Unlisted Brand • KillerStrands - Thriven • Treatments

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yordreammuse on 12/15/2012 8:32:00 PM more reviews by yordreammuse

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

One word: Miraculous!!!!!! I swear, my hair is visibilly thicker and has more volume. This is the go-to deep conditioner for anyone with scalp or hair thinning issues. I wish I could upload a before and after picture. Probably the best deep conditioner on the market!!!!

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namil on 11/30/2012 3:08:00 PM more reviews by namil

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

I really do not understand those that it has worked for, but I see no difference in using this product and a cheap drugstore brand. I do use high end products, so may be that is why??? I think it is expensive considering the product. Plus ensure as a secret supplement, come on!

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zoee1912 on 9/7/2012 5:20:00 PM more reviews by zoee1912

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

I purchased Thriven and used it overnight as recommended. The results were OK but nothing to write home about. I don’t like the fact that it contains castor oil because castor oil can be a skin irritant. It didn’t irritate my scalp but then I didn’t use it many times as I am prone to sensitivity and I ended up giving it to my sister. I just didn’t find the results were worth all the effort entailed with this product. As for the “secret supplement”…what a joke! To charge so much for a product stating that you will also get info on the “secret supplement” which turns out to be a widely known product that has a load of chemicals in it is very bad imo. I would not put that product into my body. Yes, it has a bit of protein, and yes it does have some vitamins which are most likely synthetic ones. But there are many superior supplements and vitamins that would be far more effective.

The Killer Strands site does have some excellent information and a person can learn a lot. But I have been on the receiving end of attacks from the owner, Dakota. One was when I asked a question on colour on the newsgroup. I got an irate response from KC stating that us “Brits” were all the same and had no intention of ever buying from her. She knows our type, asking questions to get information and we will then just purchase hair colour in the UK because according to KC, pro hair colour is in every chemists shop. First that is incorrect. Yes we can buy it in a hair supply store, but KC seems to have a bee in her bonnet about this and imagines we can buy it on virtually every street corner. Some of her old blog postings say as much. And there are many Brits who purchase items from Killer Strands despite being able to purchase hair colour in the UK. When I responded to KC stating that yes I can get hair colour in the UK but was intending to buy Thriven and some other stuff in a large joint order, she sent a further more insulting email calling me a liar and stated that all Brits were the same! After that tirade I didn’t want to purchase anything from her but the friend I was intending to make a joint purchase with was the only reason I did, so as not to disappoint her. Some time later I made another post asking about hair colour techniques, not expecting KC to answer, but unfortunately KC pounced on my post to the newsgroup and it was another insulting email. KC apologises on her blog from time to time and puts it down to ill health although I don't really think ill health would cause someone to behave in the way she does, with no respect for posters or customers at various times. Her helpers sent me private emails offering apologies for her behaviour. As someone else said, she tends to be manic sometimes. Her blog posts can be prolific and then nothing for a while. I wonder if she might be bipolar. Anyway, all that aside, I was not impressed with Thriven although I know many others think the product is good. EDIT: Killer Strands Google Group was once informative with lots of participants, including many who found the site while googling. There are very few posts now. Perhaps a result of Dakota (KC) requiring $9.00 to post and get responses and I believe this amount must be paid to order products. So with that, and an extra 15 bucks added to your order if its below $20, things are not too good.

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antigonehg on 3/7/2012 10:45:00 PM more reviews by antigonehg

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

Thriven is a confusing product to me. I've tried it overnight, for 2 hours in a heating cap, and for 10 min in the shower. Each time it was very awkward to rinse out, not to mention it took forever, and my hair felt so strange afterward. I had damaged hair from using store bought color (Wella at Sally's) and from tinting over previous color every few months to refresh the faded red. I wanted Thriven to work and I even bought a shower filter and started using KS's recommended sulfate free shampoo's. Thriven helped my hair somewhat, even though my hair felt weird, but it was definitely not a miracle product. My hair was not in dire straights, but it definitely wasn't soft and smooth like my virgin hair growing back in was. I feel like Gleam and In-Depth helped my hair a whole lot more, even if it just came out in the next wash. I only wash my hair twice a week anyway and doing an overnight treatment or even a heat treatment with Thriven is too much a PITA, especially if it's not going to help my hair as much as another product. Not to mention the jar packaging sucks and seems unsanitary to keep dipping into with wet shower hands...

