John Frieda Precision Foam Hair Colour
Today I'm going to review a product I've been using for a while now, but I get asked many questions regarding my hair colour and how I achieve it, so today I'm going to share my insight. My favourite hair dye to use is this John Frieda Precision Foam in the colour 3VR Deep Cherry Red from the radiant reds collection. So let's start with the basics....
The kit comes with a detailed instruction book, salon style gloves, developer, colour and conditioning treatment which I have taken a photo of above so you can see what's included. I have tried many home hair dye kits over the years, and I always found great difficulty in achieving the colour I desired, which was a dark brunette with a hint of red. I have had my hair coloured in salons, yet nothing comes close to the colour this kit achieves, which is exactly what I want. The RRP of this kit is £9.99, which is expensive for a home hair dye kit, however it's usually always on offer in Boots, Superdrug and Tesco for £6.99. The box looks professional and different to other home hair dye kit brands as it doesn't look cheap, it looks expensive and stands out from the crowd. They have chosen to use an image of a model on the front (as all kits do) but in order to stand out, the model's image is in black and white and beneath that is a strip depicting the colour. I've read reviews where people complain about this as they want to see what the colour looks like on a person, but if you flip the box over there is the same image of the model but in colour. There is also a colour chart on the side of the box showing how it will turn out, but remember how your end result will be depends on the current state and colour of your hair, if you're unsure then simply carry out a strand test before colouring your whole head!
So what's in the kit? The first thing I noticed was the black latex gloves, which are more like what you would see a hair dresser use. They aren't the flimsy plastic gloves you usually get with home hair dye kits, which are often too big and end up falling off halfway through application! The second thing I noticed was the developer bottle which has a nozzle at the top, you simply squeeze the sides of the bottle and it dispenses the foam. It is rather deceiving as once you mix the formula, it doesn't look like much and you do wonder whether it will be enough, but I can assure you that it provides more than enough dye, in fact I would even say that this bottle holds enough dye to cover your head and possibly a friend's! There is a small bottle of the actual colour which you simply pour into the developer bottle (tip: always check that the bottle containing the colour has the same code as what's on the box so you don't end up colouring your hair a completely different colour) and to mix you simply tip the bottle upside down slowly five times.
The conditioner provided is very nice, it smells good and locks in your colour to leave your hair soft and shiny. Another thing I was impressed with was the instruction booklet, which is detailed compared to other kits. It provides instructions on how to colour your hair whether you wish to colour only your roots or your full head. I always choose full head as hair dye never takes very well to my hair and fades quickly, so I have to dye once a month. Many people prefer using the traditional cream hair dyes as they believe foam is only temporary and washes out too easily. I have used both foam and cream dyes and I can honestly say that I much prefer foam dyes, they are much easier to apply and they don't drip. I will say that I have used other brands of foam dyes and they do wash out and fade quickly, this kit is the only one which lasts a while in my hair.
Application: I find the application process very painless. I usually find that cream dyes are difficult to apply and take a long time. This is quick and easy, and you can easily do it yourself. I do my roots and front of head first, simply folding over each section of hair as I go. The trickiest part is always the back of my head which I usually just have to guess and try and split the sections. The smell isn't overwhelming, in fact I can barely smell it during application. If I can smell the ammonia or chemicals, this usually puts me off using a dye. It doesn't drip either, which means I can walk around the house without fear of it dripping everywhere. It takes me around 10-15 minutes to apply and then the instructions recommend leaving it on for no longer than 30 minutes. I always leave mine on for 40, which is not recommended but I do this as it makes the colour slightly darker in my hair and seems to last longer. I then rinse and condition until all the dye is out.
Result: I am always impressed with the end result of this dye. My hair feels soft and shiny and I receive many compliments regarding my colour. In fact I receive more compliments from using this dye than I do when I have had it coloured at a salon, even hair dressers have complimented it. I have paid a lot for my hair to be coloured at salons and hair dressers will always argue that nothing beats a professional dying your hair, however my theory is why pay £100 when I can pay £6.99 and the colour comes out better and exactly how I want it? I can honestly say that I will never go to a salon again for a colour, as long as this kit exists! Home hair dye kits have come a long way in recent times, with new formulas and products being developed constantly to rival salon colours. In my opinion, this is the best home hair dye kit on the market and is the only one I use. I have taken some close up shots so you can really see the colour. The pictures don't do the colour justice as it looks a lot better in real life! The box describes it as "a deep brown/black shade with violet and red tones." I would describe it as a rich, dark brunette with red and purple tones. The final result is very dark and it looks black in certain light, but don't forget that this will fade to a medium brunette with a hint of red, I find that the violet tones don't last very long at all. This dye is good for those who are wanting a hint of red but without radically changing their colour and without the upkeep that red hair brings. This is a permanent dye but as me and Lucy discussed earlier today, permanent dyes never last, so they might as well all be temporary. In the sun, the red is a lot more evident as you can see in one of the below images. Overall excellent results!
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| BEFORE |
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| AFTER |
The first image is me a day before colouring and after so you can see the difference. My hair was previously coloured with the same dye so I was basically reapplying after about 6 weeks.
Jen
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