adventures in hair dye

note: I have naturally black Asian hair. It's thick both in terms of the width of hair strands and the quantity of hair. Naturally a bit wavy.


1. 12 Jun 2002 - L'Oreal Open, in Equinox

The first time -- it wasn't for me, it was for my sister.

Results: reddish-brown highlights in bright light, but barely visible in normal light. Little damage to hair, more than Feria. Faded in a few washes. Not very good for dark hair at all.

2. 20 Jun 2002 - L'Oreal Feria, in #55 Cinnamon

I stood in the hair products aisle for ages trying to decide on which brand and which colour. I narrowed it down to either Clairol Herbal Essences or L'Oreal Feria. I picked Feria because I dislike the Herbal Essences shampoo, does nothing for me (irrational reason, I know) and the nice silver Feria box and Feria TV adverts seduced me. Advertising works!

Results: very dark red on my virgin hair. Not black, but not light enough to really notice that it was not black in normal light. The colour was gorgeous in sunlight or other bright light, all shimmery red.
When I finished the whole colouring process and my hair started drying, I was really alarmed because the dry roots were Gillian-Anderson-red under my bathroom lights. It turned out all right. Fading and normal light alleviated the huge amount of redness.
Minimal damage to hair; left it in pretty much the same condition as before.

3. 22 Jul 2002 - L'Oreal Feria, in #58 Bronze Shimmer

Bought and dyed hair on the sly, i.e. without knowledge of mum. Choosing the colour was a split-second decision -- just grabbed it and ran (figuratively) to the cashier. The colour looked too ash-toned for me on the box, but the redness of my dark hair compensated for it.

Results: dark reddish brown in normal light. As before, it's not black but it's not light enough for me either. In bright light, it's like red mahogany wood, really gorgeous -- if only it shows up like that indoors!
The image to the left is a bit unreliable, as it was taken by my cheap webcam. In reality, the colour is darker and not as brown.
The colour is not flat at all, lots of shine. Minimal damage to hair.


4. 26 Jul 2002 - L'Oreal Preference, in #45 Medium Copper Brown

For my sister, whose hair was previously coloured with L'Oreal Open. She consented to let me colour her hair again to make me happy, which is terribly sweet of her -- I only wish she cared enough for my happiness to choose a lighter, visible colour.

Results: very, very dark brown. So dark you can barely see it, even under light. There is barely any difference -- it's even darker than the Open, which is hard to believe. I don't know if it's the colour selection or what, but Preference seems to have zero lifting power. The smell was not as strong as Feria, but was quite substantial all the same. Left hair dry and rough to the touch -- not going to bother with Preference anymore.


5. 12 Oct 2002 - Clairol Herbal Essences, in Burgundy

For sis. Gorgeous burgundy colour on the box, although I *knew* it wouldn't show on my sister's black hair. There seemed to be less dye than Feria or Preference, although one box was still enough to cover my sister's thick armpit-length (inelegant, but no other way to describe it) hair. Little damage. And amazingly, it did not smell bad at all.

Results: very dark purple -- actually, not so much purple as dark red with a violet tinge under bright sunlight. I think only blondes or light brunettes need apply.


6. 12 Oct 2002 - Clairol L'Image (Ultress in the States), in #855 Light Golden Brown

For me. Stupid colour choice, in retrospect. Smelled awful compared to the Herbal Essences. Weird dye in metal tubes instead of liquid in bottles. I don't get the 'Colour Customizer' gimmick at all. Everyone adds it in anyway.

Results: uh, nothing. Very slightly brightened up my fading Feria and blended my black roots in a bit with the rest of my reddish hair. Useless. Blonde was really not the right choice for me, but I've used approximately the same shade in Feria and it lightened up my hair instead of doing nothing. I am not impressed. However, the conditioner was very excellent.


7. March 2002 - Herbal Essences in 48.5, Intense Copper

I convinced my sister to dye it. Bwah!

Results: reddish. Sigh. Redder than the box would indicate.

I am still searching for the single-process drugstore hair colour that will lighten my hair enough for my tastes. I do not know where to get bleach, and I'm too wimpy to do it anyway.

Next on the List:
Clairol Herbal Essences in some bright red colour -- alternatively, a high-lift blond, mwahaha
Clairol Nice 'N Easy, because I've heard that stuff is strong -- and I. Need. Strong.

The Good:
L'Oreal Feria (lots of lift and beautiful shimmery colour)
Clairol Herbal Essences

The Bad:
L'Oreal Preference (normal lift shades)
Clairol L'Image / Ultress (blond/brown)



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