the few grays I'm getting. 1) the smell was wonderful compared to any others I've used 2) the display at the store said to buy 1 shade lighter than you normally do which I did and the color is great. My hair does not feel any worse (dryness) than it did before coloring. I think this product is good -- if my opinion changes I'll post another time. It is a bit expensive, but I was using John Frieda which is the same price but actually made my scalp get bloody patches (though color is super). Worth a try!

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MissK4012 on 12/9/2011 4:55:00 PM more reviews by MissK4012

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I have previously colored my hair with just about every drugstore and salon product in the world - about 3 years ago, I decided I wanted to go more natural and quit coloring altogether...
... Fast forward to last week: I was finally fed up with my natural hair color - what used to be a slightly strawberry toned medium blonde had become a mousy, flat dark blonde - I was ready to try coloring again. So as not to completely ruin my natural routine, I started researching less chemical-ly hair colorants and decided to try HerbaTint.
Having read many reviews, I knew this color would show up dark - I was looking to go dark blonde/light brown with neutral or slightly reddish undertones. I chose 7N Blonde because based on reviews and the photo on the box it was definitely NOT blonde, but a very natural looking light brown. My hope was that is would either be neutral as advertised (no red or ash tones) or a bit reddish (realistically, my hair always pulls red).
The color: I followed the directions exactly and my hair turned out... GREEN. An extra-ashy, brownish gray in most light, and straight GREEN in bright light. In the week since I have colored, most of it (except for the ends) has faded to a less disgusting color (kind of a coppery light brown) but not a shade that is anything like the photo on the box, nothing akin to a blonde of any kind, and nothing that does anything for my complexion.
Worse than the color: I have never had a hair coloring product make my hair feel so dry and look so flat (except once years ago when I had a bleaching accident - but that was straight BLEACH). After a week of washing and conditioning, the top few inches of newer growth are starting to regain a bit of softness and shine. The rest of my hair (which is near waist-length) feels dry, has no shine at all, and pretty much looks fake or dead or something. Even oils and glossing products won't make it look shiny in the least.
I found this to be VERY disappointing for a supposedly more natural product. I expected I might not get great coverage or lasting power due to the lack of ammonia and ppd and the presense of (supposedly) plant-based dyes - but I always assumed less chemicals meant SAFER for my hair. I guess I learned my lesson about making assumptions!
I did give this product 1 lippie, just for the coverage. If there are hair types out there that this does not dry out, the coverage is superb. I don't have grays but I do have MANY stubborn whiteblonde hairs and all are perfectly hidden behind my terrible new ashiest-green/brown-hair-color-ever. If you're willing to risk a bad experience and happen to find a color that works for you, I imagine this will cover gray and white hair very well indeed. I also would have liked the absence of parabens, if this color weren't so gross.
OVERALL: I will have to turn back to the DS dyes I have shunned for 3 years just to fix the corpse hair HerbaTint left me with. I would have been better off not coloring at all and will definitely NOT buy this again.
UPDATE: Raised one lippie. After giving this a few more days, the green/gray color has faded out and my hair is the intended color now. Also, some softness and shine has reappeared, so at least my hair is not permanently damaged as badly as I had thought. I still won't be buying again though - this much drying and waiting over a week for my hair to look decent is not worth it.

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lieMan on 5/27/2011 12:45:00 AM more reviews by lieMan

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Dark   Hair: Other   Eyes: Green    

