eSalon Review
Hi everyone! Today I will be doing a review on eSalon.com. Esalon is a company that custom formulates hair color for much less than the price of going to a traditional salon. Though the price is a little higher then just going to Walgreens and buying boxed color. One application currently runs $19.99. However, eSalon pushes that one box isn't for everyone. Those of you that have gone to a salon vs doing your own hair from a box will agree. The color from a box almost never turns out the color that you want. Esalon also has a guarantee that you will love your color or they will refund your money or reformulate your color for free.I first came across eSalon from an article entitled "eSalon, putting colorists out of business." Being the type of girl to color my hair every few months I was intrigued so I read some reviews myself. After looking over others comments and thoughts, eSalon seemed to get a generally positive reviews, so I decided to try it out.
Ordering Process
When you first log on to the website it will ask you a series of questions about your hair - from the texture and length to the last time you colored. Be prepared to have to match your natural hair color to a list of swatches and your current color. At the end it allows you to pick the color that you want to color your hair. However, it will not allow you to pick anything lighter then 2 shades from your current color. I picked out what they called "darkest brown." At the end, the site allows you to submit photos of your current hair so that that colorists can better match a color for you. I submitted two photos: one of what my hair currently looks like, and another from my wedding of the color I wanted my hair to be.
Here, the one on the left is my current color and the one on the right is the color I wanted.
When you are ordering, it gives you options to add a color enhancing shampoo to keep your color looking beautiful in months after you color for $9.95 and to add a coloring kit which includes a color bowl, a timer, a brush and four clips for another $9.95. I opted to add both of these to my order and I placed my order on Monday, April 22. I also wanted to point out that they charge $4.95 for shipping. You can also pay $1.99 to have your color formulated faster so that they can ship it faster.
On Thursday, April 25 I received the following email from eSalon:
esalonDanielle (eSalon Support)
Dear Myra,
Thank you for placing your eSalon order!
We’ve reviewed your photo and wanted to email you about your hair
color selection. According to your order, your desired hair color is at
least two shades darker than your current overall hair color we see in
your photo.
Do you have a photo of what your hair currently looks like?
Feel free to contact us by replying to this email or by calling 1 866 550 2424, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Pacific Time.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
The eSalon Team
I got this email about 30 seconds after they had closed for the day and I was confused since I had submitted a photo of my current hair. I called them the next morning as soon as they opened. The first woman I spoke to was very nice and put me through to my colorist Danielle. She wasn't unpleasant, but it seemed like she was in a hurry. I told her that I did submit a photo and after looking again she claimed that she just "didn't see it" which was fine, and she promised to send my color out that day. Now, when they send your color out it will ship USPS and when it is shipped they will email you the tracking number. I didn't get an email that whole day so the next morning I called back and they said that it will ship out that day which it did. So in total it took then 5 days to ship my color after I ordered.
Receiving my Color
My package arrived on Thursday, May 2.
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| The box before I opened it |
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| Opening it with my name right on the front made me feel so special! |
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| All the color bottles also had my name on them |
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| The timer included a battery! |
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| The shampoo that I also ordered. |
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| I know its hard to read, sorry! It also included: two pairs of gloves, stain remover, stain guard, after color shampoo and conditioner. |
So I followed the instructions and this is the result.
Does that look anything like the color I wanted? No. No it doesn't. I see 5 different colors in this picture! As of now I have called eSalon and I am waiting to hear back. I am so disappointed in my color. I really hope they will send me a new color or give me the promised refund, as I might have to go to an actual salon to fix this. I will update everyone once I hear back.
Update
My colorist called me back really fast after I left her a message! She was very sorry that my color didn't work out and she is sending me out a new color tomorrow. It should have a neutralizer to cancel the red. So hopefully it will work out this time! I will update again after I apply the new color.
Update May7, 2013.
Yesterday, May 6 I received my new color from esalon. I was worried because the site wouldn't show me exactly what color had been sent out. Turns out, they sent me the soft black color. I did NOT want my hair black, so naturally I was a bit nervous when applying the color. I followed the directions to the "t" and I'm still not happy with the results.
