...AND HERE WE PUT FIVE HIGH-TECH HOME-COL0UR KITS TO THE TEST
THE PRODUCT THAT’S TAILORED TO YOU
MayMie WhiTe, 50, created blonde highlights using Custom hair Color Set, £23, and light Set, £32, all esalon.co.uk. Maymie runs the charity treatmentbag.co.uk, which sends luxury goodies to chemotherapy patients. She lives in Somerset with her husband and four children.
WHAT IS IT? You create an online profile — your hair type, dyeing history, desired shade — and a consultant mixes you up a tailored colour.
OUR TEST: To hide grey strands, I have highlights as well as a root cover-up every few weeks, which I’d assumed would be hard to recreate at home.
Apparently not: first, I covered my roots by mixing my personalised hair colour into the developer bottle, and shaking it up. Then I brushed it over my roots, waited half an hour, then rinsed.
I dried my hair before doing the balayage — natural-looking highlights. The mixture was very stiff, but the final result is low-key, golden highlights. The grey isn’t evident and my hair feels soft and shiny. It even looks good from the back!
THE CELEBRITY HAIR GURU’S RANGE
Sarah Tulley, 33, went from red to chestnut using Josh Wood Colour level 6 Permanent Colour, £10, with Shade Shot Plus Chestnut, £15 (joshwoodcolour.com). Sarah lives in Scarborough with husband Chris, 35, and their two children, 13 and 14. She works as a customer care adviser.
WHAT IS IT? Josh Wood’s colour is loved by celebs such as Kylie Minogue. You can get the look by combining all-over colour with a range of ‘shade shots’ — tailored boosters that can give your hair warm or cool tones.
OUR TEST: This Josh Wood colour was easy to use. I just put my chosen ‘Shade Shot’ into the Chestnut Brown dye and shook them up together, applied it all over my hair and left it on for 30 minutes. I’m over the moon with the results. It’s elegant but a complete change.
Best of all, when my roots start to show, they have amazing touch-up products.
TEMPORARY HUE THAT WILL PACK A PUNCH
Nurse Liz Trowbridge, 40, went from blonde to copper using Tint rinse, £13, esalon.co.uk. Liz lives near Cheltenham and has an 18-year-old daughter, Mya.
WHAT IS IT? Once, temporary dyes barely made an impact — and tended to fade quickly. But new advances mean you can create brighter hues in minutes that last a few washes, without permanently discolouring your hair. This version contains wheat protein to smooth hair cuticles and collagen to boost moisture.
OUR TEST: I’ve been blonde since I was 16, and I’m a diehard fan of proper salon care.
A friend of mine is a stylist, and she does my hair at home after salon hours, so it costs me only about £40 every few weeks for highlights and lowlights.
I’m very careful with my hair, and am meticulous about my roots never showing. Still, I was happy to give this a go and hoped it would be an elegant, subtle shade. It was a single tube of tint which foamed up as I applied it.
I did a test on a small amount of hair first, which revealed a lovely copper colour. Although it was left on for only three minutes, it certainly made an impact!
I have to admit, the final result is a lot brighter than I’d expected and I’m not entirely sold on it. I’d far rather trust an expert.
THE SPRAY THAT CHANGES YOUR COLOUR
JaN rook, 68, went from brown to grey using L’oreal Colorista semi-Permanent Colour spray in Grey, £6.99, amazon.co.uk. Jan is an actress. she lives in essex and has one grown-up child. WHAT IS IT? A wash-out colour spray that contains charged particles that bond to your hair, giving you colour that won’t rub off until you shampoo — it uses the same technology as for spray painting cars, so it’s tough stuff.
OUR TEST: When I worked in banking, I visited the salon all the time. After retiring at 53, I started home-colouring my hair a dark blonde, but I’m after a fashionable all-over grey.
It took two bottles to colour my hair completely, and I loved the silvery finish. I actually think I look younger now.
The next morning it still looked OK, but there was a silvery shimmer on my shoulders. I easily washed it out this morning — I loved it.
THE ONE INFUSED WITH ALOE VERA
PiNky LisiNG went from light brown to very dark red using Clairol 4rr, £5.50, sainsburys.co.uk. Pinky, 35, works in childcare and lives in London with her three children.
WHAT IS IT? A new range infused with coconut oil and aloe vera to protect your hair.
OUR TEST: I’ve used home dyes before, but worry about drying out my hair. The semi-permanent dye I used contains coconut oil and aloe vera. It smelt delicious, and was easy to use. I just shook the colour and applied it to dry hair from the roots.
When I rinsed it off, it just looked darker brown, but as it dried, a rich, shiny red emerged. I’m so impressed.