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I'm not going to tell you how long I've been coloring my hair - it's been a very long time. I used to color my hair because I thought "mousey brown" didn't particularly suit me, but, early in my 30's I started to go gray. I don't mean strands here and there, I mean all-over, salt and pepper hair, which really didn't suit me at 35. Over the course of these hair-dying years I've used countless brands of henna, paid large and small sums for professionals to do the job and bought dozens of boxes of drugstore brand hair color. I've been almost every shade from "dark blonde" to "black leather" and consider myself something of a home hair coloring expert. One brand has been my go-to all these years: L'Oreal.
L'Oreal has provided me with shiny hair, subtley hued hair, chunky highlights, dramatic depths of color, and, most recently, has succeeded in successfully covering a large section of my hair that is pure white. My color lasts longer, looks better and hasn't done any real damage to my hair all these years.
Want shimmery bold color? Try Feria. Feria is available in 30 pigment packed shades that are slightly funkier than L'Oreal's other color lines. Looking for bright copper red? This would be the box to grab. It's $9.99 and comes with everything but a comb and a towel. Follow the directions carefully, wear the gloves, watch your timing and you can have truly dazzling hair in about 30 minutes.
Want some highlights with a more natural color? I highly recommend Couleur Experte. In a two step process, Couleur Experte first lays down the foundation color of your choice in the usual mix it and squeeze it on application method. Step two involves mixing the highlight powder provided (easy as pie!) and applying it with what looks like a mascara brush. I don't even wear mascara and I found this method terrifically simple. Choose where you want each section of highlights and how much you'd like to see and brush the cream down through your hair. I've had such good results with Couleur Experte that for years my stylist thought I was going to another salon for color. I've seen varying prices for CE but it's usually between $15 and $20.
My hair has been short for a couple of years now and, as gray accepts color in different shades, I no longer do highlights. Nowadays I swear by L'Oreal Excellence Creme. It has the best gray coverage of anything else I've tried, my hair still feels soft. This kit comes with a fairly large tube of conditioner to use in between colorings. But my favorite feature of L'Oreal EC is the nifty comb top on the applicator bottle which makes dying my hair as easy as combing it. Even the most unskilled home colorists would get great results with this method. At $8.99 it's about $40 less than my least expensive salon service and pretty much fool-proof.
L'Oreal makes over 200 hair color products and is available in drugstores and supermarkets across the country and around the world. They've got a great website if you need to figure out which color(s) might be best for you and you can compare each formula to help make a decision.
