Review of Natural Instincts By Clairol, Hair color, Clove (Medium Ash Brown) #24 - 1 Ea

I am 51 with salt and pepper hair that used to be brunette with lovely reddish tints. When I started significantly graying espcially around the hair line, I at first had it dyed with a semi-permanent dye in a salon. I wanted the semi-permanent color so that if I ever wanted to let it go natural, I could let it fade, maybe with some touch-up but not have to keep cutting to wait the grow-out of the permanent line. After a couple of years, my work ramped up and I started going to a fancier hair salon that was closer to work and where I could get there and still keep up with work. I was scheduling for once every 6 weeks then once every 5 weeks as the gray got stronger. I once went to a Joan Baez concert where she joked that "silver and resistant" is a euphemism for "stiff and gray" because they really do seem stronger both in terms of toughness and in terms of color. The fancy colorist at my fancy salon convinced me that I had to go to the permanent color because my gray could not be covered well enough by the semi-permanent color. After a couple of years, I took a job out-of-state and decided to do my own coloring. She gave me instructions and some product. Previously I had tried all the boxes and had done the allergy testing the boxes tell you to do. The only one gentle enough for me not to break out was this Natural Instincts line. I tried the boxes again and have learned the following very useful information:
1) if you try to use the red tones over the gray it will look neon and unnatural
2) same or worse with warm tones especially if you dislike orange or brassiness as I do
3) the more neutral tones are the key to covering the gray
4) you still have to leave the color on at least an extra 20 minutes if you want good gray coverage; so if you're leaving it on longer, it's even more important to be using a gentler product like the Clairol Natural Instincts dye
5) the Clairol Natural Instincts dye is better at coloring gray than the super-expensive brand I got from my colorist and especially this clove color which is neutral
6) Clairol used to include the best conditioner anywhere in the box and there was enough to have the most wonderfully conditioned hair with this nice clean smelling aloe vera for 2-4 times; then they substituted a musky-dirty smelling conditioner that smelled like it belonged in a bar with lots of cigarettes; now they have gone back to get rid of the musky one, thankfully, but the new one is still not as good as the one they had in there 3 years ago
7) It's so cheap and so gentle that now I just do it once every 3 weeks and never have to have ugly gray roots
8) I calculated the savings, let alone the time savings of making it to the appointments and I am saving over $1,700 per year plus my hair looks better

To the last person who is obviously writing a review based on infinitessimally small experience, all colors will be darker the longer you leave them on and if you do not leave them on long enough you will not be able to cover the gray.

Good luck and good savings.

Product Description
INDICATIONS: Clairol Natural Instincts gives you natural-looking color that's alive with shine and depth. Level 2. Clove. Lasts through 28 shampoos. Superior damage protection. Shinier, healthier looking color. With 100% Pure Aloe, Chamomile & Ginseng. No

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