I used Herbatint for years. What's great is you can measure out portions and use the same box a few times (especially to re-touch roots). I liked that it didn't have any bad smell and I didn't get any allergic reaction. I've gone to an aveda salon and there dye stunk and burned and the hairdresser was clueless what to do. I can't imagine what traditional salon or store dyes would do. The traditional store dyes would make my mom's lips three times their size. What I REALLY don't like about Herbatint is after years of using it my hair quality is CRAP! At first it used to be shiny and soft, especially with their amazing shampoo and conditioner line. It also scares me wit any of these dyes that one could develop an allergic reaction at any time but supposedly it's rare. Rare is not low enough for me -_- Anyways, the gray coverage was great. I was using the color black. I need a brand that I can use for decades as needed and that won't kill my hair. I do get regular hair cuts but my hair is like "old" Gene Simmons from kiss now.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

lucyfur888 on 10/13/2010 5:20:00 PM more reviews by lucyfur888

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I am looking for the holy grail of non damaging gray hair coverage. I have tried all the Clairol, Garnier and L'oreal brands and the ammonia in them ruined my hair while the semi permanents do not touch the gray. It is IMPOSSIBLE to touchup gray roots without overlapping and if you overlap with permanent ammonia products your hair will eventually break off which mine did. I tried this brand out of desperation because I don't want to have a short white granny head of hair but now I understand why older hair looks so bad it's the chemicals in perms and dyes that does it. Well to tell you the truth this product worked remarkably well; it covered just as good as the permanent brands and turned my gray into hi-lites. I used a colour a good 2 shades lighter than what I would normally use like 8N natural light blonde will give you light brown not blonde. But I am very happy with the result; there is absolutely no odour at all, the coverage doesn't seem to fade any worse than the ammonia laden brands and the multitonal effect is quite natural. I will continue using this product since it is the only thing I can use that will cover gray and not ruin my hair. I feel that the major brands have no interest in selling to older women otherwise they wouldnt come out with such harsh products that not only destroy your hair but look dried out and fake as well. Just ignore the somewhat "hokey" packaging this comes in and the fact you need to get it in places like Whole Foods; it is definately worth the price.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

lulubull on 6/30/2010 2:37:00 PM more reviews by lulubull

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I had been looking for a natural product to cover some pesky greys and Herbatint came highly recommended by an acquaintance of mine. I usually research products before I try them, but the person I spoke with gave such a glowing review of the product and had such a beautiful head of hair to boot, that I decided to take the plunge blindly. Man, do I feel like a chump. I noticed immediately after processing that my hair felt drier, which is often the case before you apply the conditioner, so I waited to see the results after conditioning. Btw, the conditioner--Royal Cream, was so amazing I went out and purchased a bigger bottle of it later. And, good thing I did. My hair, which is naturally very thick and coarse, is now also damaged, feels very dry and has lost all of it's luster. I will never purchase this product again and would definitely not recommend it to my friends. The only positive things I can say about this product is that it did cover my greys and the color turned out nice. Not really worth it though for the damage it did to my hair. Going back to drugstore products until NASA comes up with something better.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

nightreaper on 6/24/2010 12:18:00 PM more reviews by nightreaper

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I just used this product for the first time last night to not only color my own long, fine natural hair, but to color a set of dark brown weft extensions as well (I'm a hairdresser and get a 30% discount on product but we didn't have any black extensions.. however they were human hair so they took color just like regular hair would).

I used 1N and was quite skeptical at first (I'd used natural colors; henna, manic panic.. before and they always left my roots ashy and under-colored). But as the color darkened during processing (I know they say processing color doesn't matter!) I knew it would turn out great. It did. My hair is now a shiny, natural looking black.

However; for this dye, I recommend a couple things.

Pre-color: Buy a product mixing bottle like in the regular drugstore coloring boxes. I highly recommend this. You can pour all the glycol and color into the bottle and shake it just like you would with drugstore color. This makes it MUCH easier and more controlled to distribute the color throughout your hair.

1. Wash your hair of any product before you put in the dye.
2. If you have root growth, put the color on your roots for 25 minutes, and then the ends for 15 minutes.
3. Gently shampoo once you've rinsed the color to clear.
4. Use the conditioning packet provided. If you don't have enough conditioning, put an extra dab of your regular conditioner to the ends as well; leave in for 3-5 minutes, and rinse with cool water.

Hope this helped!