As far as KillerStrands owner, Dakota, I have pretty much the same sentiment as everyone else here. I've had unpleasant, and unexpected, criticism from her on one of my Google Groups postings, even when I wasn't even expecting help from her. One of the other moderator's even apologized to me for it. She has other people helping her answer questions on the group and doesn't commonly addresses those questions herself. I don't know why she picked my post to pick on...

Her shipping is definitely more expensive than it needs to be, but on the plus side she did replace an order for me that was lost in the mail. She gave me some crap about it in some back and forth emails which made it clear to me she wasn't doing it to be nice but was more just doing it to ensure my future patronage... She has no idea what true customer service is.

Regarding the Thriven Secret Supplement... Since it's already been exposed here, and since it's "half" of the Thriven treatment, I decided I would expand a little bit on it. The Ensure Nutrition Shake is a cop out on her part. I would expect a lot more from her, being a cosmetic chemist and all. Ensure is merely a combination of Milk Protein Concentrate, soy protein, sweeteners, thickeners, vitamins & minerals. There's also 320 mg plant-based Omega-3 fatty acid ALA, which is where I think part of the secret is. It can't be the amount of protein as there is only 9 g in an 8 oz bottle. There's about that much in an 8 oz glass of milk. It's not the type of protein either. Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC) had the same proportion of casein, whey and other protein that regular milk has. There's also Soy Oil and Soy Protein, but don't even get me started on the issue of Soy and how it's bad for your Thyroid and intestinal tract.

A better alternative to drinking Ensure would be to take a good multivitamin, preferably a whole-food based one that you can get at a health food store, and maybe a few other additional vitamin and mineral supplements like Vit. D3, a good B-Complex and Vit. C. Also, start taking a really good Omega supplement with a proper ratio of the different omega fatty acids. I think that's where the real secret is where the hair is involved. Taking healthy oils internally along with the external application to the hair. I would also suggest some other healthy oils namely coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil for every day use.

There are also a lot of health problems that affect the hair as well, such as thyroid issues and iron deficiency (low ferritin and/or serum iron), even Celiac's Disease and gluten intolerance. So anyone with problems with their "virgin" hair growth needs to be check out medically for these things and possibly other vitamin/nutritional deficiencies. Any digestive disorder will definitely cause nutritional deficiencies, so that needs to be addressed as well. Start take a Betaine (HCl) supplement and digestive enzymes with all your meals and that will definitely help with the absorption of these nutrients. A good probiotic supplement (10+ strains) also does wonders.

These supplements might cost more altogether than Ensure once a day, but you will definitely be healthier overall and will address the real issues of your hair problems. For its value, Ensure really is more costly and seems more like a quick fix than anything. And do you really want to be a slave to the flavor of Ensure for the rest of your life?

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dcoppert on 12/15/2011 1:44:00 AM more reviews by dcoppert

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

I've purchased and repurchased Thriven pretty much since it first was available.I LOVE it!

I have long fine hair that breaks easily and the way I use it is as a leave in conditioner. Just a teeny tiny amount on damp hair and it keeps my hair looking fabulous. Used so sparingly a tub lasts forever.

I've also used it as directed but using as a leave in saves me a step in the AM.

When I first discovered this I literally kept it a secret, because it was so magical on my hair that I didn't want the price to go up any more due to demand. In a way I'm glad to see the negative reviews but for some desperate lady I do want to give the tip that this stuff is pretty magical for those of us it works for (my guess is many people are used to a lot of fakey, low quality ingredients that look good temporarily but don't REALLY benefit the hair).

As for Dakota, she is my go to info source and I've never had a single problem. I am a small business owner and all I can say is some customers can literally drive you nuts. She was (is?) dealing with serious health issues and that can sometimes cause a short fuse--especially if dealing with a "PITA" customer.