My hair is still a bunch of different colors, its not pretty. Luckily,the color they sent me was a demi color, so it will wash out eventually and I can recolor. This last round of color seemed to really damage my hair. It also seemed the I lost more hair during the color process then usual.
Another Update
So! eSalon refunded my full purchase. I did not ask them to but they did. So I received two full color kits and in the end got a full refund. Pretty happy with that. I would have been happier mind you if my color turned out right but this is an okay solution in my book.
Update May 26, 2014
Hi everyone! I know it's been awhile since I used eSalon, but they recently sent me a package with some of their new products to test out! I am so happy try out some of their new items. They did send me these products free of charge but I promise my review is still my own opinions and have not been influenced by eSalon in any way.
The bags removed from the box.
The first bag.
This is eSalon's new Shampoo and Conditioner. Each bottle is 8.5 oz. I love that they are different colors because it will be harder to mix them up when in the shower. Just looking at them the packaging is really cute, and I love the pump nozzle. I also like that the top of the pump is large, and flat, it will make it easy to use when your hands are wet.
I currently was using Redkin Diamond Oil shampoo and conditioner, so I will be comparing eSalon to them.
Retail on these is $12.45 each.
After using this shampoo I have to say I really do like it, my hair felt very clean after using it. It lathered very well. A huge plus for me is that it smells really good too! I liked the consistency, it seemed like I didn't have to use as much as my regular shampoo.
Verdict: I would purchase this in the future.
The conditioner smells really good, and it seemed to work really well. It has the right mixture between being a moisturizer, without making my hair completely flat. However, it took a lot of this to coat my hair, and this bottle isn't that big, so I wish that they would sell it in a larger size.
Verdict: I love this conditioner, and if they sold it in a larger size I would buy it, or maybe I would just buy two bottles.
Bag number two!
All the goodies from the bag!
I have to admit, when I saw these I was super excited! I LOVE these hair clips. I had two packages (8 clips) from when I colored my hair with eSalon and I use them all the time! These a really great clips, after a year of use at least 2-3 times a week, only one broke. I am so happy they sent me more.
I will be the first to admit that I have yet to find a leave in conditioner that I like, so I am super excited to try this! I have only used it once, and so far I love it. It didn't take a lot to get through my hair and it doesn't leave a film on my hair or on my hands. My hair is about down to the middle of my back, and it only took a nickle size to cover it all. I want to use this a couple more times before determining if this is the elusive perfect leave in conditioner, but I will keep you all updated. Again, this smells really nice.
Update:
I love this product! It really seems to be helping my hair and keeping it looking perfect!
Retail on this is $12.45
This is a product that I want to use a lot more before I can really say if I like it. So far I used it once, and I don't think I used quite enough for my hair length. It has a similar consistency to Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum, but it's nicer because it doesn't make your hands feel oily. It smells really pretty, but I want to use it more, before saying that it does work! I will update though, so make sure to check back!
Update:
After using this for about a month I think I really like it! It helps tame flyaways and it also seems to be helping prevent split ends and breaking.
Retail for this item is $16.25
For about the next month I will replace my usual hair routine with all of these products, so that I can really see how they affect my hair after several washes.
Now! For the best thing in the box, that I left out.
I'm going to Los Angeles!!!! eSalon has invited me out to have my hair colored at their headquarters and to see how the company works! I'm so excited. That being said, I will update this again after I get back so that all my followers will know how it went. I am going sometime at the end of June or beginning of July! If you girls and guys have any questions you want to know about eSalon post in the comments below and I will try to ask them when I go!
