Happy Halloween!

I didn't do anything doll-related yesterday because I was glued to the news and reading indictments; but I thought I would do a little review of the L'Oreal Colorista temp hair dye now that I have been in it for a couple of days (and gone through a shampoo). I have dyed my hair for so many years I have no idea what my "natural" color is (apparently a sort of salt and pepper steel gray?) and over that I had very streaky, brassy gold highlights that no longer flatter my more pinky older self. So I wanted something in the purple tones anyway to tone down the brassiness of my permanent dye. I bought the color knowing that while it is advertised as a "temporary" color, things with blue pigments tend to be quite colorfast and that I would be wearing it for a while.

When I opened the box, I found the directions, several pairs of gloves, and one pre-mixed bottle. If you want really intense color, there is another Colorista product you need to use first, which I think is just peroxide bleach to lighten your hair. Using the lightener is a permanent change, and though the blue color in this product would wash out and fade eventually, you would end up with sort of pale blondish hair. I actually wanted more subtle color, so I put pigment over my own hair, with it's already pre-dyed blonde streaks. Be sure you read the box as well as the directions, there is more information on the box that I didn't see in the "use" directions.

 I was happy to see the single bottle though, because it does simplify the test you can do to see if you are allergic. I know from experience I have a reaction to reds, but blues seem to be fine, so I just went ahead and used it--which I don't recommend, this is my own personality flaw :D

Even though I have used dye (and exclusively L'Oreal after two run-ins with Clairol) for years, this is a thinner mix and you need to take their instructions seriously about covering everything with a sacrificial towel or paper. This stuff is bananas--it flings everywhere. I was trying to use it out of the bottle, squeezing it on a plastic comb:

A pile of pre-torn-off paper towels would have been good too.

The brush provided was way too soft to be effective on my thick, coarse hair; so the comb worked ..ok--but a better way to do it would have been to squeeze the bottle out into a small plastic bowl, and then apply with a small plastic spatula/putty knife and then push around with the comb, or to buy a plastic squeeze bottle with a snout, and use that to apply the color. The bottle up there has a flat, unhelpful opening. Having a friend do the back would have been a good idea too, I had to use a mirror and it was a little awkward having only one hand to manage everything.

The nice thing is that you can actually see where the color is. It looks very purple in the tube, but on my head it is more of a denim indigo, like the label "Indigo" says. (I think the color on the photo on the box is a little deceptive, but again I didn't use the lightening process Colorista sells and that may be why the model on the box is more purple). I waited for the color to develop for the longest time suggested, because my hair always resists color, and then I rinsed it out with warm water. Warning--as you rinse the tub becomes very slippery. The color has a conditioner mixed in it and the rinsed product makes the tub like a greased pig. You might even take your no-hope towel and stand on it and be careful not to move your feet. I always start rinsing with my back to the faucet, to keep the color out of my eyes, and it takes a while--5 to seven minutes of rinsing and parting my hair with my fingers, and I still always under-rinse the center back. Then wrap your head with a towel and gently squeeze your hair, don't rub it, and then let it air-dry. You probably will still feel the pigment particles on your hair--it will feel a little rough and dry. Your shower curtain will be dyed a little around the bottom, and any soap scum in the bottom of the shower as well (magic eraser gets it off). Your comb and brush will turn a little blue. The first night I put my hair in a scrunchie because I didn't want to get color on my pillow, but it was fine by then (my hair was dry and I had brushed it out). Here is what it looked like after one wash (The expression is "no glasses small screen"):

It's nice and fairly subtle, I wish I had done all of my hair and I think I will go back after four weeks and do the rest of it, to even it out. I've also switched to this shampoo:

 that has Sodium Laurel Lactylate instead of sulfate--the sulfate, according to K, is what strips out your color the fastest. Also it has argan oil, which people have been slapping on their heads since Victorian times (it's the "Macassar oil" that "antimacassar doilies" were intended to save chairs from). And it smells nice :D It's made my hair ends a bit softer, too.

Anyway, tl:dr read the directions and would buy again.