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At-home hair colour just got a natural makeover and it’s never looked so good

Here’s what our Review Crew® had to say about this ammonia-free box dye

By Briar Clark

BEAUTYcrew Beauty Editor / September 15 2020

Here’s what our Review Crew® had to say about this ammonia-free box dye

By Briar Clark

BEAUTYcrew Beauty Editor / September 15 2020

The product

Looking to update your hair colour but a bit hesitant to reach for regular box dyes? Clairol’s latest at-home offering boasts an 80 per cent naturally derived formula that’s big on colour impact and staying power.

Introducing: Clairol Natural Instincts, a semi-permanent hair colour formulated to enhance the natural colour of the hair and seamlessly blend away the first signs of greys. The natural formula includes nourishing coconut oil and aloe vera, and is free from ammonia, PPD and added parabens. It’s ideal for enhancing natural colour and boosting shine without the commitment of permanent colour.

Our panel of Review Crew® testers put this ammonia-free colour to the test.

The panel

Beauty Crew sent Clairol Natural Instincts to a panel of women aged 25-40 who needed to refresh their colour and add shine to their hair.

The lowdown

Here’s what the Review Crew® loved about Clairol Natural Instincts.

The opaque finish: Our members were impressed by the intense colour payoff they were able to achieve at home using Natural Instincts, with one reviewer even saying, “I love the colour....so beautiful and vibrant.”

The 80% natural formula: Reviewers loved the fact that the box dye didn’t contain as many chemicals as your average at-home formula - containing a whopping 80 per cent naturally-derived ingredients.

No bad smells: Members were surprised that the box dye didn’t have the same off-putting smell as other at-home hair dyes they had tried previously, “the dye itself has a really inoffensive fresh smell and as it doesn't contain ammonia, it has none of that breath-stealing fumes.”

The verdict

“I LOVE how my hair looks now. I spent a lot of time selecting the shade of color and I think that's why it came out so good. And it covered all my gray! I followed the directions exactly and coloring was easy. The smell was pleasant. And what I really appreciated was it didn't make a mess. When I rinsed my hair very little dye rinsed out and it didn't stain my sink at all. I will continue to use this product.”

Hanna M

REVIEWcrew® Member

“I'm guilty of always dying my hair, this Clairol Natural Instincts dye was lovely to use. It had no bad chemical smell like other dyes, it leaves your hair feeling really nice after it's been dyed. Another perk I find as someone who changes their hair colour often is that it is semi permanent. I got really great coverage too on my below shoulder length hair from one box. Overall a really nice box dye.”

Joanna M

REVIEWcrew® Member

“It only takes 20 minutes to develop and I love that it used mostly natural ingredients and didn't dry out my hair in the way that some other colours do. My hair felt softer after using it. I also appreciated that it came with a fair amount of conditioner to use after. At its price point of around $15, I would recommend it, especially for anyone looking to blend greys or lift their existing blonde.”

Michaela K

REVIEWcrew® Member

Like the sound of this semi-permanent hair colour? Read more Clairol Natural Instincts reviews.

The products for this Review Crew® trial have been provided by Clairol to Bauer Media and BEAUTYcrew for the purpose of trial and review by Review Crew® members.

*This combined average star rating for Clairol Natural Instincts is based on a total of 50 reviews submitted and is correct as of 15/09/2020.

Main image credit: Bauer Media

Briar Clark

Briar is the Beauty Editor at BEAUTYcrew. Her 'down for anything' attitude has resulted in more than a handful of hair transformations, and she doesn't mind being used as a guinea pig for the industry's most unusual products and treatments. Her work has also appeared on Refinery29, Girlfriend and beautyheaven.