All the items they sent me can be purchased here:
Update July 1, 2014
I got back a couple days ago from Los Angeles! I really loved visiting eSalon and meeting some of their staff. When I first arrived at their headquarters I was so surprised that it was so small. The entire company is contained within one building. Its really awesome though, that way if, for instance, a colorist wants to collaborate with another colorist she can do so easily. Or if she want to check if a clients order is about to ship she can walk right on over to where they put together your color to see when it will be shipped! Even their IT support is right in the same building. I got to see exactly what happens to an order, start to finish, and let me say the whole process really is amazing. I don't want to give to much away, but they are able to process orders very efficiently and with out ANY possibility that a client will end up with someone else's color.
After my tour with Courtney, we met up with Estelle Baumhauer, and went to lunch. Which was amazing since I was starving after my 5 hour plane ride. Over lunch I got to ask them some really fun, interesting questions. For instance, their most common color request is medium brown. More interesting facts: eSalon was founded by men. The client that uses their services the most, is also a man! Who would have guessed!
After we returned from lunch it was time to do my color again. The photo below is the most recent photo before my color application.
About 3 months before visiting eSalon I had colored my hair a blue/black. It did not turn out great and left my hair in very bad condition. I told Estelle that I wanted to still try for the color that I had originally tried for with my original eSalon order.
This is a dark brown with slight gold undertones. I actually brought her one of the clip extensions that I am wearing in this photo so that the color would be as close as possible to the one I wanted. She colored my hair and the following photos are the result.
It's not 100% the color I wanted, but it is about 98% so I'm really happy! Estelle said that we can work on getting it to 100% in my following color applications! Also, the way she styled my hair after is just stunning! I will have to work on doing it like this myself.
All in all the eSalon trip was a great success and I really look forward to working with the company in the future.
Thanks for the review of your experience. I'll stick with my colorist!
ReplyDeleteHaha, that's probably for the best. Thanks for reading!
DeleteHi Myra --
ReplyDeleteThanks for your review. Can I ask why your hair seems to be darker at the ends in all of the after pictures? It looks to be all the same color in your before picture.
It's too bad they didn't send you the color you requested and that you weren't happy with either of the colors they sent -- I think, however, that both colors are beautiful and that your hair looks great!
wrybread
You are 100% right, my hair was all one color in the beginning. For some reason after I used the first color kit it turned different colors all over. The first kit made my hair about 5 different colors. After receiving the second it was only 2. But I have no idea why it turned darker on the ends. I've never had that problem before from a salon or coloring myself. After a while the ends faded and it matches a little better now. Thank you for saying it looks good too. :) and thank you for reading.
DeleteThe reason it turned darker is a factor, we in the business call "porosity" the hairs ability to absorb and retain moisture, chemicals, color etc. it's a huge factor in hair coloring and why nothing will beat a professional colorist with years of experience.
DeleteI had the same problem. I described in clear detail what I had and what I wanted. The first shipment was altogether wrong so they said don't use it. I waited for the next, supposed correct, shipment. I called again and told them there wasn't enough dye, my hair reaches my shoulder blades and is thick. They sent me a third shipment. I used it. It seemed OK except for one problem, this is permanent dye and it continually rinses out purple water, so I have to use a dark towel to dry my hair each time. The color I order is called "Black Pearl" a black with purple undertones. I just dyed it a second time and am noticing that my roots look lavender-ish while the rest of my hair is washed out black. Needless to say, I've cancelled my subscription. I would rather pay my hairdresser $80.00 and look good. I don't think this company is going to be a "threat" to hairdressers after people have enough problems. I can do better with store bought dye anyway.
ReplyDeletethank you for your review...I too tried esalon and found it to be pretty good.....nothing spectacularly great and not really worth the money. Here are a few of those pros and cons I noted:
ReplyDeleteFIRST of all I will say DO NOT BUY a SUBSCRIPTION until you at least use their product once or twice.
pros
color is customized to your specifications
color is not harsh or damaging to hair
color is relatively easy to use
they do provide great directions and everything you will need and then some
cons
more challenging when you are trying to do anything other than color roots
color can turn darker then you are expecting
color can end up uneven
I did have a slight rash on my neck after using it
product does stain skin and surfaces so make ample preparations for that...towels and Vaseline work well
Thanks for supplying this information - I have just closed the eSalon page and even though they were offering a half price trial I'll stick with the incredible hair dye I buy from a local chemist for £1.90 (approx $2...yes, you did read that correctly!). My dye only has to stay on the hair for 10 minutes and I've been using it now for over a year without any disappointing issues at all.
