Reviewing Clairol Natural Instincts Semi-permanent Hair Color

Trying to Eliminate Gray Hair

By Angela Harris, published Nov 09, 2006
Published Content: 230  Total Views: 548,933  Favorited By: 22 CPs
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Rating: 3.4 of 5
 
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I am getting along in age now, and the gray roots are starting to become too numerous for my comfort level. In the past, I have used henna to color my hair. My hair has always been a natural auburn color, so henna was a perfect choice for a little oomph every once in awhile. The problem is that henna doesn't cover gray hair very well. Because of henna's limitations, I have been shopping for a new type of haircoloring to hide those awful gray strands. And I wanted to do it myself, because I am just too cheap to pay for a salon treatment.

I have used other permanent hair color products before. But I decided against permanent hair coloring because I always hate that skunk look when your roots start to grow out. My hair grows pretty quickly, so I didn't want to be messing with coloring my hair every three or four weeks. I also was afraid of the damage it may cause if I used permanent hair coloring that often.

My other two choices were temporary and semi-permanent hair coloring.

Temporary hair color coats the hair shaft and washes out in 1 - 3 shampoos. There are different formulas available for temporary hair color, but the most popular ones are either a rinse or a shampoo type.

The other type is somewhere in between permanent hair coloring and temporary hair coloring. Semi-permanent hair color doesn't just coat the hair like temporary hair coloring. It actually penetrates the hair shaft, similar to the way a permanent hair color does, just not as deeply. They last about 20 - 30 shampoos. For me, that would last about six weeks.

I opted for the semi-permanent because it lasted for a reasonably long time, and the color is supposed to gradually fade away. This prevents the common 'skunk stripe' seen with permanent hair coloring.

Next I needed to find a semi-permanent hair color brand that would cover gray. I found "Clairol Natural Instincts". On the box, it claimed to cover up to 50 percent gray hair- looks like I found a winner.

Other reasons I chose Clairol Natural Instincts were the claims that it contained no ammonia, low peroxide, included an aloe weekly deep conditioner, and some of the hair color ingredients were aloe, chamomile, and ginseng.

 
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Takeaways
  • Semi-permanent hair color lasts through approximately 30 shampoos.
  • Semi-permanent hair color leaves no noticeable roots.
  • Semi-permanent hair color is less damaging than permanent hair color.
Did You Know?
Did you know that redheads have less hair on their scalps than any other shade of hair?
Resources
  • Clairol's website with information on Natural Instincts hair color
Comments
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GREAT STUFF.

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Posted on 06/23/2008 at 11:06:34 AM

 
I used Midnight by Natural Instincts also for a character part. I had dark brown hair. That was Feb.2008...........its still black in May and I put a brown on and it only dyed my roots. Now I look like a Raccoon ! I figured since it was a temporary it would wash out like all the rest ....! NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Beware of BLACK unless you have natural black and want to keep it that way. :-( I have VERY long hair so I dont want to get it stripped at the salon.It will ruin it, not that I already did !

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Posted on 05/05/2008 at 1:05:21 PM

 
SPAM SPAM SPAM

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Posted on 04/20/2008 at 3:04:09 PM

 
Danielle, I have the same exact problem. What did you do? Did you just leave it? And how long did you wait? It's been a long time since I dyed my hair midnight (1 and 1/2 months), and it's not even close to being washed out. I'm thinking of getting my hair stripped and re-dyed.

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Posted on 03/09/2008 at 8:03:55 PM

 
My hair is a natural medium brown, dyed red for several years now. I decided I wanted a drastic change but nothing permanent. I went with Midnight by Natural Instincts, which is supposed to be a neutral black. I ended up looking like an anime character with this horrible blue/black color. The best part was that it never washed out. Be careful with black hair dye. They may claim it will wash eventually but that's not always the case.

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Posted on 03/06/2008 at 5:03:03 PM

 
I have medium reddish brown very thin fine straight hair that is now pretty gray- I use Natural Instincts "Cinnaberry" - a red shade that is not burgundy or purplish. I leave it on for 30 mins and I start with damp, towel dry hair. The only grays it doesn't cover well are the ones I would call "sideburn" hairs-the really course ones. But the haircolor and the conditioner make my hair shiny and smooth. I ALWAYS use the conditioner they put in the box at every shampoo. ( every other day shampoo) People constantly comment on how nice my hair looks and other red-heads have asked me what I use. I also found the shampoo is important- the BEST one for me is Pert deep conditioning. The other shampoos, even the supposedly color-safe ones all take out more color and don't leave my hair as nice. Try my way if you want better results. Even the salon jobs don't look as good! P.S. Red is the hardest color as far as lasting - it wants to wash out - so use plenty of water when you rinse the d

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Posted on 02/16/2008 at 2:02:46 PM

 
This stuff did such a number on my hair. My hair has become thin, dry and lost it's body. It's been 4 weeks, and it still isn't all out. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone!

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Posted on 02/15/2008 at 11:02:33 AM

 
I havent colored my hair in 10 years until I decided to get some red highlights put in. I am naturally pretty dark brown. I ve had them now for about a month and Im over it. So last night I used natural instincs in hazelnut and it is pretty dark even compared to my already dark hair, but it is very shiny and soft. I think I like it although I anticipate the fading a little.

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Posted on 02/13/2008 at 12:02:27 PM

 
I have tried your Natural Instincts hair color twice. The first time it didnt' color my grays that well. So I waited four weeks and tried it again. It seemed to work a little better this time, although it doesnt' compeletly cover all the grays. I left it on for 20 minutes. I do think it makes my hair look like my natural color, and it seems to be soft and shiny. So I will keep trying it and hope eventually it will cover all my grays. I used the lightest shade of blonde you had. That color worked well for me.

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Posted on 02/11/2008 at 7:02:01 PM

 
I started with natural insticks about six years ago only because i had gray coming in Ihave brown hair . I have never used any other kind . i love the fack that it washes out . I have long hair . Some time the front fads . So what i do is mix half & half of the color mixture only a half of inch .just for a quick tuch up untill im ready for a whole job it works !

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Posted on 01/31/2008 at 11:01:44 AM

 
I've been using Natural Instincts for 3 years. My natural color (before I became 1/3 grey, was light brown with no red highlights). I use Navajo Bronze, and it actually covers all the grey. I have had numerous compliments, and everyone thinks it's my natural color. Lately I decided to grow out my hair, so I am paying a friend to just put it on the roots. By the way, I use the product every 3 weeks, and I have had no damage to my hair. I think if you get damage, it's because you have either highlighted or used permanent color. I wash my hair 3 times a week.

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Posted on 01/12/2008 at 2:01:24 PM

 
I always used Natural Instincts in the linen shade and it worked out fine to cover my greying hair blond hair but this time I tried it in Coastal Dune which is suppose to be dark neutral blond and I ended up with a dark reddish brown color which looks nothing like any color on the box. I just about cried when I looked in the mirror. If you are planning on using this product I would advise you to use a much lighter color than you actually think you will need and don't leave it on as long as it tells you to especially if you have light hair. I will not use product again.

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Posted on 12/16/2007 at 2:12:08 PM

 
I've been using the L'Oreal Color Spa too for perhaps 10 years now. Nice gray coverage, washes out gradually and looks pretty good for 8 weeks or so. I can no longer find this at any stores . . . has this product be discontinued??

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Posted on 12/09/2007 at 4:12:30 PM

 
I found Clairol semi-permanent products didn't cover my grays very well. I've been using L'Oreal ColorSpa Moisture Actif for the past couple of years and love it- great, natural looking coverage. My hair stylist recommended leaving hair color on longer than the intructions say for more thorough coverage of gray. If your grays are too orange you may need to go with a warm or natural shade with less red in it.

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Posted on 12/03/2007 at 12:12:00 PM

 
I just colored my hair with Natural Instinct and I will never do it again either. I am a natural redhead that has a little more gray than I would like. The color on the box is almost identical to the L'Oreal Excellence shade I was using so I thought I would give it a try. What a mistake! I, too, have found that instead of the beautiful golden undertones I get with the L'Oreal, I got purplish, orangish tones. I hate them. I look like one of the "fake" redheads we can all spot a mile away! I'm so disappointed. I am going to try a color remover, then I'm going back to the L'Oreal.

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Posted on 11/17/2007 at 10:11:00 AM

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