Very gentle, but the color did not come out as advertised
I gave this brand a go because I recently discovered just how toxic and unsafe traditional hair coloring products really are, and unfortunately, I discovered this right after bleaching and dyeing my hair purple after years of not using any chemical processes on my hair. I always loved using vibrant hair color to express myself in the past, and I was excited to do so again, but now I'd found myself between colorings with no clear way to safely maintain my hair color. And sadly, after weeks of searching, it seems that the market for vibrant hair color that is also clean and non-toxic seems to be nonexistent.
I stumbled across Radico, and I loved the idea of using organic herbs to tint my hair instead, so I approached trying this dye out as an experiment. I didn't expect the color to turn out exactly as the swatch, but I was hopeful I'd get to continue maintaining at least one fun hair color by using this brand.
Prior using Radico last week, most of my chemically-processed color had faded, and my hair was mostly yellow from the bleach with some streaks of pink left from the faded dye. Before using Radico's dye, I also used the hair treatment powder to repair any lasting damage created from the chemical process so that my hair was starting from a healthier baseline.
When I used this violet dye last week, I read in the instructions that if your hair was previously bleached, you would probably need to do a second application since the first attempt would likely result in a greenish color, and it did. So, after the first application didn't produce the color I wanted, I waited for two days, washed my hair, and then did a second application. Both times, I let the dye sit for 90 min and applied heat 3x to activate the herbs and get the most out of the process.
It has been 5 days since the second dye application, and while it has darkened to some extent, the color is still nowhere near the color swatch shown on the package. The areas that were previously just bleached look more burgundy than violet, and the only faint purple that does show through is from the sections of my hair that still had a little pink left. The rest of my hair looks like a mix between my natural dark brunette color and soft black.
Overall, I knew that violet was a tall order from a purely herbal dye, and I'm not terribly impressed with the results. I knew that trying this color was a shot in the dark since I couldn't find any reviews of other people trying this particular color, but I'd be shocked if anyone else's results turned out to actually be violet. The color swatch feels misleading.
I may continue to use this brand for more natural coloring until the bleached areas of my hair have grown out because I love the intent and values that the brand stands for. But, to anyone who decides to give the violet a try, make sure to keep your expectations realistic. It's quite a bit of work for little payoff. I do hope that the company continues to improve their formula. Despite smelling like you have a barn on your head while it processes, I loved not having to worry that I was burning my scalp or seriously damaging my hair. I hope this review is helpful.
