Youthair Creme Lead-Free, 3.75 Fl Oz (Pack of 3)

updated 01/02/2016:Summary: It works and works well on my salt & pepper(brown) hair. I have used it for four months.From my experience, this product has three mechanisms of action:(1) Your hair absorbs a portion of the bismuth citrate which reacts with the sulfur in your hair to darken it to an extent via the formation of bismuth sulfide within the hair shaft. For those of you who use Pepto Bismol, the reaction of bismuth with sulfur results in bismuth sulfide, which is what turns your tongue dark brown. I am about 50% grey and this product turned my remaining medium-brown hairs dark brown and turned my gray hairs to a medium/dark blonde / light brown color. The overall effect is my hair looks much darker with very little gray showing.(2) The excess bismuth citrate, which is not absorbed into your hair, reacts with the free sulfur in the product (see ingredients list) to form bismuth sulfide (microscopic brown particles) which sits on the surface of your individual hairs and act like a temporary mild surface dye. It is not, in fact, dye and will wash right out when you wash or rinse your hair. You can control how much or how little of this effect occurs by adjusting the amount of the product you put on your hair. If you put only just enough so that you hair absorbs all of the product, there will not be much, if any, of this effect. If you slather on a lot, you will get a lot of brown and your hair will look darker but this rub off or drip a little brown from sweat as others have noted.(3) General conditioning. This product contains glycerin and other conditioning agents which will add moisture and oils to your hair which tend to darken your hair. Dry hair looks much lighter/grayer than conditioned/moisturized hair.For my level of gray (50%), this product works very well. No-one seems to have noticed the slow darkening, even my wife and kids! Although, my wife just commented this week how young I look for my age! Ha Ha!Some tips:*If you want faster action, put a lot of the product on and avoid washing your hair as long as you can. Re-apply every day. It will darken quite quickly. Note that by applying excess product, beyond what your hair can absorb, you will be subject to the "brown pillow" effect others have commented on.*If you cut your hair pretty short and often, you will only be able to darken it to a point. This is because, your hair needs to be exposed to the product over time and if you are keep cutting the treated hair off, it is always starting over.*It is best to use a mild shampoo as harsh shampoo can pull the color out of your hair. I have noticed that baby shampoo or my wife's "color safe" shampoo seems to work well for me.*You cannot use other conditioners or products like Argan Oil, etc when using this product. This is because, other conditioners or oils will penetrate the hair shafts and the Youthair product's absorption into your hair will be blocked.If you are getting brown pillow or brown stains, you are applying more creme than you hair can absorb. Cut back the amount you are applying and make your hair is completely dry before you put the creme in your hair.*It is important to apply this product when your hair is dry to maximize absorption.I hope this is helpful

I switched to this after reading about Lead Acetate. That is some nasty stuff, and it is used in most products that eliminate gray hair.This product is not as fast acting as the products with Lead Acetate. But it also doesn't cause Cancer if you accidentally get it on your skin or even worse, if you have a cut or abrasion on your hands or scalp when you apply it.It has to be used a little differently. When you apply it, you have to leave it in for several hours. The smell is kind of funky... not quite chemical like other products, but not quite something you want to smell like. (Almost a "nutty" odor)Your hair will turn noticeably darker immediately after applying. This change is not permanent, and it's not color-fast! It will rub off on nearly everything your hair comes in contact with. It's gets better when it dries a bit, but you do need to rinse before bed or your pillow will stain. It's best to use a gentle soap (baby shampoo?) when washing your hair, or just rinse your hair until it really needs a wash. It does a good job as a styling cream, which is a good thing, because you can't use creams or gels when the product is in your hair.When you rinse out your hair before bed (to avoid a brown pillow) much of the darkness will rinse out. However, each application does increase the amount of darker hair that remains. (And gray reduction, which is why we bought it!)So... it's not quite as easy to use as the Youthair Creme or Just For Men, or Grecian Formulas with Lead Acetate. But if you do 5 minutes of research about Lead Acetate... you'll probably agree that the two minor caveats associated with this product (funny scent and potential for staining) far outweigh the dangers of rubbing a toxic, heavy metal, which is known carcinogen, into your scalp :)

I use this on my husband's hair once or twice a week - not to get rid of all the gray - but just to keep it salt and pepper rather than going completely white. I think when men of a certain age color out all of the gray hair it looks unnatural. It works great for this purpose but you do have to take some precautions against getting the dye on stuff. The night we do his hair I put old beach towels on the couch. I also have a brown silk pillow cases that we keep on our pillows anyway (helps avoid face wrinkles and minimizes messy hair in the mornings anyway!) so the staining doesn't show on those. He sleeps overnight with the stuff on his head and then washes it out in the shower the next morning. It makes a noticeable difference in one application. It starts to fade during the later part of the week - so if we're on top of it we do it twice a week. If we're lazy - once and some is still there by the next application. It is a really reasonable solution for avoiding looking totally like a grandpa before you're ready. And no lead which matters to us.

great service, on time and good to go

Product washes out of hair with every shampoo. color comes off on pillow and shirt collars. Hair looks greasy and heavy after applying product. Doesn't smell very good either. I was very disappointed and will never purchase again! The older version of this product that Walgreens used to sell was much better.

I use this not to take out all the gray in my hair but to tone it down and give me some color to my hair. Doesn't look phony or look like a dye job. I like it because it managed by hair as well.