ReplyDeleteSorry to read of your issues. By the way, I did click on your Facebook link but it doesn't exist.
Thank you so much :)
What is name and make of local colour you use please for under £2.00. Thank you, Julie
DeleteThank you for your review. I haven't used a "box" color from a store or a website for years because I noticed when I did, my hair always turned out one color. I'm very particular about my hair, and if you notice the hair of people who don't color their hair and never have, you'll notice their hair naturally has several different colors. It actually looks unnatural to have your hair all one color, unless your hair is extremely black.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I never noticed this until several hairdressers I have used and spoke with pointed this out. They also explained that by using several colors when coloring hair, not only does it make your color appear more natural, but it also gives your hair dimension, which is lacking when using a box which colors your hair only one color.
After paying more attention and doing a lot of "people watching" which is something I love to do, I noticed they were right. Everyone, even little children, have several different colors in their hair. Maybe I shouldn't say several differnt colors, it's more like several different shades or highlights. Either way, the point is, rarely did I see anyone whose natural hair color was all one color.
Even now when I get may hair colored at the salon, my colorist uses three different colors on my hair, but all the colors complement each other. My hair is dark brown, so to add dimension, my colorist uses a slightly lighter shade as well as a slightly darker shade. It looks so natural and I love it and I always get compliments on my hair! It's not uncommon for women to ask me if my hair color is natural.
The reason I was searching for eSalon reviews is not for hair color, but for another product they carry call Shining Armor Renewing Treatment Oil, which is supposed to protect your color from fading as well as add shine. After reading your review and several of the comments that follow, I just wanted to share my experience when I discovered that most people DO have several shades of color in their natural hair. Now when I see someone whose hair is all one color, with no dimension whatsoever, I automatically think they've used a box hair color.
I certainly mean no disrespect, I only wish to help by sharing information I recently learned. I hope my comments help.
Hi Myra! I'm sorry you chose to be the guinea pig for the rest of us, but thank u SOOOO MUCH for doing so n posting your results, as well as everyone else's experience!! After deciding that I could no longer afford my colorist, I've actually been pretty lucky with my box color: L'Oreal Couleur Expert Express. I've been using it for 2yrs now, my hair thankfully DOES NOT turn into that dreaded one shade of color, n it even comes with highlights you can add too. I'm sticking with it! Again, many thanks for everyone's feedback n from preventing me from making a big mistake! =)
ReplyDeleteHi Myra,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your review. I read your blog and wanted to explain why you ended up with 2 colors. As an American Board Certified Colorist/master stylist I would like to inform others what happened in your situation as well. Your assigned colorist did not take into account that your ends were more "porous"/damaged possibly from environmental reasons. The ends of our hair tend to be more dry from daily routines like swimming, brushing, blow drying etc. Subsequently, your hair absorbed the color darker at the ends because of it. Hopefully after several shampoos it will fade a little as your ends tend to not hold color as well because it does not have as much melanin for the color to adhere to as does the healthier parts of your hair ie. your mid shaft and roots. The difficulty in coloring your own hair without a professional who can see and touch your hair is precisely for the reason you experienced. I would of colored your ends with a demi color a shade or two lighter and as a professional colorist I know it would of taken darker. My suggestion is that if you get your color done again. You can choose a dark color and apply to the midshaft and roots but leave out the ends. This should help with evening out the color and damaging your ends more than needed.
Goodluck and hope this helps.
Victoria Quach
It looks like the first order came with two bottles, one for the roots to work partway down the hair and a different formula for the ends. I can't tell from the photo which shades they are, but if the roots and ends were colored at the same time rather than the ends only getting color for a few minutes, the ends would also be much darker, even if the color applied on the ends was lighter than what is on the roots, especially on previously color-treated hair.
