Relight my fire (Multi-Lights Kit)

Member Name: kirstymack80

Product:	Multi-Lights Kit
Date:	16/01/06 (805 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap, fairly easy to apply

Disadvantages: applicator brush not much cop on curly hair

Always on the look out for a new hair product to use, KM has had her eye on this Garnier kit for some time. I'm a redhead (albeit a fake one) and kit number 3 had my name on it. A quick flip over of the box gave me a rough idea as to how my hair would look after applying the colour. So into Savers I went, as it was 50p cheaper than Boots, and the final sale price was a meagre £3.49. At normal price these do retail at around £5 and are available also in Superdrug and supermarkets.

* The kit *

It's in a fairly small box, and tells you that you can add lighter tones to your existing hair colour. I read on the back beforehand that you can use this kit fairly soon after you've dyed your hair so I waited 2 weeks and then decided to have a bash.

For those of you with other hair colours, there are four kits to choose from:

Kit 1 - blonde for coloured or uncoloured medium blonde hair
Kit 2 - golden blonde for coloured or uncoloured light brown hair
Kit 3 - copper for hair coloured copper, red or auburn
Kit 4 - auburn for uncoloured brown hair

* Inside the box *

There is a plastic rectangular mixing bowl, complete with a sachet of multi-lightening powder, a bottle developer of mix, an applicator brush (which looks much like a white mascara wand) with a spatula at the other end for mixing. The instruction leaflet is placed on top of the box and there are a pair of plastic gloves attached.

* Mixing it up *

Empty the bottle of developer mix into the plastic tray and then add the sachet of powder. Use the spatula end of the wand to mix carefully until it becomes a thick paste. It's white and doesn't smell offensive, surprisingly!

* Applying *

After throwing an old towel around my shoulders, I dampened my hair as required. My hair is curly and immediately becomes longer on getting wet, so I parted it into the usual style and started from the middle. There are handy 'hints' on the left hand side of the instructions, there are four different 'examples' you can refer to. One is for a 'bob' cut, one for long, curly hair (that's me), a layered cut and for short, cropped hair.

My example told me to take a good 5 or 6 thick chunks of hair and apply mostly to the top layers, which is what I did. I started off using the mascara wand but it started to get caught up with the other curls so I gave up and just put the mixture over my gloved finger and put it through my hair that way. I wanted thicker highlights rather than thin, puny ones!

Time taken: around 15 minutes. Just be sure to apply the mixture evenly on both sides of your head.

* Waiting patiently *

Once you've finished, remember to discard all the unused mixture (I still had over half left). I just put everything back into the box and threw it away. Remember to keep the instructions though - you will still need them!

Waiting time can vary - it's 20 minutes from the time you finish the last application and 30 minutes at the very outset for a strongly contrasted result. I split the difference and waited 25.

* Rinsing *

Put the gloves back on and rinse off with warm water. You can then shampoo your hair and style as normal.

* Results *

Well the results weren't earth shatteringly different. My hair was a bit lighter where I'd applied the mixture and it definitely looked more 'sun kissed'. The best place to see the difference is under fluorescent lighting. My hair was more a copper blonde where the highlights had taken.

* Ease of use *

I'd say this was pretty easy to use. It does say on the packet to try and get a friend to help. Not very helpfully, all my friends seemed to have 'other things to do' rather than help me but bah, who cares? KM tried it herself and got the top layer covered, which is what she wanted. I think if you wanted all over highlights then some of the back and underneath hair would need a helping hand.

The whole process, including drying time, took about an hour so it's not particularly time consuming or as messy as when I dye my whole head of hair, which always looks horrendous with an awful mud brown dripping from my head into my new white bath. *sigh*

* Verdict *

This is a quick, easy and cheap way to update your current hair colour. As summer is just around the corner (ahem) it would be a good time to try out the kit then or if your image needs an update now, what better way to start the New Year? You can be as sparing (or daring) as you like with the mixture so it's entirely up to you (or a handy passer by) as to how you much you apply and how radical you want your highlights.

I do recommend this kit although the results were a bit subtle for my liking. I really couldn't get on with that applicator wand, which, I am sure, is designed to be used on straight hair! So four stars as it is good value for money. I will use this again and perhaps pop a few more highlights in next time!

* Warnings *

Do not use on eyebrows or eyelashes (obviously!)
Do not use if your scalp is sensitive or itchy.
Do not place hair in front of the eyes during development time.
Do not use on straightened hair, or just after a perm.
Keep out of reach of children.
This kit may cause severe allergic reaction so always read the instructions beforehand very carefully.

* Other info *

www.garnier.com

Garnier customer careline:

0845 399 0104 (UK)
1850 604 104 (ROI)
086 010 2492 (RSA)

Thanks for reading.

Summary: If you want to try subtle highlights, check this out.