Hairprint Dyeries: August 2016

August 31, 2016 (updated January 31, 2023) — Written by

The hairprint technology unboxed on a table

Hairprint is a nontoxic hair color that colors gray hair for people with brown and black locks. It’s not only nontoxic but you could literally eat it! It’s made with 8 food-grade ingredients like baking soda, diatomaceous earth and velvet bean. There is nothing like it on the market – nothing. This green chemistry has totally been blowing my mind guys. Totally. For more on Hairprint, and all things Hairprint here.

So, I have been in a monogamous relationship with Hairprint since January 2016 – It’s been 7 months and we have had our ups and downs like any relationship but I’m excited to say, we are still going strong. Somethings are just meant to be together like peanut butter and jelly, Italians and pasta and….The New Knew and Hairprint.

August’s Application

Okay another month means more new findings. Ideally I would love to apply Hairprint every 4 weeks. This is ideal for two reasons. First, my gray roots are showing by about 1/4-1/2 inches and the product lightens up at 3-4 weeks so it’s a great time to run color through to refresh. This is the ideal. The reality though – not so much. Let me cut to the chase. The application process is a beast. It takes me just under three hours from start to finish.  And it’s an active three hours because no step lasts longer than 15 minutes which means I am engaged in the process the entire time. I can’t just throw the color on then sit and write a blog post for 3 hours or cook, clean, prep – you get the idea. Because of this I am constantly putting it off. So this month I let my hair go for about 8 weeks before applying. Here are my before and afters:

Amazing right!!??? Then I see these results and I’m right back on the Hairprint love train. It’s me and Hairprint: 2gether, 4ever, success!

I gotta come clean though. I hit a major speed bump this time around and mama wasn’t happy. I used a box and a half to apply which has been successful for me in the past. This means two #1s, one #2 and two #3s. The key to success for me has been more product than one box and also prewashing with Hairprint’s pretreatment for 20 minutes. This approach was near flawless for me last time generating close to 100% coverage so I did the same thing this time and I got maybe on 90%. Ugh!

Well you know mama ain’t havin’ that so I did it all again the next day. I went back in with one complete box and THEN I got 100% coverage. Six hours of my life gone but happy mama again.

What Went Wrong?

the white numbered bottles that come in the hairprint kit all lined up

The only thing I did differently was I went into the process with 4 day old hair. The key to success with Hairprint is ACCESS. I learned this lesson the hard way this month but it makes sense. I had too much buildup on my hair and one pretreatment packet was not enough to breakthrough it all.

When I open my second box on day two, the pretreatment foamed up in a hot second. And by the end of my day two 20 minute prewash I was practically swimming in an 18+ night club foam pit from the 90s. I knew I had direct access. That did not happen on day one. So going forward I will either use two pretreatment packets OR I will make sure my hair is clean by either washing my hair that day or the day before applying. So what did we learn? AccESS = SuccESS!!!

People have been asking me what I use for shampoo. I currently use True Botanicals – which is by far my fave shampoo and it gets my hair super clean. This shampoo combined with Hairprint’s pretreatment packet is enough to give Hairprint access to my hair. BUT Hairprint is coming out with their own Clarifying Shampoo in the next few months and I am so excited to try it. Stay tuned!

So here are the real before and after pics. The picture on the left is a true before pic. The middle is after round one (or 1.5 boxes). And the pic on the right is after round two (or 2.5 boxes).

This is a crap ton of product but I know I will not need this much next time. In September I will go back in with 1.5 boxes, clean hair and 2 packets of pretreatment. I think I may have found my fail proof formula!

One thing I want to mention too is I notice my scalp is a little itchy the days following application but that does not last long. Next month I will add a scalp mask/treatment after application to see if that helps with the itching which was recommended by the owner. I grabbed a sample of Rahua Omega 9 Hair Mask at the Indie Beauty Expo last week so I have that on deck!  I asked the owner and he said that can happen to people who live in dryer climates.

You can check out my previous months dyeries with Hairprint by searching keyword Hairprint in my search tab.

xo, lisa in cursive

By Lisa Fennessy

Lisa is the founder of The New Knew. Passionate about clean beauty, organic eats and nontoxic lifestyle, Lisa writes to create awareness. Conscious consumerism and informed decisions will impact the marketplace, our health and THE WORLD!

10 Comments

  1. Reply

    Micaela @MindfulMomma

    I’m so intrigued by this concept! The fact that it is completely non-toxic is fantastic! Not sure if I could deal with 3 hours every 4 weeks though. Plus needing 2 kits makes it pretty expensive as well. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the technology improves and the cost goes down – so that more people can begin using something like this as an alternative to toxic hair dyes!

    1. Reply

      Lisa Fennessy

      I totally agree with you! I have been tempted to go back but I am committed and after every application I’m like – oh it wasn’t too bad : ) They are currently working on the application process and trying to streamline it. If you only needed one box it would only be 2 hours max. Thanks for your comment!

    2. Reply

      Eve

      I love Hairprint! Thank you for your detailed suggestion about extending the time for the pre wash and using baking soda for the last 10 minutes in concentrated gray areas. This was my third application, and the results have improved each time, as well as the application time down to 2 hours. My coverage was 95%. Also, in this application I did not make a big mess, as with previous applications. My hair feels vibrant after the application and conditioning. I am applying Hairprint every 1 1/2 months and hope that time will be extended once I start using a more favorable shampoo and conditioner (I live overseas ). I would like to encourage everyone to keep using Hairprint. Not only is it non-toxic, but the results get better over time as you become more proficient in using Hairprint.

      1. Lisa Fennessy

        Fantastic Eve! Thank you so much for sharing – I am so glad you are having success! And ps, Hairprint just came out with their own line of shampoos – I am excited to try them!

  2. Reply

    Carla Tellez

    First of all thank you for your detailed information. I have learn a lot by reading your blog recording each application. Did they explain how the process works when you talked with the scientist?
    I wanted to ask if you had to go through the transitioning period? As I have coloured my hair with non permanent off the shelf hair dye I think I would need to. My hair length is just below the shoulders, and I have very thin hair. I would only be doing the roots and I have not yet reached the 1-2″ required to start the process, but I want to know how much of the product I will need. As I live in the uk postage is expensive so would like to buy enough to last me for a few months..Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.

    1. Reply

      Lisa Fennessy

      Hi! Thanks for reading and excited you will be trying Hairprint! Yes, the scientists did explain how it works but with no chemistry background it was a little over my head. They did say the formula works best on “virgin” hair but it will still treat conventionally died hair, just not as effectively. The process is so individual and all I can speak to is my own experience – my hair is thick and dense and I need almost two boxes to get full coverage. I would guess you would only need one box having thin hair but I would order two at least especially for your first go. Then if you try one box and it is not enough you can always followup with another box the next day then going forward you would know to use two – just a suggestion – BEST OF LUCK!

  3. Reply

    Angie

    Thank you so much for your Hairprint reviews! I’ve been using it every 4 weeks (this is how often I used to dye my hair) and tomorrow will be my 4th application. Like you, I love it. It’s not perfect yet so I’m being patient in making some changes from the basic instructions. I love how my hair feels and looks due to the protein that it’s adding back to my hair. My hair has been transformed from the time I was using hair dye. Sometimes I’m tempted to do a spot treatment using regular dye on the very stubborn gray spots. For now, I’m using the hair mascara touch up.

    1. Reply

      Lisa Fennessy

      I get tempted too. It is hard to break away from what society has told us is beautiful. You are doing a great job and I am so happy you are finding success. I often wonder what my next steps will be. I am 38 now, I may consider going all gray soon – I am still at about 50/50 gray brown so I am hoping to get more gray before going natural (stop using color). At least that’s my plan for now : ) OR maybe doing HP 11 months out of the year and 1 month conventional to blend my ends and give it some uniformity…still thinking but for now I am still exclusively using HP. Thanks for your comment!

  4. Reply

    Alissa

    Thank you for all the detailed instructions and tips, will be so helpful when I try Hairprint for the first time next week. I’m 27 and just developed an allergy to chemical dyes. Hopefully this is the answer!

    1. Reply

      Lisa Fennessy

      OOO!Best of luck!Let me know if you have success! And I’m sorry to hear about your chemical allergy.

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