Not for your mott! (L'Oréal Casting Creme Gloss)

Member Name: michaird

Product:	L'Oréal Casting Creme Gloss
Date:	06/12/02 (5214 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Natural colour, easy to apply, reasonable price

Disadvantages: Leaves hair smelling funny, dulls after a couple of weeks

I've never messed around with the colour of my hair. I never needed to, all my life I've had the kind of blonde hair that hairdressers would say 'Oh, what a lovely colour, which dye is it' and then try to sell me highlights when I tell them it's natural.

However, over the last couple of years its been getting darker, boring mousy miserable dark blonde. I hate it but I don't want to bleach my hair lighter so I've been toying for a long time with the idea of dying brown. Recently I took the plunge.

L'Oreal colour spa is non permanent so if it turns out awful I can just wash my hair twenty four times before I leave the house. There seems to be a good range of colours, it can be hard to find in all shops but boots tend to have a good selection. The colour range from light blonde to reddish black.

Unlike many dyes they offer a good selection of brown shades for blonde hair. This is surprisingly rare and is one of my main reasons for buying this brand.

Mt second reason for buying it is that it was one of the cheapest options. Not the least expensive (this is my hair were talking about here) but the most reasonably priced of the more well known brand at £5.99 in Boots and £4.99 in Morrisons. It seems there are bargains to be had with these dyes.

And so, Chelles's super detailed directions for use:

Get fed up of crap winter hair.
Decide to dye hair brown.
Chicken out in Boots and buy a golden blonde dye instead.
Use blonde dye.
Colour far too close to natural colour, nobody notices
People do comment on how nice and shiny hair is though
Get brave; buy a light brown dye
Use light brown dye
Three people notice and comments include 'it's in lovely condition'
Light brown fades to mousy brown after a few washes.
Impact not really good enough!
Decide 'bugger this for a game of soldiers'
Buy more impressive copper brown dye



Take dye into bathroom
Strip off so dye doesn't get all over clothes (can't afford new ones)
Open box and drop all the contents on the floor
Pick them all up.
Attach colour bottle to applicator, snap top of applicator
Realise I was suppose to mixed the colour and the developer before I snapped the top off.
Put finger on nozzle and mix.
Start applying to hair.
Realise I was suppose to put gloves on first.
Open little gloves capsule, impressed by quality of rubber gloves (no plastic crap here)
Continue applying to hair
Boyfriend tries to open bathroom door.
Continues to wiggle handle even though door is obviously locked.
Emerge from bathroom growling that all the wiggling in the world won't unlock the door.
Sit a computer with towel round body and head.
Start writing op
Think 'Oh, bugger! It's only supposed to be on for 15 minutes!'
Read box and relax, it's says you can go for twenty if you like.
Remind myself to read the instructions in future and not just look at the easy to follow pictures.
Remove towel and marvel at the lovely stylised pattern left by dye on towel
Very glad I used crappy old towel given to us my mother in law
Get in shower and wash all the dye out.
Use intensive conditioner provided.
When out of shower inspect hair.
Can't see when wet so blow dry hair.
Boyfriend says 'is it black?'
Wonder at idiocy of boyfriend.
Inspect hair again.

(There are very easy to follow real instructions in the box, I'll leave you to read them yourself, because they're boring)

The Results.

When I used the blonde colour it didn't make an awful lot of difference to the colour of my hair, I think it was too close to my natural colour. What it did do was make the golden strands within the hair a lot brighter and therefore made my hair look nicer.
The light brown colour wa
s exa
ctly
that, the golden strands in my hair remained golden so overall my hair had a very natural look overall.
This latest one has turned the normally mousy blonde strands of hair mid brown and the golden strands of hair a light coppery colour and is really rather nice.

Every time I've used it my hair has been left in lovely condition and very shiny. Unfortunately it smells very chemically, although smell goes away after a good wash.

The colour is meant to last six weeks, I think that's worked out on twenty-four washes. Unfortunately I wash my hair every day, and so it only seems to last four weeks. It tends to look a little dull after about two.

Oh and by the way, it didn't stain any off the bathroom but not all of it washed out of the towel so remember, either do it in the nude (my preference) or wear old clothes.

Overall I like this dye, I will continue to use it until the summer when I decide to go blonde again.

Pointers and Notes:

The dye claims to cover first grey, I wouldn't know anything about this, as I haven't got any grey.
It should not be used on henna treated or progressively coloured hair (don't know what that is, I assume if you have it you'll know)
Don't use on bleached or straightened hair (and I assume they mean chemically straightened here)
Do a skin test; don't take risks like I do
Don't use it on your eyebrows, eyelashes and I would assume (although it doesn't say) your mott.
Their website is rather impressive and gives a lot of tips and information on the product www.lorealparis.com
I couldn't find any policy on animal testing but you can contact them at the website

Summary: