Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have never in my life written a review for a product, so that tells you something right there. I'm biracial, black and white, with hair more like my mother's who is white, but my hair is drier and a lot more curly. I had it dyed to a dark brown with highlights, but I dyed it back to black. This stuff WILL lighten your hair, so be careful. My hair is now a really dark brown with thin streaks (it looks great and it only cost me fifteen bucks)of a tannish-brown that turns red in the sun. I picked this product up about a week ago a my local drugstore. I was apprehensive about buying it because I was worried that it would destroy my hair. Before I bought it, I ran home to read reviews on this product to make sure I wasn't in for a lot of heartache and lost money. The reviews were seemingly all right so I ran back to the store and purchased this product. I got home, pre-washed my hair with the packet of cleanser that comes with it. I let my hair air dry then I applied the solution. In the directions it states, "Do not oversaturate hair." Well, the problem with this idea is that they tell you absolutely nothing about how MUCH to apply. I was still kind of worried so I applied just enough to make my hair wet. I let it dry for 30 minutes and blow dried the rest (it says to do this in the instructions). Then, I flat ironed my hair in small sections. My hair was really waxy, but it had a nice, shiny glow. I was still on the fence about how much I applied. I decided to wait two days and if I saw no change, I would reapply the rest I had in the bottle and do it over again. I washed it after two days. I felt my hair getting curly again as I washed it with the matching shampoo and conditioner, only the curls were not as tight. I decided right then to do it over again. My hair was still curly and this system said it can make your hair straighter by up to 95%, and I waned my results! This past Tuesday, after "oversaturating" my hair while repeating this whole entire process again (it takes hours!), I washed my hair after another 48 hours. In the shower, while washing again with my matching shampoo, I noticed something - my hair wasn't curly. What? I shook my hair around (it's only to my shoulders so it's kind of short), but it was too dark in my shower to see anything. I got out and went right over to the mirror. Finally, RESULTS I CAN LIVE WITH! My hair is still wavy but it air dries to perfection. The best part of it all - not one, ONE freaking SIGN of frizz popping up anywhere when it dried. I usually would have an afro if I DARED to let it dry without some moisturizer first! Even then my hair would be a disaster. I can't wait to go the beach (frizz central) and see if my hair poofs up when I walk on the boardwalk. It usually does, but with this - I'll bet my life on it that I won't have trouble with frizz anymore. My hair shines like a mirror. I find myself touching it and wanting to look at it all the time. When it's straightened, oh my goodness, it's even more amazing. My friends have given me compliments and they NEVER, EVER (NEVER!) compliment me on my hair. Even my guy friend, along with my boyfriend noticed! Try this. It's a rare gem and I will definitely be buying a LOT more of this product. However, despite how happy this has made me feel about my hair, It has only been DAYS since I applied this. I have no idea about how damaging this product might be or anything, so in this case, I will have to update my review. I am also going to start taking vitamins for my hair in the event that something happens. At least I'll already be on the road to recovery. UPDATE 3/22/2011: The staying power of this formula isn't one of the best. I have had it in my hair a little bit over three weeks and it's just about gone. The only thing I have left is the shine. This doesn't really bother me because one bottle can be used twice. They give you plenty of formula to work with for a 30-day treatment. In fact, I've been meaning to apply this formula to my hair once again, but I was too worried about damage to go through with it. This leads me to the "meat" of the review - damage. When I first applied this product and flat-ironed my hair, I had a few flyaways, but nothing major. My hair was so straight that it almost felt kind of thin. This worried me because I wasn't used to having my hair THAT straight. I also thought I may have lost a lot of hair during this treatment. However, since I was patient enough to wait this long, my hair is becoming thicker and curlier like it used to be. I can now "see" my hair a little bit better without the product on. As far as damage goes, for me, it was very minimal. I actually haven't lost any hair. I could use a trim (maybe a 1/4"), but that's about it. All-in-all, I'm happy with this product. I'm sorry to see that it isn't working for everyone.