Clairol Herbal Essences Highlights - Product Review

I almost didn't try Clairol Herbal Essences Highlights after reading some other reviews. They weren't too favorable and I was ready to back out. But, I had already purchased the product and I knew there was only one way to find out...

I've used other home highlighting kits, from the ones with the cap to hairpainting ones. I am reluctant to use a cap method again because it's difficult to tell exactly where the highlights will be and you can easily highlight more of your hair than intended.

On the other hand, using a hairpainting technique, you can tell exactly where the highlights will be. Unfortunately, I discovered that the solution usually dried before it could give the desired results. Because of this, I've had to go back and repaint the strands. This is still my preferred method because I have more control than the cap method.

We tested the Clairol Herbal Essences Highlights on a brunette (myself) and a blonde (Amber.) We chose the HL1 "Cool Blond" for both of us because we wanted more dramatic highlights.

After mixing the solution, I realized we had enough for about 5 people! (Both Amber and I have long hair and we had plenty left over.) It was a waste and I prefer kits that you can halve and use the rest another time, instead of throwing remaining solution away. (Saves money too!)

As for the solution, it was blue. That really gave me no benefit on my dark hair, but for Amber's blonde tresses, it did help to see exactly where we applied it. It was a little runnier than other brands, but that seemed to help with the end results. More on that later...

The applicator brush was something I'd never seen before. It was a green wand which forks into two separate heads with brushes. It's hard to describe, but the first thing I noticed is that your choice on how far apart your highlights will be very limited. On the packaging, it claims that you can put the highlights "exactly where you want them," which is not exactly true with this applicator.

On my dark hair, I wanted highlights further apart, so I used a single brush that I had saved previously from another kit. I applied the highlighting solution as I usually do, but I did use the green applicator brush on the underneath side and in some places on the back.

On Amber (blonde) I used only the green brush that came with the kit. I followed the instructions where it said to fill both sides of the channel, and not the middle. It said NOT to go back over the stripes you have already created, however, that's exactly what I had to do.

What happened was that halfway down each strand, the solution ran out (from the brushes) which left me dipping it again and reapplying where I left off -- not the perfect scenario. I tried less pressure on the top, hoping it would spread out more evenly as I went down, but the problem persisted. For short hair, this is probably not as much as an issue. At any rate, we got her hair finished and started timing.

For both of us, we had to leave the "paste" on for about an additional 10-15 minutes to achieve the color we wanted. I rinsed my hair out first, then Amber did after that.

The results? For me, they were very good. The color of the highlights turned out exactly how I wanted and were placed where I wanted, since I primarily used a brush from another kit. Also, because the solution was runnier than other brands, it didn't dry out before it quit working.

For Amber, wow! We achieved the best results she's ever had with a home highlighting kit. She wanted her highlights closer together and the green wand worked well for that. We did note that the highlights were less noticeable or non-existent further down her long hair because of the need to "double-dip." This could look quite bad on dark hair.

I do have some gripes. I don't like the fact that the kit is difficult to split or the awkward wand that comes with it. Why don't these kits come with more than just one applicator brush so that you have a choice? On the other hand Amber is more pleased, but she didn't have to mess with the application.

I'd like to make a comment on some of the bad reviews I read elsewhere. Primarily, they complained of brassy or red highlights. If your hair is darker, it has to go through stages before it gets to the desired color. First red, then orange, then yellow, then white. I prefer to rinse out the solution when I achieve the yellow stage.

I think some problems occur when someone sees the red or orange stage and they panic. That is when they rinse their hair, leaving them with undesired, reddish-colored highlights. On the flip side, leaving them on too long will result in white, unnatural streaks.

UPDATE: In spite of the few difficulties, we were so pleased with the results that we have purchased this product for subsequent highlights. With a little practice, it was much less annoying and there was no doubt, our hair never looked better.

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Product reviews reflect one person's experience and are not indicative of the results you may experience.