Clairol • Natural Instincts Hair Color • Hair Color

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dizzy8 on 6/13/2013 5:38:00 PM more reviews by dizzy8

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

I used the original formula for years and it was great. It left my hair shiny and undamaged. The color always washed out. I loved it and planned to be a lifelong user. I always used it on the roots only, then mixed a very small amount of color with water and left it on the length of my hair for about 3-5 minutes, just to blend everything. I used it for eight years, maybe four or five times a year, and loved it.

Then I noticed that the color kept getting darker and darker, even though I was still only putting it on the roots and only using it about every three months. The colors seemed weird.It never looked good. Oh, and then, this will really get a girl's attention MY HAIR STARTED FALLING OUT!!!!!!! I looked at the package, and what I thought was a color change in the box design turns out to be a whole new formula. It is NO LONGER WASHOUT COLOR.

I would no longer recommend this product. I will no longer buy Clairol. I don't know what the hell made them change their formula, but this went from being a miracle product to being a white trash looking hair dye that actually thinned my hair and left a flat, weirdly fake looking, lifeless color. DO NOT BUY THE NEW FORMULA.

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cmneal187 on 6/2/2013 1:52:00 PM more reviews by cmneal187

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

[Egyptian Plum Color] this color is beautiful. A little darker on my dark brown hair than I expected, but I loved it. It looked black with purple tones without sunlight. When I go outside, it shines a gorgeous red. Not a damaging formula. This is only my first week in [washing it every other day] and it still looks great. It is not as deep and dark as it used to be, but I keep getting compliments. Very lovely formula especially for a new hair dyer like me!

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*TOP REVIEWER* MrsTefee on 5/18/2013 2:53:00 PM more reviews by MrsTefee

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

Clairol really did change the formula after they repackaged this hair dye and lets just say its NOT a good change. The color is darker and no longer vibrant ( I used to use sahara the lightest blonde shade) and comes out really brassy (like orange brassy!). Its HORRIBLE. I have switched to L'oreal healthy look (white chocolate shade) and its A MILLION times better and the color comes out almost 100% of what is expected from it. Sorry clairol but this was a FAIL and its too bad because I loved this color and used it for years.

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butterflygirl on 4/19/2013 1:07:00 PM more reviews by butterflygirl

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

I used to use this a long time ago I used to like it. I don't know it's not the same as it used to be. I used ash brown I think medium ash color was so so it's fading and it seems like its turning a little bit red. I have used nutmeg a long time ago and coffee cream when it first came out. I may use the coffee cream one in the future but right now I won't be buying it I don't like how it's changed. I did not use the color refresh.

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Veevz on 4/17/2013 1:41:00 AM more reviews by Veevz

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I used Clairol Natural Instincts in Pecan last week and am very pleased with the result, it's exactly what I wanted: minimal damage and nothing drastic! I finally grew out my natural colour a couple of years ago but wanted to spice up my few greys (lol) and try something different for a change. The overall result is very natural and no one even noticed that I dyed my hair! Like I said, I wasn't going for drastic... I just wanted to enhance what I already had and was only comfortable using a demi permanent dye. I NOT walking down the road of permanent dyes again anytime soon so this allowed me to have fun without the damage and commitment!!!

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annabanana823 on 4/1/2013 6:43:00 PM more reviews by annabanana823

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

WARNING: HAIR MAY COME OUT PURPLE

I used this product the first time I ever dyed my hair. My hair is medium brown and I wanted to make it auburn, so I chose, of course, the auburn dye. I followed the directions exactly. Well, my hair came out a dark, crayon-red color, almost purplish. I was fine with that... thought it was neat looking... but that wasn't what I wanted. The color, supposed to last for 28 washes, lasted for 3 months (60 washes), and my hair is still permanently stained a faint reddish color, though you can only really see it in sunlight.

So... the color I got looked NOTHING like what the box advertised, and it lasted a VERY long time, but overall I wasn't displeased. Next time I will probably just wash the color out after 5 minutes. And I DID NOT have any allergic reaction or find the smell offensive, and my hair remained quite healthy, unlike what many other people said.