DeleteGoing from very light to very dark probably is better done at a salon, but eSalon could have been a good choice to either go darker more gradually or maintain the darker color.
Hi Myra,
ReplyDeleteI was seconds away from entering my credit card information when I reminded myself that when something seems to good to be true, it usually is. Your review was very thorough and helpful. I think I too will stick with a professional stylist and get the job done right!
Shannon.
I seamed a good idea at the time. I heard that from a woman carrying a 50 punds bag trying to get to her hotel on the top of a Italian hillside. Same here. The process is messy as can be, specially since they suggest you getting in the shower and applying the last of the color as a shampoo, mixed with water. We have already deal with the flimsy and VERY SMALL gloves, the usual mess, but I was not prepared for spotting everything in a 4 yards radium in my tub. My shower curtains are fabric, my tiles are stone, and everything was getting dirty. Then the product enter my eye. I needed my husband to gave me a eye cup to rinse the burning product out of my pupil, as I was blind and in pain. Even if you have a dirty-proof shower with glass and tiles, that last step is a joke and totally ruined the experience for me. A real salon never feet so desirable, and the price so cheep.
ReplyDeleteI have had excellent results from eSalon.
ReplyDeleteMy first shipment had two totally different colors: 1 to apply to my roots, and 2 to the rest of my hair. It was a painstaking process but WOW the results were worth $100 ++ from a salon. I got positive comments from family, friends and strangers on the street.
I just got my second shipment last week, this time with one color only to touch up my roots - then process through the rest only in the final step. Much easier and quicker. My hair is shiny, gorgeous, and healthy. The color looks multifaceted and not monochromal at all. Still getting compliments.
I agree that the process is messy and the gloves they include are worthless (I use my own.) But for me the results and cost are unbeatable.
100 % good gray coverage for me.
One thing that has probably helped me: As I've gotten older, I've gone with shorter hair so it's easier to keep it looking full and healthy.
Just today I received e-mail communication from eSalon over a minor ordering process question from them. It was resolved, and I sent them a msg saying I'd send a photo and may want to tweak my color (base dark blonde, with major copper and some red in there.) Got a lightning-fast response saying they can't wait to see the photo and work with me further.
I'm sorry so many responders are having bad experiences .... I LOVE eSalon.
After the raving email that came through saying what a great product this was and being salon results I had used boxed colours I thought at that price why not. I did the online survey and totally forgot about it. About one month later I receive a card from post office saying I needed to pay extra for customs over £11 for an item I had ordered. Duly paid and then received this box. Didnt work out cheap and after reviewing the comments above maybe I should have given it a miss in the first place!
ReplyDeletemhh, am I the only one who actually does like the result on your picture?
ReplyDeletenever tried the esalon but was reading reviews about it. The colour from the roots till the ends is gorgeous, as to the roots I think that some hair-dressers pointed to the problem quite correctly. However, it does look like 'ombre' effect to me:)
Omg! I'm so mad at myself for trusting this brand! I previously had my hair dyed medium golden brown and simply just wanted to maintain it so, basically just do a root touch up. I did everything on the website got "my color match" and it looked just like my hair color also had the same name. I even emphasized that I just wanted to do a touch much and to make sure there was more gold. So, when I received "my customized hair color" and applied it it was wayyyy too dark, so now I have extremely dark roots with light hair. I spend so much previously coloring my hair and now its completely messed up! Please, dont trust this brand of you have just want a simple touch up. I regret it so bad.