Basically, I think her service and products rock, despite the small business limitations (I mean come on, she's not a major corporation).

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junkieheaven on 10/29/2011 4:18:00 PM more reviews by junkieheaven

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I think this product wears off after the first few uses. The best results I ever got from this product were the first 3-4 times I used it. Afterwards, it loses its effectiveness, or it has done its job and my hair no longer needs the conditioning elements it has. So I give Thriven a 5 for initial use, but now I give it a 3. Mind you, I have moderate damage to my hair right now from too much flat iron and color - my strands are shy of straw-like, but still pretty bad. If your hair is in better shape, it may in fact work better for you, I really can't say..


I can think of only 3 products off the top of my head that I can say confidently are "better" than Thriven FOR MY HAIR (your hair may be different). And 1 is more expensive than Thriven, the other is an additional product I have reviewed on MUA, and the other you have to buy off ebay because it's not for public sale in the salons.. I guess look at my other reviews for additional recommendations? I don't know if I'm allowed to promote other products in a review.. I'm new to the site, please excuse..


Having said that, I won't be purchasing this product again. Not due to the price, but simply because it doesn't work as well as it did anymore. I would not encourage anyone to buy the 8oz tub for fear of having the same problem. But if you can get a 2oz or 4oz tub, I say try it - you'll probably see a difference.


I actually kind of like the smell of Thriven - it has kind of a fresh tone to it that I like. Gleam is another story - I absolutely loathe the smell of Gleam.. And I agree with another poster about the "Secret Supplement" - I would NOT recommend taking that.


As for the owner herself, I spoke about this more in my other review, but I do have to agree with many of the sentiments expressed here. I'm torn - she really knows her stuff, and some of her recommendations are just brilliant, you're not going to find the information she presents anywhere else, and she's patient with people who have clearly not done their homework and go nuts with the color/bleach.. but her energy is also crazy, quite manipulative at times, untruthful at others, and overall she misleads people through her marketing (and no, I've not had any issue with refunds etc., I've just sat back and witnessed a lot in her blog/group/store). It's sad, I've learned a lot from her blog and do appreciate it, but still, teaching people doesn't give you the right to be disingenuous or manipulative, sick or no.

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ajrl on 5/30/2011 9:41:00 AM more reviews by ajrl

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

Thriven itself is wonderful. So far I've used it twice and I can really see how regular use of Thriven and Gleam (killerstrands hair oil) would really do alot for the health of my hair. Unfortunately, I WILL NEVER repurchase from killer strands again because of the rudeness of owner/operator Dakota Ellis. She is quite possibly the rudest person I've ever had the displeasure of working with. I was asking some questions on the google group and she actually accused me of lying saying I had never purchased anything from her. In actuality I spent over $200. I've never been so offended! Thriven is a good product but definitely not worth the abuse you'll take from Dakota.

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pomfrit on 5/5/2011 2:54:00 PM more reviews by pomfrit

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Brown    

I always come to this site for THE TRUTH and thank you all for reviewing Killerstrands.com for what it really is, a BS scam. I am so glad I did not order from this site. My antennas went up when this so called person, blogger (Dakota) would make all her products a secret and u have to join to know! . Seriously, have u ever heard of something so ridiculous!!!! Most of these products she recommends u can find anywhere!!! Although, I must say that the information she gives about haircare is informative and helpful, but that's where it ends. Any site that requires you to pay for certain information regarding a product is NOT on the side of the consumer but on the side of the mighty dollar!!!!

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hcnyc on 5/2/2011 10:03:00 AM more reviews by hcnyc

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I'm surprised by the negative reviews on this! I did just try it once, last night, but my hair looks great today! and I have a ton of damage right now from bleach bought in the drugstore.

I also tried killerstrands oil bleach and it was fabulous. I'm not sure if it's the same formula as the wella oil one that was discontinued, but it feels like it. It's the only thing that doesn't torch my hair!

