Schwarzkopf Brilliance (89 Bitter Sweet Chocolate)

I've never tried this Schwartzkopf hair tint before even though this is a brand that I like. 

 

The package contains a large colour tube, a bottle with the developer, a generous tube with post-colour treatment, a pair of average plastic gloves and the instructions leaflet. All of this is average for most DIY hair colours I've tried. As I always do, after mixing the colour I used my professional colouring bowl and comb to get the best possible results. 

 

The quantity of product is more than enough for long hair if you want to do both regrowth and cover the rest  of the hair to unify the colour. 

 

I followed the instructions and the resulting colour was not as lovely as in the package photo, but it looks natural and nice. I left it on the roots and the rest o of the hair the time recommended in the leaflet. I would normally leave it longer on the roots as I have many thick rebel greys, but I didn't do it this time. The result is that the colour covered my greys but not enough to make the regrowth the same colour of the rest of the hair. It would have needed more time to fully achieve those results. 

 

The conditioner tube was quite large and it can be used for at least two washes if you have long hair, or three if you have it short. However, my hair is really dry at the moment, so I used it all. It detangled my hair beautifully and left it soft and shiny. 

 

I would say that I prefer other colouring brands, but this is still a good economic option. If your greys are many and thick, wavy or curly you might need to adjust the time to get a consistent uniform colour. 

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L’Oréal Magic Retouch Permanent (Dark 5 Brown)

This is a new product in the L'Oreal Magic Retouch range. I use the spray to cover greys when I haven't had the time for colouring. However, the spray only lasts till I wash my hair. So this mini-tint package is great. It has the same quality permanent colour that you find in the full box, but in the right amount to cover my part line and temples but also some of the sides of my head. 

The box contains a dispenser bottle with an brush attachment, the jar with the colour and a very good and useful instructions leaflet. I mix the product as per the instructions but I never use this colour, or any other, directly from the bottle. I always pour it into a professional tinting container and use a professional tinting comb as these allow a more efficient use of the product and I get better results.

 

I'm very satisfied with the results as the tint covers my greys perfectly, the colour looks beautiful, it does not irritate my scalp, and has a mild odour. 

 

Now the downsides. The first one is this, like other L'Oreal tints I've used, dries my hair noticeably. The colour looks great, especially if you put a dark colour on, but I also noticed that my hair is less soft, freezier, and feels dry to touch. This being the case I have to put a full mask and then use tons of Moroccan oil to compensate. Being honest, we're meant to leave the product 10 minutes on only, but I tend to leave it 30 minutes as I have rebel thick greys and otherwise they would not get properly covered. So, be aware that if you use it longer than recommender, this might be your case as well.  

The second downside is this. The price of this bottle is almost identical, sometimes the same, sometimes a couple of dollars down, to the full box. However, the latter contains more quantity and a great shampoo and conditioner. So, to me, the full box is better value than the MR version, and it serves me better as I have a large amount of greys all over my head. Magic Retouch is better for guys or just girls with short haircuts or just people with not many greys.

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L'Oréal Magic Retouch, 75ml, Dark Brown

I use this product regularly, between professional tinting  and when my thick very-noticeable greys pop up all rebel. The product is very easy to spray and has a good focus sprayer. I usually spray it twice; I let the first coat dry and then apply again. Result, no grays! This product is especially good for the part line, not as much for temples or hair line as it can stain my skin. However, I easily remove those by rubbing a bit of beauty oil on the stained spot .  
 
The product can stain your clothes, so I usually put a plastic cape on my shoulders. I don't apply this when I'm dressed to go out as unnoticeable unpredictable drops might stain them and ruin them if unprotected.

The product washes out completely with a single shampooing.

I always apply this product with a surgical mask on, because it has some residual "vapours" after spraying.

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Clairol Root Touch-Up Root Concealing Spray, Medium Brown, 100ml

This is the first time I use this brand for hair concealer spray and I'll buy it again. I bought this tone, which is one shade lighter than the usual buy, by mistake. However, still covers well my very white greys if I apply enough quantity. The spray nuzzle is great to spray focus on specific areas or focal points. I'd recommend using a face mask when using it as the spray comes out quite gaseous and it's ease to inhale. It stains clothes easily so I put some protection when applying it. It can also stand my skin and hands, but I can easily remove the stain with water and soap. Great quality for the rest. As good as the top brand of hair concealers but way cheaper.

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Clairol Nice 'N Easy Permanent Hair Colour 4G Natural Dark Golden Brown

This hair colour is really great. Easy to apply, good quantity to fully cover my roots and part of my hair, and the results always get me compliments on how healthy and shiny my hair looks. 

 

The package includes a treatment that really rounds up the colouring process and gives me the shine that I love so much. The golden bit is great because, although it doesn't show when I first apply the colour (what you see is a nice dark brown), it shows when the colour fades away. This is good because it holds onto my greys and they look light brown not white. 

 

The colour lasts me on about 3 weeks due to the fact that I have very white grey hair and I don't wash it every day. 

 

Although my hair looks super healthy and shiny after application, the truth is that it dries it off considerably due to having Hydrogen Peroxide as one of the ingredients.

 

For the rest, this is my usual DIY preferred colouring between salon colouring.

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Clairol Root Touch Up, 4 Dark Brown

I use this brand and colour kit on a regular basis between visits to my hairdresser's. It fully covers my very white grey hair and I find it easy and safe to apply. I always let it on more than the time the package recommends, as I've seen that, if I don't let it stay longer, my greys aren't fully covered. I do this as I haven't noticed any allergic reaction when using it for longer. The colour lasts me great about 2.5 weeks, which is OK and what I expect it to do.

I wish the bottle had a bit of more product so that I could cover my back head roots. The quantity in this retouch kit allows me to cover the front and top layers not the back or my hair, which is OK as I have long wavy hair and it would not show much either way.

Unlike the same brand full-regrowth package, this kit comes without conditioner.

The application brush is excellent for the price. I don't put it in the rubbish, but I use it for my artwork, to clean grout or other home purposes.

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Body Tools Tint Brush, 22 cm Length, Black

This is a great DIY tinting brush. It is on the long/large side (see my photo of the brush on a A4 sheet). Truth be told, it looks like a cheapie and it's not fancy by any means. However, this is a good brush overall. The length and pointy shape of the handle are great to separate strains of hair without difficulty, while the brush width and the flexible bristles are good enough to spread the tint easily covering a considerable amount of hair. Overall, a good product for the price. I wish the bristles were more flexible, though. This is not fancy , but it gets the job done and costs little.

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Platinum tinting bowl

This is a cheap convenient bowl for DIY hair coloring. It looks like the one my hairdresser has. It is made of sturdy good-quality plastic, and it is easy to handle even if you don't hold the handle, easy to clean, great if you need to measure product, and very affordable. The only downside is the large size and the fact that is not collapsible or flatable. so it takes a bit of room in my bathroom drawers. For the rest, you get what you see and what you paid for.

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TRIXES Black Full Length Cape Unisex Professional Barbers Hairdressers Gown

I paid about four bucks for this cape so I didn't expect this to be a super-duper cape, but it is good enough for coloring your hair at home if you DIY. It is an open long cape that closes at the back with a Velcro fastener and laces, so it can be adjusted as tightly as you want. It is quite long and the shoulders are completely covered, but not the back. If will fit both men and women. It is plastic, so it protects clothes from staining when DIY hair tinting. The only thing I miss is the cape having hand slots so that DIY tinting is more comfortable. For the rest is quite good for the price.

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