I have used this product for years and am so worried it will be discontinued! Please no! After 4-5 years of using the shades 8.2, 8.3, and 9.2 I have finally de-coded the secret for natural blond hair fading into the abyss! I have always thought the blond shades produced either to ashy-blonde or to reddish-blonde colors. My hairdresser unlocked the secret.. she said try mixing. So I did just that with 8.3 and 9.2 (very carefully) and I am so HAPPY with my results! FInally the perfect shade! My roots always come in but the rest of the hair is a nice color, so I just do the 'root touch up' directions. I also leave it on for 30 minutes, and do 5 minutes of all over colour. I follow the directions pretty spot on other than that. I really got a professional looking color by mixing. But just be careful. I now have half of each to do my next job in a few months.. so none is wasted in the mixing process. Please Loreal.. DO NOT DISCONTINUE THE BEST HAIR COLOUR ON THE MARKET!!! L'Oreal Paris Couleur Experte Express, Darkest Mahogany Brown/Chocolate 3.5
I have baby-fine hair (about 1/5 gray, medium brown) so I cut all hair products in half (without mixing the part I'm saving, of course, and measuring carefully!). I haven't figured out the numbering system, but people of European descent will get an exact match from this series. The highlights are awesome. You pick out a strand with one end of the "wand" to make sure that's the one you want and the amount of hair you want to highlight (using a mirror for the back). Then you apply a glob of the bleaching agent a little bit away from the root with the brush end. With each stroke - 3 or 4 - you get closer to the root so you don't get accidental splotches. Then switch to the other side. Take your time: it doesn't work instantly, fortunately. The temptation is to USE IT ALL UP, which would be silly if you've got the right amount on your head. I also got excellent results from 6.0 and am about to try 6.2. All hair color takes a few days to settle into its new color, being a bit "warm" at first, but it makes my hair shiny, too!
I absolutely LOVE this product! I've been using Loreal forever (20 years)! And when they came out with this product with its own highlights (which i would have done professionally) I decided to give it a try.
First off - I love the color of this product SO much that when I need touchup - I spend the extra, get the kit, and don't even use the highlighting. The colors for me so far have been DEAD on! I have (under all the coloring) probably 70% silver in the front, 50 on the crown in back to the middle back, and underneath in the back hardly any silvers at all. It colors my hair almost evenly all over. At least on my hair, I am better off leaving it the full time! Anything less and i can get an orange tinge to it. Yes, it can look scary on your head, turning all DARK - but after you rinse it and 3-4 days later, it seems to settle into itself and match the box.
But to the highlights! The tools they provide are THE worst! don't bother with the mascara brush they provide as it will get caught in your hair, rip it out, and not distribute it evenly. What I have come down to is - after it is all dry - take all the strands you want highlighted on top - gather them and clip them. Use a gloved hand and apply quickly to each group clipped on top of your head - remove clips, glob on evenly root to tip - CAREFULLY place on your head - finish all the strands and wait. If you don't leave it long enough, again, you may get an orange tinge to it.
With the DRY feeling - mine does this too - after the first part of it after i rinse out the dye - it is a glob of mangled dry straw feeling mess!!! No idea WHAT is in the conditioner - but after i do the highlights and use the conditioner provided, it stays soft after that with each successive washing for around 2 months. Maybe it is something they add to the highlighting? But, it does soften... at least on my hair...
This is an excellent, consumer hair color that seems to be increasingly more difficult to locate on the market, leading me to believe it may soon be found only in closeout markets. Get them while you can, as I believe they give you the same results as the $100 color and highlight you'd get in your local salon.
The first part of this kit is an all-over color. You apply it to dry, unwashed hair and it takes about 25 minutes to color it before you rinse it, condition and dry your hair. The second part is a bit trickier..putting in the hightlights.
The highlights are an optional part of this kit. At least from my perspective. I would pay $15 or so for the color alone, as it's quality stuff. If you choose to apply the highlights, take note of the placement guide in the directions. The highlight mix is a gritty paste that you are to apply to the areas you want highlighted; root to tip. An applicator brush (sort of like a mascara wand) is included, but I find it's easier and more effective for me to use my gloved fingers to feel how much I'm putting on and to get complete coverage. Once again you wait for a time, rinse your hair (no washing...), dry and style it. The entire process takes 1.5 hours or so.
I have naturally dark brown hair with some auburn highlights and gray. I used kit 5.1 most often, but when I want to pump up the auburn/red in my hair I use this kit. Be aware that the highlights can appear orange if left on too long, so do a test strip of your hair first (cut some from underneath) to see if you want to do it and if so, for how long.
Overall I think the L'Oreal line is great. This product in particular is excellent!
I've been using this product since it first came out. Since I was 16 (many, many, many years ago!)I've been highlighting my hair with kits, but when this product came out I was starting to grey and I liked the idea it was all-in-one package so the highlights matched the color. I love this product, and haven't had a bad experience. It is easy and inexpensive, and I don't use the wand or applicators because they are just too much trouble, so I use my fingers for the hightlights. I've gone from light to dark and love them all. I would highly recommend this to anyone.'
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