I accidently dyed my hair a horrendous pillar-box red when I was a teenager and ever since then I promised myself I'd never dye my hair by myself again. I've stuck to salons and proper hairdressers since; keen to cover up the ugly natural hair colour I grew into - a weary combination of very dark blonde and grey light brown.

For the past few years I had my mum's friend dye and cut my hair for a cheap £25. When she decided to open up her own salon, her prices shot up and I didn't really want to pay salon prices for a simple all-over colour and trim. I'd much rather save up my money for travelling and various other escapades. I therefore decided to give the home hair dye kit another go!

*~GOING FOR THE SEXY RED HEAD LOOK~*

The packaging for Schwarzkopf's Live Color XXL is distinctly eye-catching in comparison to the other brands out there. For starters, they have two attractive, if generic, models on the front - a man and a woman. In some ways, they look a bit like a couple, although none of us can deny it would be rather creepy to see a couple with 'his' and hers' matching hair shades. Certainly, it seems that Schwarzkopf are trying to appeal to both sexes in the marketing of their product. I can hardly imagine most men would pick up a box of Clairol's Nice and Easy or a similar brand with their pretty looking women on the packaging. To feature a man on the boxes of this product can only be a smart move to boost sales by drawing in the male demographic.

One thing that really appealed to me about this product was the range of interesting shades that are on offer. The Color XXL brand covers four different product types including Colour Intense, Hot Reds, Luminance and Unlimited Gloss. The Colour Intense range includes pomegranate and Vitamin C-enriched dyes which are supposed to dye hair extra rich and intense colours including Absolute Purple, Cyber Purple and Cosmic Blue. The Hot Reds range similarly brings us exuberant colours that are designed to transform the user into a red head. In addition to this, we have Luminance and Unlimited Gloss. Luminance appears to be specifically targeted at those which dark hair who may have trouble lightening and colouring the hair particular colours. There is then Unlimited Gloss which professes to have a gloss boosting formula within its dye to give hair a glossy shine as well as strong colour.

When I first noticed Color XXL I was working at Tesco and did spend a moment or two pondering over whether I could get away with a shade like Cyber Purple. No doubt I would have been sent home. Managers would have denounced it for being contrary to the corporate image and old 'dearies' at the checkouts would have clucked and tutted about my rebellious barnet. Or so I'd imagine. It's not like I was thinking about dying my hair bright pink...

Having begun to start using a hair dye kit, I loved the look of the 'Cool Scarlet' shade included within the Hot Reds range. I'd dyed my hair red two years previously and had only ever stopped doing so because it faded so drastically, especially in the sun. However, I decided to give the red head look another go. And I suppose red hair is something that is considered by some to be rather sexy. Or at least I'd like to think so. Amy Adams, Emma Stone, Karen Gillen and Christina Hendricks - There's lots of gorgeous red heads out there. Now if only I had their looks and figures!

*~THE APPLICATION STAGE: A BIT OF A CHORE?~*

Having bought the dye, I never really look forward to the application stage as I consider it to be a bit of a chore. However, applying this product is not particularly difficult. Like other dye kits you are provided with a tube of colour crème, a bottle of developer, gloves and an instruction leaflet.

Now, I do recommend that before you use the product you perform the recommended skin test 48 hours beforehand. I have read about horror stories of those who have suffered severe allergic reactions from the skin test alone, their faces ballooning to elephant-man proportions making them look like some sort of alien. Surely something nobody wants to happen to them...

Once you are sure that you are not sensitive to the product, you can go right ahead and start using the dye. All you need to do is stick on the gloves, unscrew the lid of the developer bottle, squeeze the colour crème in and give it a good shake, making sure it's properly mixed together. You then apply it to your hair and wait 30 minutes...

*~THE UNEXPECTED RESULTS~*

After I have waited for half an hour, I'm ready to run my hair under the shower. I attempt to wash the red dye out of my hair and it runs into the bath. It's like the scene in 'Psycho'. I then proceed to use conditioner upon my hair and the great thing about the Hot Reds range is that they actually provide you wish a small tube of colour shield conditioner, designed to help lock the colour in when washing.
I really like this conditioner. It lasts me for about two to three washes after dying my hair and leaves my hair feeling soft and manageable.

The results of the dye itself were actually rather unexpected the first time I used it. The colour was darker than I had imagined it would be. It was a sort of rich dark brown and red combined - a red which really showed up in the sun or brighter lights. However, even if the colour was unexpected, it didn't stop me from loving it. If anything, I preferred the dark tones.
As for the longevity of the colour, Schwarzkopf have claimed that the dye they provide retains up to 90% of colour after 30 washes. In most cases, I tend to be distrustful of claims like this. However, in this case, I have a lot of reason to believe that they may actually be right.
In the past when I dyed my hair, I found that red shades were prone to fading and deteriorating in quality, especially when I spent time out in the sun. Nevertheless, I've never had this problem with this dye. I don't usually tend to dye my hair until 2 to 3 months after the last time I dyed it and I have been surprised at just how long my hair retains the colour before it starts to look lacklustre and in need of more dye. This is something not only I have noticed but my boyfriend and flatmates have picked up on it, commenting on how good my hair looks a good two months after I have dyed it.

*~THE FINAL VERDICT~*

When I last bought this product it was absurdly good value, priced at around £3 to £4 at my local Tesco (I cannot for the life of me remember the actual price). Even at its usual price of £4 to £5, I still think that it is great value as it is a product which really delivers.

The Cool Scarlet dye which I used on my hair, not only produces a vibrant and interesting shade which I love, but it really enhances the look and condition of my hair. It leaves my locks shiny and a lot of the colour is retained more than two months after the previous occasion in which I dyed it.

Overall, this is a top quality product which I recommend to those who would like to dodge a potentially quite expensive trip to the hairdressers to get their hair coloured. I am only too happy to turn my back on professional hairdressers. I have not only found a product which spares me the expense of salons but leaves me with fabulous hair...

...Fabulous hair which is to 'dye' for!

*~Thank you for reading my review : - ) ~*

*~Also published on Ciao under Renza - October 2011~*