Color Xpress (Schwarzkopf Live)

Member Name: candymarie

Product:	Schwarzkopf Live
Date:	22/12/02 (4616 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Shiny, bright colour., Gentle on hair - Contains no ammonia or hydrogen peroxide., Simple to use.

Disadvantages: Not a wide range of colours to choose from.

I'm going through a phase of colouring my hair. So far, my normally medium brown hair has been light brown, dark brown, mahogany, blue, purple and sprayed green. I figure that when I find a colour I actually like, that's when I'll do it permanant in that colour and leave it. But, for now, I'm sticking to non/semi permanant colours.


So, I was looking for a colour that I hadn't used before, when I came across the SCHWARZKOPF LIVE COLOR XPRESS range (I haven't spelt that wrong, that's how they spell it...) It's a range of wash in - wash out colours, in various shades :

* Purple Kiss
* Brown or Nothing
* Sunset Red
* Berry Trendy
* Red Energy

Each colour is designed for a specific natural hair colour, so you should check the back of the packet first, to see if it is suitable for your hair.

The one I chose was Berry Trendy, which is a sort of dark red colour. It's designed for people with dark blonde to dark brown hair, and it's supposed to last 3 - 5 washes.

It comes in a 25ml satchet, which is a bright lime green in colour. The front of the satchet shows a man and a woman, both with the 'Berry Trendy' hair colour. It cleary states the colour and number of the dye.

On the back of the satchet is a description of the product, colour guidlines, warnings, ingredients and contact details. Attached to the satchet is an instruction leaflet, with some gloves attached to it. The leaflet gives a more detailed description of the results you should get from using the colour, as well as the all-important instructions for use.

The leaflet promises 'Dynamic, radiant colour shades' which will give 'instant colour vibrancy and intense shine'. It's gentle on the hair, contains no ammonia or hydrogen peroxide, it's simple to use, and easy to wash out.

The instructions are quite detailed, yet clear and easy to follow. There

are 4 main steps: Preparation, Application, Application time and Rinse.

Basically, what you do is wash your hair, towel dry it, and apply the colour using the gloves. You then leave it for 15 minutes (though the instructions say you can leave it for up to 30 minutes, which will intensify the colour result and make it last longer), and rinse out until the water runs clear.

When you cut open the satchet, the colour looks suprisingly dark in colour, and is quite runny. It smells like an average hair colour - of nothing in particular, just quite a pleasant smell. I left it on for about 20 minutes, in which time I managed to get the dye in the sink, on the tiles, up the wall, in my ear and a big smear across my face. Luckily, the colour removed easily from my face with some baby lotion.

Rinsing out the dye takes ages. It takes about 10 minutes to get the water to run clear, though it is best to rinse it all out, incase it rains the next day...

When I'd finally rinsed it all out, I could see my hair had definately changed colour, yet I had to wait for it to dry before I saw the colour properly. I combed through my hair when it was still wet, and it was a little tangley, because it says not to use conditioner directly before using the colour. When my hair was dry, it looked very very shiny and it was now soft and easier to comb through.

My hair was now the colour that the satchet promised - A dark red colour, which was very shiny, due to the 'multi-reflective pigments which are contained in the hair colour. The colour was equal through my hair, and looked less/more red and shiny in different light. It left my hair smelling nice too.

The satchet says that the colour will last 3 - 5 washes, but this depends on your original hair colour, and how long you left the dye in for. The colour lasted about 3 washes in my hair, and gradually faded wash by wash. My friend used exactly the same colour as me, yet her o
rigin
al hair colour is a very dark brown, almost black. The colour made her hair just as shiny, yet the red colour showed up less in her hair, so the darker your natural hair colour, the less the colour will show up in your hair.


Other Stuff You Need To Know Before Using This:

* Do not use on grey or bleached hair.
* Do not use to dye eyelashes or eyebrows.
* It can cause an allergic reaction.
* Make sure you cover absorbant surfaces before using, as it might stain.
* Wear the gloves to protect your hands.
* If you have mid length hair or longer, use 2 packs.
* Remember to look on the back of the satchet to see whether the colour is suitable for your natural hair colour.

*Make sure you follow the instructions carefully*


Overall, I was impressed with this colour - It left my hair a nice colour, smelling good and in a generally good condition with lots of shine. It washed out after 3 washes, so if I didn't like it, I wouldn't have had to keep the colour too long, just a few days, then I could use another. It was simple to use as the instructions were clear with lots of tips on how to achieve the best possible results. I would use this range again, but maybe experiment with different colours in the range, for a change.

I would recommend this hair colour to you if you want a bright, shiny colour for your hair that will wash out within a couple of days.

I wouldn't recommend this to you if you don't want a very bright hair colour, as this does turn out quite bright.


The Schwarzkopf range do a variety of different hair dyes, in a wide range of colours, in non-permanant, semi-permanant, and permanant.

This colour cost me £1.29 from Superdrugs.

Summary: