An honest answer, including the parts that are less impressive than you would like.

The first wash. You will feel a difference immediately, and we want to be straight about why. The conditioning base flattens the cuticle and delivers slip on contact — that is real, it is physics, and it is what makes hair comb through and feel smooth out of the shower. It is also the least interesting thing the product does, because it is largely a surface effect and it washes down between treatments.

Weeks two to three. This is where it starts to accumulate rather than reset. Less snapping when you brush. Fewer short broken pieces on your shoulders. The comb stops catching in the same places. Frizz settles first at the crown and last at the ends.

Weeks four to six. Shine — which is the one most people are actually waiting for. It takes this long because shine is a cuticle-smoothness effect and the cuticle improves gradually, not in one go. This is also roughly when other people start to notice, which is a different milestone from when you notice.

One month, one full box. Eight capsules, two treatments a week. By the end of the box, length retention starts to show — though "my ends stopped breaking off" is a hard thing to photograph. If your hair has been stuck at the same length for a year, this is the change that matters most and the one you will only see in hindsight.

What will not happen: it will not change your hair density, and it will not affect shedding from the root. If that is what you are hoping for, we would rather you knew now.