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beachesatnormandy on 3/28/2013 9:15:00 AM more reviews by beachesatnormandy

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I had been using a dye that washed out in about a week, but then decided I'd move up to the big girl league. However, after using this product my thin, oily hair is even oilier. I can't go 2-3 hours after washing without seeing separation and oil. I just end up putting my hair up because it is so bad. The color is wonderful, it went on well, worked like a charm but my hair has never been this greasy before. What is the point of coloring your hair this gorgeous color if you cant even show it off?

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realmakeovers on 3/23/2013 7:06:00 AM more reviews by realmakeovers

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I have been using Clairol Natural Instincts for many years. I used to use the colors Nutmeg or Rosewood. My natural hair color is dark brown. Since the reddish/auburn tones fade quicker, I decided to use a color closer to my natural hair color. However, I still wanted a reddish/auburn hue. I called the Clairol hotline & the rep suggested I mix 2 colors. The first time I mixed 1/2 of Ebony (dark brown) & 1/2 Nutmeg. It was darker but, it was still not dark enough. So, the last time I mixed 75 percent Ebony & 25 percent Nutmeg. It came out very nice & natural looking. I realize Natural Instincts is not a permanent hair color. The gray tends to be noticeable @ the hairline & temple area within 2 weeks. I still prefer to use this instead of the permanent hair color because it's more gentle. Not all CVS' or Walgreens carry the Ebony which is somewhat a pain. I usually stock up when there is a SALE. Many times I combine the purchase with a coupon so, I end up saving quite a bit. :)

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Shadowgirl898 on 3/20/2013 10:48:00 PM more reviews by Shadowgirl898

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

I've used this product in the past so when I wanted to cover a highlighting disaster and return to my natural medium brown I thought I'd try it again (despite some of the reviews here). I have been pleased for the most part with it. I use Cocoa Cream. It is a natural medium brown that I found to be pretty neutral. The color is even, shiny, not flat and not too drying. Since I don't have to wash my hair every day the color lasted up to 8 weeks and it fades out evenly except on my gray hairs. The gray coverage would be my only gripe. It blends in gray somewhat but they are noticeable well before it's time to recolor. I've been using it for the last 6 months but for that reason I think I may have to find a permanent color alternative which disappoints me because I really do like this product. (Oh, and thanks to MUA I throw that color refresher refresher right in the trash!)

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Bexa on 3/2/2013 5:00:00 AM more reviews by Bexa

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

For the life of me I wish I could find the handful of reviews that led me to purchase this product in the first place 'cause it was ALL a big, fat lie! I read several professional reviews saying that Natural Instincts was the best for gray coverage in a semi-perm. formula. Uh...try ZERO gray coverage?! I don't have a whole lot to begin with bit this literally didn't even touch them. Sigh.

Aside from that bit of disappointment, the overall result was just "meh" but I admittedly don't HATE it. I had some serious grow-out from a hardcore high/lowlight job I had done late last fall and more than anything I was looking to even things out. The color (Dark Cool Blonde) has more caramel undertones than I'd anticipated but it's not wretched. Don't see "dark blonde" whatsoever, though. Before and after pics will be posted in my profile.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Rachel1234 on 2/26/2013 3:21:00 PM more reviews by Rachel1234

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Purchased this in Dark Brown. Beautiful, shiny, healthy, rich color. Easy application. Mild, non offensive scent. Great product EXCEPT it didn't cover my grey. I love the color and all, but I need grey coverage too. So I will not repurchase this product.

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Sweetjazzie on 2/21/2013 4:16:00 PM more reviews by Sweetjazzie

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Olive, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I have been using Clairol Natural Instincts hair color for many years sporadically. I usually go to the salon. This is the only box brand that I have ever tried because it is natural and ammonia free. It also was highly recommended as being the best box color. It's important to me for minimal damage to hair. I have minimal grays. I just color my hair to add shine and body. I'm very happy with this brand with the exception that I wish it was cruelty free.

All hair color will dry out hair. It's important to use a higher quality conditioner for color treated hair. I deep condition my hair three times a week when using this product.

It's pretty easy to use and is done in under an hour. I usually buy medium auburn and I'm happy with the color. It's comparable to the salon. It doesn't seem to last as long but for the cost and time. I think it's well worth it.

If I was after a particular color then I would go to the salon. But since I am after temporary color for shine and body, this works perfect. You can't beat the price. I usually buy when it's on sale and when I have a coupon.

