I’m allergic to box dyes so I tried £8 shampoo to see if it would dispel gray tones

PRESENTER and PR company owner Karin Ridgers from Essex suffered a terrifying allergic reaction after using box dye to hide her silver streaks.

Could a gray-covering shampoo work wonders in just two weeks?

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GRAY herit doesn’t matter? I never will be, I’m afraid.

I may be 53, but I’m not quite ready to embrace the harsh grays creeping down from my roots.

After decades of loving my rich brown locks, I was hoping to follow in the footsteps of superstars like Andie MacDowell and Sarah Jessica Parker, who made silver highlights hot.

Sadly, without the magic of hair dye, I’m less Hollywood glamor and more granny chic, with each silver strand showing off another hard-earned year.

I’ve always loved my hair. Over the years, my lustrous locks have endured everything from 1980s perms and heavy backcombing to bright purple highlights and wash-in, wash-out dyes in dazzling colors like flamingo pink.

I’ve even experimented with unconventional conditioners, like mayonnaise and beer.

Honestly, these locks have seen it all and come out unscathed.

So when I started seeing silver strands in the bathroom mirror at age 50, I was distraught.

According to a recent poll, two in five women feel insecure about their gray hair, while 36 percent say it makes them less confident.

Research by hair care brand Schwarzkopf shows that half of women notice their first gray hairs in their early thirties.

Like the glasses I reluctantly wear to read the morning news, I’ve noticed that my gray hair is aging terribly.

It’s getting worse

So it didn’t surprise me when I learned that 72 percent of women are afraid of going gray, compared to just 36 percent of men.

For weeks I have been applying a natural hair dye called Naturtint to my roots. But much to my dismay, the grays kept coming thicker and faster than ever.

Last month, my bid for gray-free locks took a dramatic turn.

I was invited to a movie premiere, so I wanted to look and feel great next to the stars of the movie.

I didn’t have to think twice about the idea of ​​them seeing me and my silver locks on the red carpet.

But after using a leading brand’s permanent hair dye, I was left with bulging eyes, a bright red face and a burning scalp.

Desperate, I covered my tomato-colored skin with makeup and rushed to the emergency doctor.

The gray tones are getting worse and I’m tired of seeing my aging reflection in the mirror

I was so upset and worried. Would my eyes and skin return to normal?

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I took antihistamines and made it to the premiere, but then I became a hermit for more than a week and hid at home, waiting for my skin to calm down.

I had never had an allergic reaction to hair dye before and of course I wish I had done a patch test.

Several weeks and three allergy tests later, I can’t bear the thought of trying another hair color at home.

But the gray tones are getting worse and I’m tired of seeing my aging reflection in the mirror.

After seeing a flood of posts about gray-covering shampoos on social media, I opted for John Frieda’s Defy Gray brunette blending shampoo, which users claim erased their silver streaks in just three weeks of regular use.

Could this TikTok-approved product for £7.99 really be the answer to my problems?

I felt like I had nothing to lose so grabbed a bottle and gave it a try. . .

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DAY 1: THE FIRST WAS

I feel a mixture of excitement and nervousness as I pop open the bottle and squeeze a dollop of shampoo into my palm.

Dark brown in color, as you would expect, it looks thick and rich. I can’t wait to try it out.

Shocked by my previous experience, I take an allergy test and drop several blobs on the inside of my elbows, as suggested on the bottle.

Luckily I’m doing well.

The first application is simple.

The shampoo creates a rich lather and feels like it is thoroughly cleansing my hair.

It has to be left on for three minutes, which is a downside as I usually prefer to wash and go.

I sit on the side of the tub and count down the minutes while the shampoo hopefully goes to work.

For maximum effect, I then apply the John Frieda Defy Gray Conditioner.

I am pleasantly surprised by how shiny my hair is after just one use.

It’s a promising start and I notice a subtle difference: my gray tones are already darker and less noticeable.

DAY 5: CONFIDENCE BOOST

ON the fifth day, I washed my hair three times with Defy Gray and there is a noticeable blending effect.

The gray tones seem less prominent and blend in with my natural color.

I look younger again, like my actual age, and feel more confident.

My hair is shiny, bouncy and feels good. I’m hopeful and excited.

It shaved off five years in just five days.

DAY 7: POSITIVE COMMENTS

By the end of the first week, my husband and some friends start to notice a difference.

“Your hair looks so fresh, full and shiny,” someone said, sounding like the voiceover in a shampoo ad.

The blending of gray hairs continues and I also notice an improvement in the overall texture of my hair.

It feels stronger and looks shinier.

I have a Zoom meeting about my website and get positive comments about my hair.

I feel like time has turned back a bit.

DAY 14: DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE

AFTER two weeks of consistent use, I am really impressed with these products.

Although my gray hair has not completely disappeared, it is considerably less noticeable.

The blending effect is fantastic, giving my roots and silver hair a more uniform color and a much healthier overall appearance.

The color of my hair has become much lighter in the past four months.

Using this shampoo has not made my hair darker than I had hoped.

However, the color looks fresher overall.

My locks used to look faded. Now they look healthy and new to life.

PRONUNCIATION

MY experience with Defy Gray was incredibly positive. It’s a cheap and cheerful alternative to regularly dyeing your hair that really works.

My roots could still use a little color, but it’s those telltale, stiff gray tones that this shampoo addresses, and that was my biggest problem.

I see the best gray fading results just after showering and while the sun still highlights a few unsightly streaks, they are much less noticeable.

The vegan formula, combined with its ability to subtly fade gray tones naturally, is impressive.

But there is no immediate, drastic change. It provides a gradual, natural-looking improvement in hair color.

It’s about enhancing what you have, rather than glossing over it – and that’s a philosophy I love.