***Quick View:*** I was going out with the girls for a rare night on the town and would be seeing some old friends. I wanted to look good, of course, so I decided to add a few highlights to my hair to brighten my look. I actually went to my stylist to do this so I didn't mess things up. SHE messed my hair up way, way more than I ever could. My highlights were bright, burnt looking orange. It was awful. I fixed my hair myself but it took a lot of dye, work, and time. Never, ever again! ***My Take on Salon Care Prism Lites Lightener Neutral*** This stuff comes in an 18 ounce plastic container and is a powder. It should be mixed with equal parts developer. You COULD do this at home but I chose not to thinking I would get professional results if I went to a professional. HA! I explained that I just wanted highlights that were a few shades lighter than my very dark brown hair. My stylist knows my hair has a tendency to lift orange. I have red undertones in my hair and actually had dark auburn hair as a kid. She said that** Salon Care Prism Lites Lightener Neutral** would not go orange. It just lifts a few shades and no matter how long you leave it on, it won't go any further. I didn't need to have the strands bleached white then colored over. Great! I thought, bring it on. The shade was Neutral Beige. They do sell blue and violet and other shades which honestly, I would have preferred! She weaved highlights throughout my hair and did many on the top because it seems as though that part of my hair didn't pick up highlights like the rest. Because she works out of her home, I left with the stuff still on my head. She said to check every few minutes to see if the strands were the color I wanted then wash it out. Groovy. When I got home, a five minute ride, I checked a strand. **BRIGHT ORANGE! **Ultra violet, neon, singed looking orange. I jumped into the shower and rinsed the stuff off ASAP. When I looked at my hair, I almost cried. The whole top was a terrible shade of orange that no one on earth has. The highlights all through were a little less intense but orange nonetheless. I called my stylist and she was not at home. Panicked, I decided to fix my own hair. I have had this happen before on occasion (when I did it myself with other products) so I knew what to do. I had hubby get me some light brown dye and I dyed over the orange. Generally processed hair grabs color fast and looks darker than the actual color you apply. That didn't do the trick at all. Hmmm. I then applied medium brown over my whole head. Waited 25 minutes, rinsed. Nope, It was better but the top was still garish. I gave up and went to bed, determined to get my hair back in shape to go out the next night. I woke up early and colored my hair dark brown. I left the dye on for about 15 minutes, knowing that processed hair grabs faster and not wanting deep black hair. I rinsed and I was pleased with the final results. However, after just one washing, the orange is already peeking through. These dyes were permanent so I don't want to keep coloring my hair so often. I will have to live with the brassy looking streaks until I feel I can safely dye my hair again. *It. Was. A. Disaster.* Maybe **Salon Care Prism Lites Lightener Neutral** works for some. Maybe if you have light hair or if you don't lift red, I don't know. What I do know is I will never, ever use the product again. It seems like such a good idea and, for some, it probably is. Listen to your stylist but be sure he or she knows what the heck s/he is talking about. Mine did not apparently. ***My Viewpoint*** This was probably one of the worst hair disasters I have had with highlighters. I have had worse with perms but never worse with highlighters. I would have been better off bleaching to white and coloring over the areas as I usually do. And NOT paying the stylist a dime. I have yet to contact her but I won't go to her again for anything but a trim. Luckily, my hair seems to be holding up OK and it looks good but I will be conditioning it like crazy for a long time. ***For me, 1 star.*** For others, who knows? But I am basing my rating on my experience. Effectiveness This product strips color and dries hair out. It gave me BRIGHT orange streaks that we brittle and fragile. Ease of Application Mix it and apply but best to use on light hair!

PattyTherre

The heart of , NY