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BADKITTY13 on 1/28/2013 12:08:00 AM more reviews by BADKITTY13

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

I colored my hair last night and this stuff made my hair sooo dry! Not too mention I had the worst allergic reaction! My scalp is red itchy burning and oozing clear stuff in some spots!!! Will never use again!!!!!!

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insgirl on 1/27/2013 9:06:00 AM more reviews by insgirl

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I dye my hair about 3 - 4 times a year. tops, always using a semi or demi permanent product, even when at a salon. Have very few grays but on straight hair they are noticeable, so I color. Used the new creme formula in medium golden brown and was very pleased with the result. First time ever I used an at home haircolor which came close to the "as hoped" color. Matched my natural color exactly, which is medium brown with some golden overtones. Compared to the old formula, this did not fade, the color was not overly dark, and my hair remained healthy. Getting ready to do a touch up and a little nervous after reading so many bad reviews! Quite surprising to see since I found this formula far superior to the original.

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Yamiek on 1/4/2013 10:36:00 PM more reviews by Yamiek

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

The WORST product I've ever let touch my head. My hair is naturally light brown and I wanted to dye it to a auburn color. I did everything correctly and waited 10 minutes before washing it out and still only my roots had been dyed. My hair smells like chemicals and feels dry and brittle when it use to feel healthy. My scalp burns from having the hair dye on and the after conditioner just made my hair feel slimy and not like it conditioned my hair at all! I hated this dye! Never will I buy this again.

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hebrides on 9/21/2012 1:32:00 AM more reviews by hebrides

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I am not happy with the results of Natural Instincts 12 Light Golden Brown. I have not coloured my hair in nearly 3 years and it was all salt and pepper with too much grey so finally I went ahead and used this even though I hate all hair colouring - the smell, the mess, the way the grey roots look worse than all grey.

First of all it stung slightly on the scalp and on my arm where some dripped. It smelled strong and ghastly, even if it has no ammonia. I did not do the allergy test because I've used hair colour many times before. This time I didn't feel any big reaction, but it was unpleasant and an ordeal. They don't provide a plastic cap to wear during the ten minute wait. My hair won't sit on top of my head all wet with hair colour so I had to hold it with one hand for the whole ten minutes which was no picnic. You can't let metal touch it, so no hairpins.

It took a long time to rinse it out and then to rinse the conditioner out. It feels too slippery even after rinsing a long time. The hair is partly dry now and I can see that it did not get covered on the top where I have the most white hairs. It just looks like a pale almost reddish colour, and it is darker in the back .

I left it on ten minutes, not longer because the last time I added 5 minutes to cover resistant grey, my hair turned mahogany (that was another product, True Match or something in Light Brown and you can see how dark it was in my profile picture).

Needless to say, I will never buy this again and it will be a long time before I feel brave enough to give another "no ammonia" brand a chance. I used Loving Care for years with very natural effects and there is nothing similar available anymore.

I am going to post some pictures - first, just before colouring my hair with this product, you can see my natural colour, and second, after it has been dried and styled.

Edit: Sept 21. The hair still has the chemical smell the next day. I have uploaded before and after pictures. I see that it looks better in the photos than in real life, but I don't think my grey hair looked that awful and now I miss it. I think you can see it is lighter on top where the grey was heaviest.

Edit: Sept. 22, 2012. I can't write enough about how bad this product is. I have not yet washed my hair since colouring it. My scalp is still sore, and the photos I took with a flash today show grey sprinkled all through the hair. I will post one. The hair on top looks thin and the scalp shows more, as if I lost hair. I didn't notice any going down the drain, but it just looks like an old woman who is losing her hair. The hair at the bottom is totally dark, and on top, totally orangey mixed with grey, unevenly. Note, I don't have that much hair. I just had it cut, and one bottle was even too much for my hair. It was saturated and I left it on the full ten minutes.

This has to be among the worst hair colours I ever used in my life. The only ones that were worse were the one so strong I had to rinse it off immediately; and the one that turned my hair pink and I had to get a medium brown and redye it the next day.

It sickens me that Loving Care was discontinued. It worked. They act like no one wants a temporary hair colour that gradually washes out, that does cover grey, that has believable colours, that is boring for young women. Hello, there is a whole huge population of aging boomers who needed Loving Care.

