Heya K!
I'm still intrigued about this part of your post from a while back. How does such a product possibly work? Is it a fancy kind of mascara?
OK. I kind of later regretted having brought that up, because it's a) complicated to describe and b) possibly risky to use. Still, now that I've brought it up, I'll tell you. But hold on for the long explanation.
At 50, I don't have any gray hair. Literally, I've never seen a strand of it. Unfortunately, what I do have is hair that doesn't grow very well. I don't have bald spots (yet!), but it's what happens is the top layers, particularly in the front but also on the sides, only get so far and then they kind of stop. I think it's hormonally related. It's not a big problem, but it annoys me.
So I ran across mention of a product that helps your hair grow better. I was skeptical, of course, but I was intrigued because I got it from a source I completely trust (cosmeticscop.com -- this woman, Paula Begoun, has written a couple of books and has a website analyzing cosmetics and debunking advertisiing claims; if you get nothing else out of this post I urge you to check that out. She also has her own line of products that is well-priced, effective and fragrance-free.)
So anyway, the product was by Jan Marini (janmarini.com), which sells a lot of high-end cosmetics, supposedly much researched. And I found that she sells not only a hair-growth formula but also a lash-growth formula. I wanted to buy the first, and as long as I was at it I figured I'd throw in the second. They were VERY expensive -- about $300 together, much, much more than I'd ever normally pay on products like that. But what the heck. I splurged.
So I got the products just after Thanksgiving and started using them. The hair product is a spray. The lash product is like liquid eyeliner, but colorless. And I swear, after a few months of using, I notice a difference in both my hair and lashes. Both seem fuller, thicker, more healthy, and yes, longer. I didn't measure either with a ruler, so I can't absolutely swear to it or provide any statistics. But that is my impression.
So then, I was reading something that said Jan Marini's product had been RECALLED last fall because it might be dangerous. Of course, I was alarmed and did more research. Apparently the substance it contains is used to treat eye conditions and it actually has been found to lengthen eyelashes. But it hasn't gone through proper testing, which means it can't make claims as a cosmetic, and could cause bad reactions. Some references mention blindness (!!!), but others just talk about skin redness and irritation. I read some websites that went back and forth about it. Here's one good one:
http://www.truthinaging.com/2007/11/jan-marini-fda.htmlThen I determined that the product I'm using is probably the one they issued AFTER the recall, a reformulated version that is less dangerous but also less effective. Still, as I said, I've noticed some effects.
But then I heard that there's a similar product, Revitalash, that is available for much cheaper on eBay. That hasn't been officially recalled, but it has been reformulated in a similar way. You can get both the new version and the old version on eBay. So I bought some of the old version, and am still wondering whether I dare use it. I stlil have plenty left of the Jan Marini stuff, so I don't have to decide yet.
That's the whole story.