Regulars to my reviews might have noticed that I recently took the plunge and went and dyed my hair using at-home products on a semi-permanent (up to 28 washes) formula.

I always try to keep my hair in the top condition possible - various conditioners, oil treatment, different shampoos and vitamin supplements all contribute to both this policy and also my dooyoo back catalogue of reviews! - but this sudden colour change meant I also wanted to try to prolong the colour and make sure that this new part of my look didn't have a negative effect on my hair condition, as I'm trying to grow it long.

So, just after Christmas when everyone was putting on sales and offers, I saw that Boots were offering L'Oreal Elvive's Colour Protect range at half-price - so I invested in both the shampoo and conditioner at 400ml size, costing £3.79 each.

***THE PRODUCT***
This conditioner comes in the same shaped container as all L'oreal 400ml products - they sit on their lid, which snaps open. This product bottle is red, with gold and white writing. The claims on the front are that this is a caring conditioner with "concentrated nourishment" and UVA / UVB Filters. The main selling point? This claims to protect hair and prolong colour.

£3.79 seems to be the standard RRP but I frequently see this range in discount stores and on offer.

To give a little more product history...the range also includes the shampoo, a masque and a leave-in serum. On the back of the packaging there is a little more information on the claims; that this has an active nourishing ingredient which enriches the formula and leaves the hair surface feeling "voluptuous" to the touch. It also protects colour with UVA and UVB filters as advertised on the front; this was important to me as I'd learnt that red dyes can fade quicker than other colours. This is meant to negate the issues of sun damage and pollution.

***MY EXPERIENCE***
Anyone who read my L'Oreal review about their Nutri-Gloss conditioner would see that I wasn't entirely enamoured by the product, so I only bought this on the basis that it was if nothing else likely to be a reliable basic shampoo and conditioner and if it overperformed to both cost and my expectations regarding the colour protection then, bonus. I wasn't expecting miracles.

The conditioner is a fairly thick white product and I do think that you can get away with using quite a lot - I have layers throughout my hair so I do so on the mentality that it will protect from split ends developing further up the style of my hair. You are advised to work this right through the lengths of the hair to the tips.

Whilst the amount I use is probably meaning that I am getting through this a bit more quickly than I did other L'Oreal products, I have to say I am impressed with it. It reducers fly-aways nearer the roots of my hair but does not leave them limp and heavy with product, nor does it cause them to become greasy faster than other products (I wash my hair every day).

Using this, my hair feels soft throughout - and normally if there is any dryness in the ends at all it becomes very blowsy and the layers become bulked up and obvious, which I hate.

This conditioner leaves my hair feeling very nourished, washes out well, and leaves it feeling and looking shiny, healthy and strong. As for the colour, mine is as I said only temporary but I think that it has settled into a nice, almost natural-looking colour with no dry parts of my hair starting to show the old colour through the additional dye particles as I noticed with other products.

***IN CONCLUSION***
For a high-street product I was very impressed by this product. I think it is a strong conditioner on it's own before you take into account that it has helped prolong and balance my colour, which for a home-dye is looking really nice and still gets frequent compliments.

I do think it is worth using quite a bit so you can expect to get through it a bit faster than you might the shampoo if you have longer hair, but I can't knock a star of for that because at the end of the day, if you have longer hair you have to condition it properly.

Will definitely be buying this again and recommend it highly to anyone who wants to prolong their colour and nourish their hair.