ReplyDeleteWish I would have searched for reviews of esalon before I tried my own experiment! I too have 2 toned hair now... they sent me 2 colors.. one for my roots and one for the rest of my hair. I too have very thick and quite long hair so I called my colorist to talk about my fear of not having enough of the 2nd color for the rest of my hair. While my colorist wasn't rude, she seeemed to not want to be bothered by my qustion, at all. She stated that 'no one has ever needed 2 bottles for the rest of their hair.' I told her, well I was gonna be the 1st because there was no way that 1 bottle was going to cover my whole head. She sent my out a 2nd bottle of color for my ends and after letting my roots grow out about an inch, at her suggestion, I colored it last week. And the end result you ask??? My roots are about 3 shades darker than the rest of my head! I really like the color of the ends but the fact that my roots are so dark and that there is about an inch of them (again the colorist said 'let your roots grow an inch before you color') makes it look like I haven't even dyed my hair. I sent her an email on Sunday night, it is going into Friday morning and I have yet to hear from her. I even called the operator on Tuesday to see what the hold up was... she stated 'that my colorist had received my email and was just backed up.' Really??? For an entire business week this girl hasn't had time to pick up the phone and call a person who clearly needs new color to fix the 1st color they messed up. I'm not happy with the level of customer service right now and plan on calling again in the morning. Please beware of the company.
ReplyDeleteHi! I just colored my hair with the assistance of my grown daughter. I too sent two picture of what I currently had and what I desired. I chose a dark blonde. They sent me a dk blonde with a 15 volumizer to apply to my roots and leave on 20 minutes. Then I was to apply the other btl dk blonde but this time in a 20 volumizer. It covered my grey completely and is a beautiful golden medium brown. Did you catch that? Not dk blonde...medium golden blonde. My hair feels wonderful...super soft and shiney...but too dark for my fair skin. I will call them in the am. But...I don't hate it...just a little dark for me.
ReplyDeleteI used it and am satisfied with the results. It has taken my faded hair and given it back my old colour.
ReplyDeleteI was just getting ready to enter my credit card numbers, when it occurred to me to check this out a little better - & I am sooo glad I did. Thanks so much for all the reviews. I'm really sorry for the trouble so many of you had, but I sure appreciate you letting the rest of us know. I'm also glad it worked out for some of you, however, I'm just not willing to take the chance. Being on a fixed income doesn't leave much room for extra expenses, like going to a salon several times to repair the damage. Good Luck & Bright Blessings to all of you!
ReplyDeleteDismissed
ReplyDeleteI used this product for several months in 2012 with good results. I had been going to a stylist and wanted to go back to convenience. After my order was confirmed, I decided to download a picture of myself on the site.(big mistake) I received the following
message: Based on your current photos, we would recommend going darker in order to even out your color. We would need to fill the length of your hair because it is bleached. We will need to formulate a dark blond demi permanent colorfill for you. If you would
prefer to color with permanent, we would recommend first having your color evened out in a salon. It may not completely cover gray hair since demi-permanent dye does not penetrate the hair cuticle the way permanent dyes do. (If gray hair coverage is a concern
for you, let us know and we'll formulate your next order with permanent hair color). After a colorfill, we recommend recoloring when you begin to see your color fading or within 3 weeks. Then if you'd prefer to switch to a permanent hair color you can let
us know with your next hair color order. After responding and assuring them that I was working with a stylist, but I would like to resume the scheduled order I received this message. While we don’t want to lose you as a client, we would rather not send you
an order than won’t deliver the results you’re expecting. After calling the company and telling them I had used the product for 6 months in the past, and that I was following up with a stylist with the recommendations. They asked what had I been doing since
I received my last order, and told me they would not send the product. I have been in business for many years. I called the company because I could not believe they would treat a customer this way. I thought they would value my input, instead I was dismissed.
I have been using eSalon for 2 years now and could not be happier! I get compliments all the time on my hair. My biggest fear was doing all one color, as I had always had highlights and low lights. My hair has depth and dimension and it looks naturally highlighted. (and it covers the gray) I am shocked to hear of all the horror stories here. I do think that the condition of your hair has everything to do with it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your detailed blog, pics etc. You just saved me a lot of trouble :)
ReplyDeleteI love eSalon! My hair is quite long, half-way down my back and is thick and wavy. I had colored my hair at a salon over a year ago but it was close to my natural color, a dark blond. I just wanted my hair to be more or less the same color again, hopefully with highlights and low-lights and less gray. I also wanted to get rid of the ashy tone. ESalon sent me my kit very quickly, and it came with everything, including a decent timer and batteries. I followed the detailed instructions and ended up with perfect results. I didn't find the showering part odd, since some box colors have had me do that too. In any case, my hair came out soft, shiny ,and better that it has been in years! The color was what I wanted and it had depth, too. I have had many compliments and decided to reorder. I suspect that some of the less-than-perfect results some of you had might be because of the condition of your hair. I am lucky that my hair is healthy and I don't even have split ends. Anyway, eSalon was a good experience for me in every way.
ReplyDeleteWho DOESNT have damaged hair in this day? Be it from sun, blow drying, flattening, curling and dare I say it-COLORING! That should be a given expectation.
DeleteHi Myra, would you mind if I linked your post in my blog on different ways to color hair?
ReplyDeleteNot at all! Please do!
DeleteAnnie@charlestonSC
ReplyDeleteI received kit in the medium brown which was what I ordered. Applied today and the color came out perfect and my hair is very soft and pretty color results. I initially did not know (until a saw a customer reviewer she received root touch up which I will not change my order for root touch up instead full head coverage) so I did not follow instructions for full head of hair. I just applied to all the grey roots & the color came out lovely with the low lights that I had already in my hair. I also stressed that I had low lights & wanted to block out the brassy tones. I also did not follow instructions to add water to remaining color and apply for 2 min to your hair in the shower as I did not want to cover my high lights. I just rubbed all the color over my hair as I was rinsing the color from my roots & then applied the shampoo & conditioner that came with the kit. All you ladies that are covering your entire head of hair should begin with the roots and top of the hair and work down to the ends as your ends are very very porous & will immediately grab the color which will end up darker than the top of your hair. Plus I would begin timing the color as soon as you begin to apply to your roots as then the time will not remain on your ends too long. I have been using Clairol Root Touch Up in either the medium brown or medium ash brown. I am going to see if this personalized salon developed hair color will last longer than 4 weeks as the Clairol Root Touch Up and then will go from there. If this color lasts longer that will be a plus in itself & will continue to order but just the root touch up in the medium shade as the color came out really pretty keeping my low lights & no brassiness at all. So so far I'm pleased with the results.
ReplyDeleteUsed eSalon's demi permanent hair colour 3 weeks ago for the first - and last - time
Horribly disappointed
Since I live in the UK I had to pay for import tax and shipping, which doubled the (offer) price, so it wasn't such great value in the end. Also it took a long time to arrive
Followed the complicated instructions to the letter and read them through a few times beforehand to ensure I got it right
Quite a messy procedure compared to my usual brand and a lot of fussy packaging
But the real problem is that it appears to have completely wrecked the condition of my hair
It's now dry, dull, lifeless and impossible to style
Been colouring my hair for years using Nice n Easy brand, with great results
Just fell for eSalon's very persuasive ad campaign, allover the web for the past couple of months : /
Tried allsorts of expensive deep conditioning treatments since, but to no avail, looks like I'm going to have to grow it out, no joke, as my hair is 18 inches long
It's as if their product has somehow burned my hair
Absolutely gutted
Woooo someone else that is not kissing there arse. It was rubbish I paid £19.95 for a colour that lasted on my hair about a week. I now have to go and find another colour suitable to colour over what I have now, A faded dark brown purple/grey colour. Plus it left my hair in a horrible condition.
ReplyDeleteI am very grateful for all the reviews given, professional and at-home experiences as well. I am INCREDIBLY picky about my hair and am always nervous about trying things. I have a lot of gray (I would be salt/pepper completely if I didn't color mine) and thought about trying esalon, but after reading all of the honest reviews, I am going to stick with my stylist. She is awesome, understands my pickyness and does a fantastic job. Good luck everyone!