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Achlys on 2/18/2011 8:23:00 PM more reviews by Achlys

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

I'm kind of torn on Thriven. I do feel like it has made my hair less porous, which is something I can't say for most conditioners. However, you really have to figure out how to make it work for you. I personally can't just rinse it out with water as KC directs because it makes my roots look dirty and matted. I therefore put it on when my hair is dirty, sleep in it, and shampoo it out the next morning.

This is not how Killer Strands says to use it, but I find it's the only way it works for me. Also, it does have a very strong smell, so if you're sensitive to artificial fragrance you might want to consider that before buying.

Also, a side note: Killerstrands shipping is usually upwards of $15 for a small box. I paid $22 the last time I ordered a small amount (3-4) products and it arrived in a small flat rate box. Basically, shipping is a major rip off.

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lordm on 1/8/2011 7:42:00 AM more reviews by lordm

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

THRIVEN made my thick tangled curly hair feel soft. You need to add Killer Strands GLEAM OIL if you want shine. THE SMELL IS TERRIBLE! I would buy THRIVEN again if it was unscented. I ordered the 16 oz. size so I'm stuck with a product that I do like but can't use because of the strong over powering cheap perfume smell.

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chatnoir on 1/1/2011 11:44:00 PM more reviews by chatnoir

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Not worth $52 by any measure! This left my hair lank, dull, with no shine whatsoever and even after dry left my fine hair an easy to tangle mess. It was as if it was coated with sth that made my hair fuse together. Once dry I could not comb thru it in parts. Cannot believe I wasted $50+ on this dandruff shampoo smelling rubbish. A fool and his money are easily parted, eh? Even after just rinsing, this left my hair a tangled nightmare that took 15+ mins to comb thru even WITH a detangler.

Hostile, rude customer service to add insult to injury. Would never buy anything from them again.

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lolaoh on 12/24/2010 11:49:00 AM more reviews by lolaoh

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

ok the product was not worth the hype and money or effort. wow dakota is a pain in the ass. No kidding! never ordering anything EVER again from killerstrands. I honestly can't believe she is a hollywood colorist or any kind of colorist with that kind of attitude I'm pretty sure clients wouldn't be able to stand it.

If you go onto the group you can see the results some of the girls have had with bleaching their own hair... (they think their bleached hair with toned orange highlights look good)...
so sad. It sounds like they have really deluded themselves.

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dangerkitty on 11/17/2010 9:44:00 AM more reviews by dangerkitty

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I used Thriven exactly as instructed. I rinsed for several minutes with filtered water in shower. My hair did not feel or look silky. It actually looked like frizzy, straw after it dried. My hair looked like it was "damaged" even though my hair normally is healthy looking.

I had to shampoo the Thriven out of my hair and condition my hair to get my hair to look healthy, shiny and normal again. Thriven was too expensive to have such poor results.
Also, I have read that Thriven is supposed to smell good. It smells bad! The Thriven that I received smells like "old man" hair products. Thriven reminded me of dandruff shampoo mixed with toothpaste without the minty fresh smell just the nasty dandruff smell.

On a side note, the customer service is horrible and I will never buy anything else from Killer Strands again.
In my opinion Killer Strands should be called Killer Scams! From my horrible experience shopping there, I say, "Buyer Beware". Killer Strands is a lot of hype and gloss but the most horrible customer service.

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rosie99 on 9/26/2010 2:28:00 PM more reviews by rosie99

Age: 44-55   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I got sucked into the killerstrand thing! I religiously read the blog, only used products which she recommended and followed her 90 day program step by step. I slept with Thriven in my hair 2 nights a week, drank the secret supplement every day, only used sulfate free shampoos, etc. ect.....and by the end of 90 days my hair looked much worse than when I started. And my hair was still falling out! I call BS on her entire site. Thriven is OK but there are other products on the market that work just as well for much less $$$.

