Friday Flop: My Precision Foam Colour Disaster

Show of hands.  Who dyes their hair?

My hand is raised high.

I started going a super slow gray at nineteen years old.  Nineteen.  Which means I have spent many years since bouncing between trips to the salon for a color and dyeing it myself.  Currently I am back on the kick where I dye it myself.

I have dark brown hair and like to switch up the color from time to time, anything in the range of lighter browns to the deeper reds.  (Side note, I have always wanted to go blonde but have never been able to muster up the guts to do so… pink too, but I’m afraid I long passed the age where I could pull that one off.)

When it comes to dyeing my hair though?  I am a pro.  Seriously!  Have never had a single problem, and I like to switch up the brands too.  OK, well there was that time with the Sun In.  That was a near disaster, but that’s another story for another time.

A few weeks ago I opened my mailbox and was excited to find a voucher for a free box of John Frieda’s new Precision Foam Colour.  Because you know, John and I?  Are like *that*.  (Or maybe I just signed up for a coupon…who can remember.)  At the store I chose 4R Radiant Red (for dark red brown hair – my current kick).   At Target it retails for $11.99 – pretty pricey for the cost of do it yourself hair dye these days but I told myself it could just be worth it (if I was paying and all).  The application is supposed to be as easy as shampooing your hair.  Mix the color, tilt the bottle, squeeze – out comes the foam… which you apply at the roots and then all over.  The website itself says: Simply massage the foam into your hair to achieve flawless coverage you thought you could only get at a salon. No drips, no stains – just gorgeous-looking hair from every angle.

Huh.

No drips, no stains.

Hmm.

Picture me in a tube top in my bathroom being dripped on everywhere faster than I could get it massaged into my hair – and my ears, arm and shoulder getting stained.  I was actually standing there in the mirror laughing at myself (because it was that or cry) … even my sink got stained.  Seriously, no idea what the heck happened.  And the smell.  I am fully used to the smell of hair dye but this one made my eyes burn.

After waiting the allotted time and washing it out, I did actually like the color and thought I might give it one more try next time.  Cut to two weeks later as the color starts fading from my hair in streaky pieces.  Full disclosure, yes I have been out at the beach and in the sun but it has never happened so fast with any other dye I have used.  I am maybe only a month out from dyeing my hair right now and not only has it really faded but I have grays popping up everywhere.  Really quite shocked.  Worst hair dye I have ever used.  Especially disappointing after seeing how much more they charge than other brands you can buy yourself (that work so much better).

If you want to give it a go yourself, certain colors on Amazon are selling for as low as $9.85 right now… but I don’t think I’d spend my money on this brand.

Friday Flop: John Frieda Luminous Color Glaze, AKA That Smelly Smell That Smells

I suppose I should preface this by saying that I have good hair. Good as in normal, no issues. When I tried John Frieda Luminous Color Glaze, I was just looking for something to take my hair to the next level. OK, the truth was I was bored and I love to try new things especially if they promise me that they’ll make me gorgeous. Whatever. The point is, I bought this stuff. It’s a clear shine booster that works for all hair colors—they also make it in different shades to boost your natural color. I don’t have a natural color so I used the clear.

It doesn’t bode well for a product when I am already annoyed with it after reading the directions. Apparently there are two ways to glaze: as part of your “daily hair care routine” or as a weekly treatment. The daily routine requires you to shampoo and condition as usual, then apply the glaze and leave it on for three minutes. Which means I’m adding an extra step to my morning toilet, so now I’m running late. By about three minutes. Every day. I know this sounds silly, but I am not a morning person and for whatever reason, time seems to evaporate when I’m getting ready; every minute counts and it doesn’t take much to screw it all up. So, maybe the weekly treatment is for me?

Not so much.

The glaze applies to dry hair and stays on for 20 minutes. And you have to do this every week. My attention span for such things is just not long enough for this. But I did it anyway. Once, I think.

Once because I thought I’d pass out from the smell. I can deal with a chemical odor, but this stuff smells like that one aunt you have who literally bathes in some perfume she bought in bulk fifty years ago. Yes, it reeks. Strongly. Even after you’ve rinsed it out, dried it and put other product in it. As I sit writing this the bottle is next to me, closed, and the scent is assaulting my delicate nasal cilia.

And really I would have dealt with it if it actually made a difference in my hair. It did not. It looked exactly the same as it had before. Not shinier, certainly not glossy. Just smelly. Perhaps I didn’t need to use a hair glosser in the first place. Maybe it would work better for people who suffer from frizz or dry hair. Maybe. It wasn’t expensive (under $10), but for about half the price you can buy Shine Happy, a once-a-month shine treatment (You have to use the conditioner once a week, but it smells nice and you use in place of your regular conditioner, not in addition to it) that actually works. At least it does for me.

Your results may vary.

How To Straighten Curly Hair – A Video

While I am an advocate of embracing your natural hair texture, especially if you’ve been blessed with naturally curly hair, I am also a fan of the infamous Spice of Life: variety.

And that, my friends, is why I did a little happy dance when I figured out how to straighten my curly hair in less than 30 minutes.

If you can’t see this video, click here to watch it on YouTube.

Products listed after the jump.

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