ReplyDeleteHi Myra,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your review. I am sorry to hear that you didn't get the color you wanted, but to be honest, I liked the color you got the first time. It is very complementary on you. I may still try the product because I have NEVER gotten the color that I wanted in a salon after spending a lot of money (have tried different stylists). I usually use boxed hair dyes but they don't seem to do the trick in covering the gray, so I think I will give it a shot. The company seems to at least stand behind their products.
ReplyDeleteI have been a hairdresser and salon owner for 39 years. Needless to say, I am an experienced colorist. Just because they put your name on the bottle, it may not be the perfect color for you. Nothing can replace the one on one experience of a professional stylist. What this product does not take into account is the porosity of the hair, previous chemical applications and the overall condition of the hair. That can only be done on sight. You have to be able to feel the hair to get a correct diagnosis. It is interesting that the company compares itself with Clairol and L'Oreal which have the highest levels of ammonia content. Also, what does Rachel Ray know about hair color??
I'm not sure eSalon is a replacement for going to a salon. eSalon doesn't do platinum blonde, multi-process, highlights, or color correction. They are great for maintaining a color within a range of one's natural color (2 levels either way seems about right). Going from super light to super dark is hard to do by yourself and I'd say going to an expert colorist in a salon would be better for that than anything at home.
DeleteThat said, I don't get the sense they're trying to replace the salon experience. It's definitely a better choice than box color and a great way to color and maintain a color within a few shades of what you already have. The biggest risk I see with eSalon is that customers may not always remember what they've done to their hair, whether they've been using permanent or demi, what is considered bleaching or highlights, or maybe don't want to share that information because they just want to try the product (see what happens when you try to order and you have highlights). I was thinking about this when I placed my mom's order recently. She's technically got highlights but it's really looking like all-over lightness, but if I were to say it's highlights, I'll get a warning about placing an order with highlights.
So, I'd say eSalon is not what you use for complex hair needs, super damaged hair, highlights, and color correction. But if I'm going to choose a random color at the grocery store vs having someone look at a photo and help guide me to the right shade, I'd pick the guidance any day. :)
You're going to love the trip to eSalon. I just had the same opportunity and it was so worth it. Having the behind the scenes look and getting a really in-depth perspective on how to select the right color and apply it correctly is a priceless experience!
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DeleteActually, I've just found your blog and read it! I'm so glad you had a great experience!
DeleteThe new color looks fantastic. I can see in the hair piece, that you probably wanted it a half shade darker but the color Estelle did works so well with your skin tone, not too dark and not too light. Very pretty!
DeleteI think if your hair had been in good condition you wouldn't of got multi colors. I've recently been trying wen then some of the less expensive brands that are like wen and I found my hair is much healthier. It's holding color longer and more even
ReplyDeleteWhy did they invite you out to meet them? Is it because you write reviews or because you were not satisfied? Also, what was the reason for sending you the free products? Thank you for your review!
ReplyDeleteI recently started using eSalon and have had wonderful results! my color has been perfect and it has left my hair in much better condition than the box dyes have. The team has been great to work with when I requested a slight color change and they exceeded my expectations. Overall price is slightly higher than the good box dyes (considering I need 2 boxes to cover my hair) but worth it. I get so many compliments on my hair color.
ReplyDeleteI recently started using eSalon and have had wonderful results! my color has been perfect and it has left my hair in much better condition than the box dyes have. The team has been great to work with when I requested a slight color change and they exceeded my expectations. Overall price is slightly higher than the good box dyes (considering I need 2 boxes to cover my hair) but worth it. I get so many compliments on my hair color.
ReplyDelete
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Thank you for sharing such an amazing and informative post. really enjoyed reading it. :)
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I Read your blog usually and really like your post. Please always be update.
ReplyDeleteIt was helpful..i'm following you! hope you'll do the same!Thnaks for sharing..highlight ideas
ReplyDeleteI've had nothing but good results from esalon! I change may colour every three months from dark to light and they've been great! My hair never goes dry, but be sure to rinse out well and leave conditioner on for a few minutes... else it can feel abit sticky! But otherwise great!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is so amazing blog. Thanks for sharing the blog
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