A Wash In, Not A Wash Out (Superdrugs Effects Temporary Hair Colour)

Member Name: DemonicSmurfette

Product:	Superdrugs Effects Temporary Hair Colour
Date:	27/05/04 (8444 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good Price

Disadvantages: Lack of availability

Having boring midbrown hair I like to change it sometimes with temporary colours. One of my favourites is Superdrug Effects temporary colorant. I have used this for a while and the results are good. It costs 99p from Superdrug (Unsurprising given the name). There are several shades in the range, 3 for blondes and 4 for brunettes.

It?s a small black bottle with enough for around three-five applications. There is the usual nice-looking woman depicting what your hair colour should look like. It tells you a bit about the product, colour guidelines, warnings, ingredients and contact details. You don?t get any gloves included, but as the colour doesn?t stain your skin it isn?t an issue.

I found the application to be extremely easy. You use it as you would a regular shampoo, except instead of washing the lather off almost immediately you have to wait between 5 to 20 minutes. Obviously, the length of time you leave the colour on depends on the depth of tone you want. The longer you leave it on your hair the stronger the colour intensity. As it is a temporary colorant it contains no ammonia or peroxide. This means it will be gentle on your tresses, but also that it will not significantly transform your hair colour or lighten your hair. It also means there is no overpowering smell. Instead Effects has a floral scent to it.

I decided to do my hair in the shower. I have always found this is the best place to dye my hair as any mess is confined to a small area. This product, although mild, will stain if left on a plastic surface too long. However, I have never found that it stains my skin. If your hair is very wet the colour tends to run down your back and in your face so I would suggest removing excess moisture. It doesn?t stain but having pinkish dye running over you isn?t nice. The colour lathers very well, and as long a
s your hair isn?t too wet, the lather stays on your hair. I leave the colour on my hair for 20 minutes, the longest recommended time.

Washing off the colour is straightforward. Just wet your hair and rinse till the water clear. It takes very little time for me as most of the colour absorbs, although if you have only left the colour on for 5 minutes it will take longer as the colour won?t have absorbed fully. As the colour is washing out, I generally run a wide toothed comb through my hair. The comb goes through easily and you don?t need a separate conditioner with Effects.

When my hair is dry, the texture is satisfactory. It isn?t overly soft, but there is no frizz, a plus for my fine hair. I find Effects works my scalp too, after using this colour my scalp looks clean, fresh and flake free.. The fragrance also lasts in my hair for quite a while, which is brilliant with the amount I smoke.

The first colour I used was Aubergine which is supposed to add burgundy tones to mid brown to dark brown hair. I was quite let down by the result. My hair had shine and was in nice condition but the colour changed very little having only a slight plumy tint. The shine lasted for 2 washes. I was not impressed with this colour, as the effects were limited. I would suggest this for someone wanting a very faint hint of colour although Henara?s shampoos and conditioners do the job adequately for that and the bottles last longer for a similar price.

I also used the mahogany colour, suitable for light to mid brown hair. I found it much better than the Aubergine. The colour was lovely; I had a deep but vibrant mahogany with a slight metallic sheen to it. The condition of my hair was generally good, although the ends were a little dry and my split ends were somewhat noticeable but this is probably because my hair needs a trim. The c
olour was quite vibrant for 2 washes and slowly washed out over another 3 washes. It gives a much stronger result than a henna shampoo, although the condition of my hair wasn?t as good as it could have been.

Although the bottle says there is sufficient for 3 applications, I found easily enough in the bottle for 5 washes with my midlength hair. I have tried using their recommended amount and I find my hair doesn?t absorb the entire colour. I use just slightly more than the normal amount I use for shampoo. Using more I found it foaming all over the place and wasting the colour.

Overall, I am pleased with Superdrug Effects. For the price of 99p it was very impressive. The Aubergine colour was poor but I would undoubtedly advise the Mahogany colorant to anybody looking for a quick boost to their hair. However, if your hair is badly out of condition, looking to cover grey or looking for something to lighten your hair, this isn?t the product for you. It can be tricky to get hold of as it?s a popular product but I?d suggest trying it. If you don?t like it, it will always wash out.

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