Imagine being a 7 year old girl in the 1990’s. You’re sitting at the City Park pool on a summer afternoon, and your mom pulls a little white spray bottle out of her canvas tote bag. Noticing the pretty tan lady on the bottle, you ask what that bottle is for. “It’s called Sun-In, it makes your hair lighter. Do you want to try?” It was that moment I “became blonde”, and I never turned back.
As I got older I adopted a highly damaging bleach routine, and finally I transitioned to a more gentle blonde balayage style, which I have been loving. As thrilled as I am with this “happy medium” between being blonde and brunette, I find that I don’t have the budget to go to my colorist as frequently as I might like (this usually runs over $200 per session). The dark root regrowth becomes too drastic, too quickly. For example, as a flight attendant I often wear my hair up in a neat bun. At some point in the growing out process my bun becomes a blonde donut on a dark brown hair; not the look I’m going for! I was looking for a D.I.Y. way to soften the root regrowth with a gentle transition to blonde.
On instagram I stumbled upon my perfect solution for extending the life of my balayage; a hair lightening product called Suntouched. What caught my attention was the large collection of before and after photo submissions. As it turns out, Suntouched is markedly different from other spray-in hair lightening products.
Suntouched Diversity
Suntouched offers two uniquely formulated products, one for light hair, and one for dark hair. The products can be used on all hair types, all hair shades (including gray), and natural or dyed hair. It can also be used on those with two tones, like me with my balayage dark roots and blonde ends. The product can lighten hair three shades, and it has a purple toner built into the formula to neutralize brassy tones.
Suntouched Ingredients
The company is proud to be paraben free, alcohol free, cruelty free and vegan. They only use clean natural ingredients, and the product does not contain harmful sulfates.
According to their website, the following ingredients make the product special:
- Pineapple extract a vitamin-rich natural extract to grow healthier, shinier and softer hair
- Citrus extract lemon peel extract is included to nourish hair fibers, retain moisture and antioxidants
- Vitamin C promotes hair health, reduces hair loss and improves hair growth
- Chamomile used to lighten and brighten the hair
- Hydrogen peroxide included in safe dosing rations for an extra boost of hair lightening power
- Purple toner to neutralize brassiness in blonde tones
- Glycerin included to keep hair hydrated and healthy
How to Use Suntouched
The beauty of lightening my hair with Suntouched was how easy it was to use. In fact, I would say it is foolproof. The product can be sprayed on dry or wet hair. Next, run a comb through your hair to evenly distribute the product. The lightening happens either when you apply heat with a blow dryer for a few minutes, or alternatively, sit in the sun for a few hours. Either method will result in a lightening your hair which you will see take full effect several hours later.
There is no need to rinse out the product, in fact, leaving it in results in further lightening. I personally experienced this. While I saw results after each sun session, the next morning I woke, delighted to see even more results. The permanent results you achieve build upon each use. Thus, you are in control how far you want to take the lightening level.
I applied an ample amount of the product on wet hair, then sat poolside in the hot Florida sun for about 2 hours per session. Each session was spread out over several days to give my hair some rest. I am very pleased to report that the product worked as advertised.
It has been several weeks since I took the before and after pictures, and I am pleased to report that as my roots grow out there is no harsh line of demarcation. This is unlike dyeing your entire head of hair a single color, as Suntouched allows for a natural blended sun kissed look.
The Cost of Suntouched
Each bottle of Suntouched is $36.00 plus shipping. The bottle contains 3.38oz. I estimate you can get 5 – 6 applications from one bottle, if you are using it as I did for only the roots.
Say goodbye to high salon prices and hours of being stuck in the salon chair. No more bleach that dries out your hair or those dreaded aluminum foil-wrapped chairs. No more box dyes filled with metallic salts and ammonia.
Suntouched lighteners give you a low-maintenance, salon-worthy look that saves you time and money, to focus on what matters most: living life itself to the fullest.
-Suntouched website
I will continue to visit my professional hair colorist on occasion, however, I have to admit I am thankful for any opportunity to help further stretch my budget. I can see Suntouched becoming a value-adding product, allowing me to reduce the frequency needed for professionally applied balayage.