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mkschmidt on 9/19/2012 2:21:00 PM more reviews by mkschmidt

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I made a Makeupalley account just so I could review this product! It SAVED me. I had very dark brown hair, and I've had ombre for a couple of months so I decided to go lighter next time I went to the salon...my hair was a disaster. It looked like I was trying to grow out a bad bleach job, my hair had a brassy tint to it and was just awful. After reading reviews on here I got Natural Instincts in light brown, and I love it! It totally fixed the awful orange-y ness of my hair and gave me a soft brown. My hair is so soft after using the conditioner that comes with it, and as the other reviewers said I just tossed the color refresher. I am so so so happy! And it was on sale for $7 at Safeway, one box was enough for my hair and I have a LOT of hair. I bought two just in case and now I just have the extra for a color refreshment in a few months and I'm so glad! My only complaint is that the color isn't totally even, but thats probably my fault as I didn't leave it on for very long. Thanks Clairol!

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janetsue on 9/14/2012 3:55:00 PM more reviews by janetsue

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

Even though I've rated it quite low, I keep coming back to it. Agree with other posters, the color is not true to the box and always comes out much darker, even when I've used the lightest brown. And I don't have that much grey in my hair. Hair does seem healthy after use and I don't shampoo. When shampooing, I use one for color treated hair and it doesn't seem to make a difference. Also does not make a difference on how long the color lasts (and I know it is semipermanent) if you leave it on for 10 minutes or 20 minutes. I faithfully use the conditioner that comes in the package. Do NOT use the refresher color gel unless you want red hair and a red scalp. Not impressed with that at all. Other's I've spoken to also find this refresher terribly red, no matter what the original box color is.

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mes045 on 9/14/2012 3:44:00 PM more reviews by mes045

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

Purchased CLOVE, the cool medium brown

Summary:
* First comes out darker than expected
* Covers reds and warm hues, results in a cool color
* May not need to let dye sit after applying
* Lots of hair fall-out during rinsing (more than an average shower)

My Experience:
-Before dyeing, my hair was salon-treated. I had bleach highlights for years, which were recently scaled back to my natural light brown color via a full head of lowlights.

During dyeing, sectioned my hair, applying color first to the roots at the bottom back of my head, then worked my up toward the crown. For the crown, I created a middle part and applied dye to the roots on both sides of the part.

After covering the roots, I pulled the product through from my roots down the strands. I still had about half the bottle, so I used the rest of this on the strands, without applying any dye directly to the ends (to avoid over-coloring on these very porous areas).

Applying took about 20 minutes, so once that was done, I didn't bother letting the dye sit at all (though the box recommends 10min). I just went to the shower and rinsed.

After dyeing, the color of my wet hair looked very nearly black. I shampooed twice - though the directions do not advise this, it is what my salon always does, and I expected it might fade the too-dark color a bit. Then I used the Clairol conditioner included with the product.

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atomickittenlove on 8/8/2012 4:29:00 PM more reviews by atomickittenlove

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

UPDATE:
This product has now saved my life 4 times. I am a hardcore hair dyer. By that I mean my hair has been every color of the rainbow from blue to blonde. Often changing it more than once a month.

I just used the 'new formula' (which after all the bad reviews, I was terrified to do) but so glad I did. I used Suede (light brown #13) after a botched ombre dye job, and it managed to cover almost everything. Turned a nice brown with very subtle red highlights. THE ONLY reason there is red is probably because I had bright red hair prior to the failed ombre.

I had to take one lippy off because one bottle would not cover my medium to short hair and I only used half of the other.

I was terrified it was going to turn out really dark so I washed it off after only 8 mins so there are still some parts in the back that could use some more dye. But that is purely my fault.

I will not be using the refresher based on the reviews but other than that, seems to me this is the same ol' natural instincts.

Read my previous reviews (old formula):
The champagne on ice color toned my yellow brassy bleached blonde hair to a wicked ashy blonde. NOTE: before the first wash it was greenish but that was to be expected using ash on super porus hair- after the first wash total awesomeness

Clove? I think was the color- again toned the brassy brown to a nice natural brown. Even covered purple- red parts- starting to fade now after 10 washes.

Conditioner tunred my damanged hair soft and shiny.

FYI: i've read that if you have a bad experience with one brand another will probably work better for you. Not sure how much science is behind that idea but every time i've tried to use L'oreal preference its been horrible where Garnier and Clariol have always worked well

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