-Alice

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*TOP REVIEWER* Kathy123 on 6/2/2010 10:56:00 AM more reviews by Kathy123

Age: 36-43   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

In comparison with the wide range of hcs that I have used, this was not really all that. It made my hair shiny but so did all other products. The worst thing about this product is that made my hair extremely dry and stiff. I used a lot of conditioner to get the dryness out but it was still a mess. Okay, so if you want to use a product that is healthy for your scalp and hair, this is not the answer. I would rather to use chemicals that do not dry my scalp and hair than herbal stuff like this that take 5 times more conditioner. I used 1N, which is natural black but I do not recommend this brand to anyone. My Revlon Colorsilk, which was 1/10th of the price of this, leaves my hair in a better condition.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Virgo03 on 5/25/2010 12:16:00 PM more reviews by Virgo03

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I've been using a clear lightener called "Luminize", to lighten my dark golden blond hair by one shade. But, now that I'm beginning to get "first grays", I decided it was time to start experimenting with color. I've tried a few temporary and semi-permanent hair colors, but they just wouldn't stick to my grays at all.


Following the advice of the woman at Herbatint's help line, I got colors lighter than what I was really trying to achieve. I used a mixture of 8D and 8N on just the un-lightened part of my hair. It gives a very soft, natural-looking result. However, my handful of grays picked up only the faintest trace of color! Like a "whisper tint" that isn't going to last past a couple of washings. And yet, if I went any darker the rest of my hair would get too much color. (It's already a little darker than the color I've been getting with my clear lightener.) I have probably less than 1% gray that isn't even visible yet, but some years down the road, I'm probably going to have to give in and get an ammonia-based color.


My other complaint with this product is not being "true-to-color". For instance, 8D is called "Light Golden Blonde", but the picture on the box looks like what most people would call a dark blond. Maybe the Italians have a different standard as far as what constitues "light, "medium", and "dark"? I don't know, but it looks to me as though a lot of the colors run 2 or 3 shades darker than what the names imply. This is one of the most expensive hair colors available (even if you get it online), and I wonder how many boxes you would need to go through in order to find the right color!

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Wendy1954 on 5/23/2010 9:58:00 PM more reviews by Wendy1954

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I used this product on my roots this morning. Based on reviews here and elsewhere I chose lighter colors to use. My natural hair color is medium brown 30% gray although there are spots where it's 50% and I usually use a dark blonde to get it to a lighter brown. It always pulls red which I try to counter with semi perm toners. I used 3 colors 6N(dark blonde), light blonde 8N, and med ash blonde 7C. All used equally with developer. Based on my experience, the color came out lighter than I wanted and bit warm. I can see some of the grays but they are golden. My guess is they'll shine through in a week or two like other colors. Next time I'll just use the 6N and add some 7c to counter warmth to see how that goes. There is a subtle smell like Naturtint but not strong. Hair felt dry and the conditioner helped. On the fence with this product.

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seaquin on 3/31/2010 11:45:00 PM more reviews by seaquin

Age: 44-55   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I used the 5N (light chestnut). As it's my first time dying my 25% grey hair I wanted to use a gentle dye without ammonia. This dye hardly smelt at all. Very gentle on the nose! I found the process messy - probably because I'm a novice in hair dying - rinsing it in the shower was even messier. Moreover, I did a poor job in spreading the colour evenly and thickly so many greys are showing through. A lot of my natural light golden brown hair is peeping thru as well. My fault, as I was scared of irritating my sensitive scalp (which didn't happen).BUT I have to say that the colour and condition of my hair where the dye has taken is beautiful - glossy and a rich dark auburn/chestnut that is ravishingly natural looking! if it fades a bit it'll still look good I reckon. Next time I'll be more generous with the amount I put in my hair - and there shall definitely be a next time.
Note: I used the shampoo and conditioner suppled with the colour. This seems to have made my hair very soft and shiny. Lovely.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