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*TOP REVIEWER* simi531 on 5/17/2010 4:54:00 PM more reviews by simi531

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I feel so bad for those of you that this did not work for! I have bleached my hair until it is fried and have tried everything - kerastase, etc. The kerastase really does not work for me and I always returned to my giovanni deep conditioner. Until this stuff....It has seriuosly helped my hair so much after using it only twice!! My hair may actually be - dare I say- too soft?! The gleam is amazing, but only if you use so little and only on the ends. i used too much at first and my hair looked greasy, so i used much less the next time. My hair is shiny and bouncy and i can actually get a brush through it now. Great stuff and I have had no problem with customer service, etc. I recommend anyone with damaged hair to give this a try. It absolutely blew away Kerastase for me and any other deep treatment.
EDIT: I have stopped using this stuff for now - even though I do think that I would purchase it again. It was making my hair a little too soft - which is unheard of. I liked it for the summer b/c it weighed down my hair a little and helped with the poof, but now that it is fall there wont be as much humidity and it will just make my hair flat. Plus it is so expensive! I have also found Neutrogena Triple moisture mask...I cannot believe that stuff works so well for the price...

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surfsup555 on 11/4/2009 3:10:00 PM more reviews by surfsup555

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

overall not a bad product. but as far as dealing with dakota ellis goes....
well i thought she was a nice woman at first and always wondered why people would complain of her temper, and her communication skills.
the person below me is right..im not usually one to complain but you could be so sweet and kiss butt with this woman eventually she will be a total bitch to you...i've discovered all this woman cares about is the money..
im a sensitive person and the way she got so mean and bitter with me out of the blue actually hurt my feelings and kind of made me sad, to think she was a sweet person who actually cared about helping people.
i realize now what her motivation is...i agree with a lot of the things she writes in her blog ....the only thing i find weird is sometimes she will not stick to something and contradict herself, dakota definitely has a major split personality complex so beware!

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Halo1 on 11/4/2009 1:27:00 PM more reviews by Halo1

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

What I find strange is you have to walk on eggshells. I personally got banned from their website because I returned Colorissmo because the shade I chose from her website did not flatter my complexion. KC lied and wrote and told everyone untruths when all I wanted was a address to return a product. Plus if you order under 20.00 worth of product she charges an extra 15.00 plus shipping and handling. So you could end up spending $20.00 or more just to get a 10.00 product. I honestly did not feel her products are superior to products you can find elsewhere. When I tried the Thriven there were no instructions given, the Gleam makes your hair super greasy even if you only use one drop plus the customer service is the worse I ever have experienced. I spent close to 200.00 and was treated like crap.

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SelenaLuna on 11/4/2009 1:20:00 AM more reviews by SelenaLuna

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Ehhh... I wanted to love this product.

I wanted so much to love it that I went through more than one tub, waiting to see the magic, but it didn't happen. Instead, it weighed my hair down and made it stiff, tangled and unpleasant, regardless of how much or little I used, how long I left it on, etc. The "Secret Supplement" is ENSURE, and it doesn't benefit anyone except the chronically malnourished. There are better conditioners out there for much less than the $60 you'll pay to get Thriven (and MUCH better things you can do for your health than drink ENSURE). It's not horrible, but at $60 a tub, "not horrible" just doesn't cut it.

And, add me to the growing list of people who have had really bad customer service from Killer Strands. In the KS group (where Thriven, and other KS products are discussed), Thriven's creator once commented about the negative reviews here on MUA, and implied that the reviews were suspect because no one shared their experiences with her personally. This is because people who openly mention having negative experiences, or have an unfavorable view of her products for whatever reason, are belittled, berated, accused of trolling, generally mistreated, and their viewpoints are dismissed without consideration.

So let the record show that, contrary to popular belief, Thriven is NOT a miracle product and it does NOT work for everyone. Keep that in mind when you're trying to decide whether or not to fork over the cash for this stuff.

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mjhm7687 on 10/2/2009 2:56:00 AM more reviews by mjhm7687

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

This really is a terrific product as is the Gleam that she sells. My hair is much much happier for it. HOWEVER, her personal communication skills leave a lot to be desired, so stick with her products and the blog, but don't get involved with any private consults.

10 out of 11 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No