While many of you choose to get professional coloring in a certified
salon which specializes in color, at-home color is one of the fastest and
most cost-efficient ways to change your look. Please keep in mind that it
is very important that you read all instructions very carefully on the
box, and if possible, have a friend there to help you with applying color
and checking the progress of the color or highlights in your hair.
We’ve chosen our favorite products which our testers found were a)
easy to use b) gave rich color and c) protected and conditioned the hair.
We’re happy to share with your our picks for every hair type...read on
for more!
L'Oreal Feria Haircolor - Chocolate Cherry 36, Downtown Brown #61,
Cinnamon #55.
Our brunette testers LOVED this product. They said it was practically
goof-proof and really did produce shimmering, multi-layered color on the
hair. It worked equally well for relaxed, straight/coarse, and very curly
hair.
Price $9.99
Available at CVS.com
Clairol Herbal Essences
Highlights
This product was great for our
testers that just wanted to add lighter highlights. It eliminates the
guesswork with clear, easy to read bottles and instructions. Their special
application comb lets you see exactly where highlights are being placed.
Our tester with dark brown straight coarse hair used Medium to Dark Brown
Hair Rich Copper. Another with curly hair tried the same color in their
"free form comb" version for curly hair with great results!
Price $12.99
Available at CVS.com
L’Oreal Couleur Experte - Multi-Tonal Color
System - Chocolate Macaroon
5.3
This is a great two-step permanent hair color system that gives
multi-dimensional, as opposed to "flat" color. The first step
colors the hair evenly with a base color and the second step are the
highlights which are applied with a mascara-like wand. Note that this
product was a little more time consuming and required assistance. Our
tester loved the natural, yet noticeable change in her medium brown, dry,
relaxed hair.
Price $21.99
Available at Duane
Read.com
Read on for more hair color picks and our extra info below!
Extra Information Section:
1. Pamper your colored hair! It's really important to deep condition
every time you wash it. Our picks: Ojon Restorative Treatment ($55
at ojonhaircare.com) and
Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair
Mask ($6.99 but currently on sale at CVS.com
for $4.99)
Also use shampoos and daily conditioners specifically formulated for
color-treated hair.
Pantene ProV Color Revival Shampoo and Conditioner ($4.49 at drugstore.com) is good for relaxed,
straight coarse and curly hair.
Aveda Color Conserve Shampoo and Conditioner (currently on sale at drugstore.com
for $13.39) is good for relaxed,
straight coarse and curly hair.
2. Know what kind of color you want!
Permanent color doesn't shampoo out, it must grow out and typically
needs to be retouched every 4-6 weeks.
Semi-permanent color rinses out in approximately 4 weeks.
3. And last but not least....
Don't apply a chemical relaxer on the same day as doing permanent
color. It's best to wait at least two weeks between color and a relaxer
treatment.
Clairol Textures and Tones
This hair color, which was made for women
of color, also got rave reviews from our testers. It's a permanent hair
color which also contains Brazil Nut Oil and additional moisturizers,
so hair is left soft, smooth and protected. Our tester decided to make her
medium brown relaxed hair lighter with #6 bronze with great results.
Price $5.99
Available at Walgreens.com
Cream of Nature Permanent Hair Color
This product is also great for
women with relaxed, very curly and kinky hair (as well as dreadlocks). The
color in this product was more intense than the others, so it's a great
choice for those of you looking to make a more dramatic color change. Our
testers found that it also moisturized well, was easy to apply and kept
the color for at least 6 weeks. One of our testers with light brown curly
hair went blond with #9.3 Ginger Blonde, another tester with medium brown
dreadlocks went more chestnut with #6.4 Bronze Copper.
Price $5.99
Available at Walgreens.com
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