Hi there, I'm Stevie and I am reviewing CLAIROLS REVITALIQUE HAIRCOLOR today. Actually it is more story than review, but you will get the message after you read it.
When this first came out, I rushed to try this hair color in a medium dark brown. Knowing all my allergies and how they can pop up suddenly, I did a patch test on the inside of my elbow for the required 48 hours. Nothing happened so I proceeded to color my hair on the third day. I use OUIDAD hair care and had also shampooed and deep conditioned my hair during that 48 hours, so I was ready to rock and roll.
I put the color on and let it sit on the roots for 17 minutes, and put it on the ends for 5 minutes, knowing that the ends were porous and sunbleached. I hadn't colored my hair in several months, but the sun really likes my hair and it bleaches out fast. So I did the re-touching method of application. I even used less time overall since it was a new product and used a lighter color than I would have. It still said it would cover gray when I called CLAIROL's hotline to ask questions.
When I washed it out, I could immediately tell that the color did not come close to covering the gray adequately. I do not have much gray; just some silver strands right in front in one clump. Now you could still see they were gray. The roots were alright, but the ends were totally dark-almost black!! I dried it and wow the hair color was extremely uneven.
I was changing the shirt that I used to cover myself after dumping the towels and noticed that some color had dripped onto the collar big time. I checked my neck and washed the color off. I had been extremely careful about washing off the excess color that dripped during the process, but I guess I missed this one.
I noticed that the spot on the back of my neck was red and itchy and burning. NOT A GOOD SIGN!! In fact, it got worse as time went on. Time elapsed from the time hair color was applied: less than 40 minutes. It began to burn worse and started to welt up. So I applied some topical cortizone on it. I called the CLAIROL hotline and asked to speak to a medical doctor about an allergic reaction. The person quizzed me all about what I had done and I told her that I had proceeded to follow their instructions and what adjustments I had made. I even told her about the earlier phone call which she had a record of on the computer screen.
I was told that obviously I had an allergic reaction, did I want to talk to an MD?? uhh duhh?? Why was I calling???? Yes I wanted to speak to a doctor immediately. They did not have one right there, so someone would call me back in 30 minutes. An HOUR LATER, a medical person --he did not call himself a doctor-- called me back and we went through the ENTIRE story again. By now I am really angry. All he said was that I was allergic and to put a little cortizone on the spot and wait for it to get better. EXCUSE ME???? That is all they were doing for me.
I called back and asked for a refund. I had to explain the story again. During all these conversations, never was I told to save the bottles of product or the box. I was never compensated for seeking medical advice--which I did. I even called a dermatologist across the country that I knew and he recommended some additional treatment options for me. What a nice guy!! Still I wound up with blisters about 1 inch wide and 3 inches long across the back of my neck. Not a fun time and it looked pretty ugly. The blisters finally dried up and the skin pulled and itched terribly. I talked to Mikhael about 5 times during this time and he recommended some products to help my hair since the hair color had fried the ends badly. He was so great to help me and he even bumped up the size of the bottles of product I ordered. I think he felt bad that a product could hurt so much and what I went through.
About 6 weeks later, I get a form letter about the medical problem from CLAIROL and asking me to send them the box and bottles of product. Why would saving the product 6 weeks help the investigation? If they had asked me immediately to save it and send it in , I would have done so. But they never asked me to do that. I got this idiotic questionaire to fill out and I was angry!! I had not received my refund, I had not had any help from them. I certainly did not have the product any longer and where were their medical people when I needed them?
As of the date of this review, I have never received any compensation from CLAIROL for the hair color that was wretched or my pain and hassle. I would tell you this as a moral to the story. Always do a patch test. Do not do it on the inside of your elbow. Do it on the back of your neck where the color will affect the skin. I do NOT recommend CLAIROL REVITALIQUE HAIR COLOR. CLAIROL, get a grip here and at least refund the money for lousy products and bad allergic reactions. In my opinion, avoid this product. It does not do what it is supposed to do.
RATINGS:
CLAIROL REVITALIQUE HAIR COLOR-- 1/2 STAR ( It gets 1/2 star because it did deposit some color into my hair, albeit that it was way too dark and it fried the ends and did not cover gray)