nicas83 on 3/27/2010 11:27:00 PM more reviews by nicas83

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I've used this hair color twice now to blend my mid-lengths and ends which were light -medium blond (highlighted), with my dark blonde regrowth. I wanted to go dark blonde all over but chose the 7N 'Blonde' because I wanted to be cautious of going too dark; the 'Blonde' color on the pack and color chart looks like dark blonde anyway.
Thank goodness I didn't buy 'Dark Blonde' or 'Light Brown' because with the 7N Blonde, I pretty much looked brunette for the first week or so. It was definitely not Blonde by any means! It faded to a nicer dark blonde/light brown however it was quite dramatic at first.

The resulting color is a little flat but I'm overall pretty happy considering it was a home job. I also like the fact that Herbatint is free of Ammonia and has less peroxide than a regular semi-permanent. Plus they don't test on animals. The screw caps of the developer and color mean you can use half (if you’re hair is fine/thin/short) and store it away to use again. Plus it’s a very subtle chemical smell, unlike the usual hair dyes on the market :)

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

golondrina on 5/18/2009 3:40:00 AM more reviews by golondrina

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Sensitive   Hair: Red   Eyes: Blue    

Since my once bright red hair is now fading, I use a combination of Herbatint 8r light copper blonde and 9n blonde to get a natural looking color. Although it doesn't have some of the ingredients which make other hair colors carcinogenic, it covers gray as well and lasts as long as the more popular yet toxic hair dyes. Check out database.com for safety ratings.

8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* ReggieJackson on 3/21/2009 2:47:00 PM more reviews by ReggieJackson

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I really like this product and alternate it with L'Oreal Colour Expert. You just need to make sure you have no products in your hair or it won't cover the gray. It doesn't smell at all and if you use the Royal Cream Conditioner it is just like a salon treatment.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

BrownStar on 1/29/2009 2:55:00 PM more reviews by BrownStar

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Dark   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I really wanted to like this product, especially after the reviews below. Though I love the colour - I mix two of them together and the smell is not terrible (not great either), I really hated the way it dried out my hair.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* radiocure11 on 1/18/2009 8:41:00 PM more reviews by radiocure11

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

I can't believe I've never reviewed this, I've been using it for a few years now and I love it!
Background: My natural hair color is medium-dark brown. I've been getting white (yes, WHITE, not gray!) hair since about age 16. I would just pull them out. Well, by my mid-twenties I realized I had way too many to keep pulling out: I took the plunge with home hair color. The first brand I used was the Garnier Belle Color that was out at the time (showing my age here, LOL!). I used the dark golden brown, and it worked well. I moved on later to Feria, and also tried, at various time, Fructis, Nice N Easy, Herbal Essences, well, just about all of the permanent and demi-permanent colors in the d/s. I came across Herbitint while reading an online article about coloring hard-to-color white hair. I like the idea that they use the minimal amount of color intermediates necessary to achieve the chosen color. I also liked the face that they used low peroxide and no ammonia, but still claimed to get 100% gray (white) coverage.
I was impressed from the first time I used it. No odor at all. You do have to buy your own mixing/application bottle, no biggie. The screw-capped bottles of color and developer make it easy to use as little or as much as you want each time, or to mix colors, which I do. I mix 2 parts 3N to 1 part 4G. You do have to process longer than d/s color, but the result is worth it. I never get that super-dark overlap of color on my hair when touching up my roots, and the color does not fade, even on my whites! Oh and yes, it does color the stubborn whites completely, without over-coloring the normal brown hair. The whites are maybe a tiny bit lighter and more golden highlighted, but that's fine with me: "natural" highlights, LOL! I suspect if I used straight-up 3N, the whites would be just as dark as the rest of my hair.
I have found that using a processing cap over my head seems to help the color take even better.
I will cry if they ever stop making this.
I buy it online for about $8.50 or so a box from nhs.com. I buy like 6-8 boxes at a time to make the most of the flat shipping fee.

10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No