I had an idea today morning: I have to colour my hair. So I went to our local Sainsbury's to buy a permanent hair colour. I found L'Oreal Excellence Crème hair colour on offer and it was available in a wide variety of shades. I have chosen the 731 Dark Caramel Blonde shade and applied it on my red and blonde highlighted dark blonde hair. The result is even and quite similar shade to the lady's hair on the picture on the box. I bought it for 5 pounds.

L'Oreal offers all kinds of cosmetic products which are mostly of good quality and medium to expensive priced. Their products are available in supermarkets, drug stores, pharmacies and online shops.


The box contains:
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- 1 Protective Pre-Colour Treatment. 12ml
- 1 applicator bottle of Crème Developer. 72ml
- 1 comb applicator.
- 1 tube of Protective Crème Colourant. 48ml
- 1 bottle of Protective Conditioner. 44 ml
- 1 instruction leaflet.
- 1 pair of professional-quality gloves.


How to use the product:
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I read the instruction leaflet first. I decided to use the protective pre-colour treatment on the ends so I pressed the white cream in my palm and applied it on the ends of my dry hair. Then I opened the bottle of crème developer and pressed the protective crème colourant into it. The crème colourant is white, its texture is like a hair conditioner but has mild ammonia scent. I closed the developer's cap and shook it well. Then I replaced the cap with the comb applicator and as it was shown on the instruction leaflet I applied on my hair. When I finished I put on the gloves and massaged it well into my hair. I had to leave it on my hair for half an hour. I think it has a mild scent, it wasn't uncomfortable at all wearing it for half an hour.


The result
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I tested this product really well as my hair was coloured to dark blonde then highlighted with red and light blonde and naturally dark blonde at the roots. I guess I have some grey hair too but it is not visible as my hair is coloured all the times. So I decided to have even hair colour which is close to my original hair colour.

After the half an hour wait I washed out the colourant and applied the protective conditioner. Before I applied the conditioner my hair was rough as it was very dry. I rinsed the colourant well then applied shampoo and washed well as usually. Instead of my usual conditioner I used the one included in the box. I left it on my hair for 2 minutes as it was suggested on the instruction leaflet and found that my hair was soft like silk again. The conditioner is enough for 2-3 applications at least and has very nice scent.

I could hardly wait to dry my hair to see the new colour. It covered everything evenly and has a very natural, radiant shade as it was stated on the box. My hair is soft and shiny. As my new hair colour is quite close to my original hair colour I am curious who will notice the difference at all ...


My opinion
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I think it is very easy to use this product. The liquids are about as runny as hair conditioners, so it is easy to apply it. The comb applicator helps a lot to apply the colourant evenly everywhere. Before you start to colour your hair take care to war such clothes you don't have to pull through your head in order to take a shower. I prefer wearing only underwear. If the colourant gets on your clothes it can be rinsed easily if you discover in time. The longer you let it on the textile the harder to remove the stains...

I think this is a very effective product and the pictures on the box give you an idea about the result. The instructions are clear and easy to understand. The bottles are labelled well and the pictures on the instruction leaflet are good enough to identify the bottles even only by their shape.

My hair is of shoulder length and the quantity of the colourant was more than enough on my hair. If you have long hair maybe you have to buy an extra box. I think 5 pounds is excellent value for this product. If you have to buy it on full price that will be around 6.70 pounds.


Manufacturer
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L'Oréal Paris,
London,
W6 8AZ.
www.lorealparis.co.uk