I have no problem admitting I color my hair. I also don't hesitate to admit I often do it at home. I do, however, hate confessing that I have gray hairs to cover (even though I'm proud to be nearly 38 years old). I recently tried an at-home hair color that has a new technology and is winning all sorts of kudos. So here's a little story about all of these things...
How *jen met Perfect 10
Once upon a time, I cut back on my working hours to focus on my kid, my pregnancy, my blog and my makeup artistry. Sadly, this came at a time when the economy crashed, and what little money I was bringing in at my PT time job, blogging, and picking up a few makeup jobs no longer carried the weight it once had. OK - let's face it, it's hardly any money at all, regardless of the economy.
Because I was no longer working at a spa (and therefore no longer getting a discount on haircuts and color), I decided to dye my hair back to my natural color - or what I could gather was my natural color, since I haven't seen it in years. The result was great! I was pleased.
Time passed.
One day, I looked in the mirror and was aghast! What was this??? ROOTS! And not only did I see a subtle difference between the hair closest to my scalp and the rest of the hair, peeking out at me was GRAY HAIR.
When I got back off of the floor from my dead faint, I decided I must take action. But what kind of action!? I could not afford the glorious golden highlights I was craving... and I didn't want to use a product that damaged my hair (which I was trying to grow out).
What was a girl to do!?
Enter my Prince on a white horse: Clairol Perfect 10. I had read a little about the product here and there, most notably on Allure's report on The Big Breakthroughs in beauty. Here are the high notes:
- "...a new lightening complex called AminoGlycine. They ditched the ammonia and combined hydrogen peroxide with ammonium carbonate, creating a molecule that changes hair pigment, while leaving keratin (the hair's protein) intact. To that, they added glycine, a natural amino acid that functions as an antioxidant (free radicals are a by-product of the coloring process that further deteriorate hair's strength). And for the first time, they created a permanent dye with a lower PH, which leaves the protective lipid layer of the hair intact and allows the product to smell fruity instead of noxious."
- "...because it reacts so quickly with the hair's melanin, the chemicals are on and off the head within ten minutes, which also reduces damage."
So I bought a box (6G Light Golden Brown/Full Tilt Toffee, swatch shown above) at Target, who didn't have all 24 shades but did have quite a few of them. The price was $11-something, so a bit more than my Feria, but not too bad. This shade is just a tiny bit lighter and more golden than my natural color, but still in the same realm.
The process is the same as most home hair colors - a bottle of chemically stuff with an applicator tip, a tube of your color, and a home conditioner come in the pack along with instructions and gloves. You mix the stuff in the bottle with the stuff in the tube, give a shake, and apply.
This box, though, also comes with a comb applicator (shown right) which is supposed to help distribute the product quickly and evenly (after all, time is of the essence when you're developing in only 10 minutes!). The comb has little holes on the bottom of the spikes you see, allowing hair color to drop on through in an even way, each hair, from root to tip.
Application was seamless and not-too-drippy, despite my awareness of the need to hurry. I busied myself in the bathroom when done, pleased I didn't have to kill a half an hour with this crap on my head.
After 10 minutes, I rinsed the color out and noticed it made less of a mess than some products do, and didn't result in me scrubbing stained spots of skin until they were pink. BONUS! (Clairol, my husband thanks you, because the inside of the shower wasn't blood-spattered, either!)
VOILA! I had Light Golden Brown hair (full tilt toffee!), with no roots, no odd stripey marks where the color sits funky on old color, and the best part: it wasn't damaged or crunchy! And the shine... oh, the shine!
Perfect 10, I think I love you.
And we lived happily ever after...
Notes:
Personally, I didn't like the comb, but then again I've been using the pointy nozzle method for years (and years, and years, and years). Maybe I'm just used to that method? I can see where the comb would help someone who's more of a novice at home hair color.
The dye still had a strong scent, no matter what the company says, but it's not nearly as bad as some. The conditioner had a great fruity/coconut smell that I really enjoyed, and that helped hide the chemical smell on the hair a bit.
I'll definitely try this again!