For several years now, L'Oréal Paris Excellence Créme Permanent Hair Color has been my go-to product when I want natural looking hair color. There are several things I love about this permanent at-home dye.
It's available in a wide range of shades from very natural to a little bit out there, it includes not just a single-tip applicator but also comes with a comb applicator that makes it a breeze to color the hair fringing my face, it doesn't run or drip, it does a great job of covering my gray, and it doesn't smell too bad. The kit also includes a pre-color moisturizer that helps the color absorb evenly from roots to ends.
TotalBeauty shares my love of Excellence Hair Cream, writing that it provides "long-lasting, silky coverage" that doesn't damage hair and covers grays completely. And with 30 shades to choose from, you're sure to find just the right color for your own hair.
Pros: Comb-tip applicator, pre-color moisturizer, excellent selection of colors, reasonable price, not too thin or runny
Cons: Like most at-home colors, results can be darker than anticipated
Buy L'Oréal Paris Excellence Créme Permanent Hair Color at Target for $5.99
Semi-permanent hair color contains no ammonia, so it doesn't open your hair shaft the way permanent color does. This means that semi-permanent hair color only coats the outside of each hair shaft. It doesn't penetrate inside the hair shaft like permanent color. As a general rule, semi-permanent hair color lasts for a month or so, washing away a little bit with each shampoo.
If you'd like to try out a change of hair color temporarily, want a natural-looking hair color that goes easy on your locks, or just want to add a bit of richness and shine to your hair, Clairol Natural Instincts is the product to reach for. Although it won't cover gray as well as permanent hair color, it does a fine job if you only have a little bit of gray.
Good Housekeeping chose this as a top pick, writing, "We found the at-home dye offered even coverage, left hair shiny, and was fade-resistant when used to just cover up a bit of gray."
There are nearly 30 natural-looking colors to choose from.
Pros: No ammonia, so the product is easier on your hair and scalp than permanent color; natural looking colors that do a fairly good job of covering gray hair
Cons: As with all semi-permanent hair dye, the color fades and washes out within a few weeks
Buy Clairol Natural Instincts at Walmart for $6.92This is another favorite hair dye of mine. I've used Clairol Nice N' Easy Perfect 10 Hair Color many times over the years, and sampled most of the brown and auburn shades the line offers. It cuts down the tedious waiting period from the typical 25-30 minutes of most permanent hair colors to a mere 10 minutes, but still offers natural, shiny coverage.
Ulta buyers rate the product highly. With 1,350 reviews, it has an average of 4.6 stars. Most buyers praise the easy and quick application, the excellent coverage of gray hair, and the shininess of their hair after coloring.
On the downside, some complain the product smells bad, and the color selection isn't as good as some other lines — There are only 14 shades, most of which are in the brown family.
Pros: Takes less than half the time of regular hair colors
Cons: Strong odor, relatively small selection of colors
Buy Clairol Nice N' Easy Perfect 10 Hair Color at Ulta for $13.49Yet another must-have hair product in my ample collection of such things, I love the convenience of Clairol Nice 'n Easy Root Touch-Up Kit. Basically just a miniature container of hair color, it comes with a small brush that makes it simple to apply the color to hair along the part and around the forehead.
Another plus of the product is that it only takes 10 minutes to work its magic, leaving gray hair completely colored and matched to the rest of your hair. The smell is rather pleasant by hair color standards, as well.
With more than 20 shades available, you can match just about any hair color perfectly.
Pros: Quick cover-up for gray hair along the part and temples, many shades to choose from
Cons: This is a small container, so you'll only be able to cover up the most obvious areas of gray. Expensive, considering the small amount of product
Buy Clairol Nice 'n Easy Root Touch-Up Kit at Target for $5.59Whether you want a rainbow of colors on your head, or just a few highlights of hot pink, bright blue, or even bright yellow, Punky Colour is there for you. A caveat, however: all bright-and-crazy hair dyes are semi-permanent at best, but if you want the longest lasting unnatural hair color, you'll need to visit a salon. Professionals have access to longer-lasting, deeper-penetrating products.
Still, for at-home use, Punky Colour does a great job, and lasts for a couple of weeks, depending on how often you wash your hair. It also must be noted that if your hair is dark, you'll need to bleach away the color before applying Punky Colour, otherwise it won't show up. This is true of all of the "unnatural" hair colors.
Fashionista really likes Punky Colour, praising its relatively good staying power. They do comment that the containers are small, however, so if your hair is much past your shoulders, and you plan on coloring all of your hair, you'll need at least two jars.
There are 12 colors to choose from, including cotton candy, purple, green, and yellow.
Pros: Fun, bright colors and no harsh odor or chemicals
Cons: Color washes away fairly quickly, which may actually be a plus if you only want to play with unnatural color for a special occasion or short time. You'll need to buy an application brush and gloves separately
Buy Punky Colour at Ulta for $7.99If you want to color your hair, it's almost impossible to avoid all synthetic or strong ingredients, but Herbatint lets you come a lot closer to your goal.
This permanent hair color covers gray very well, and leaves your hair healthy and shiny. It includes moisturizing aloe vera, along with colors derived from walnut shells, rhubarb, and other herbal sources.
Bustle chose this as a "Vegan Hair Dye That Actually Works," writing, "Lots of semi-permanent vegan hair dyes are great for delivering a hint of pretty color, but aren't as effective in coloring grey hair. This permanent hair dye provides vibrant color without ammonia, parabens, and alcohol and gets rid of greys in a flash."
On the downside, Herbatint isn't as fast as most at-home hair colors. After mixing and applying the color, you'll need to wait at least 40 minutes before rinsing it out. Still, that wait may well be worth it if you want to avoid the chemicals commonly found in hair dyes.
There are 30 colors to choose from ranging from light blonde to black.
Pros: No ammonia or parabens. Pigments derived from natural ingredients
Cons: Takes longer than most other hair colors
Buy Herbatint on Amazon for $9.93 and upSome days you just run out of time to wash your hair, but that doesn't mean it has to look greasy. Dry shampoo is here to save you from a bad hair day. Of all the dry shampoos around, R+Co's Death Valley Dry Shampoo is the best because it makes your hair look like new. Here are the best dry shampoos you can buy:
Impossible as it might be to find a shampoo that works for every hair type, Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Shampoo comes pretty close. That's why it's our top pick — Living Proof's basic formula really works and it might even help you wash your hair less often. These are the five best shampoos for all hair types:
Hair masks are an affordable and easy way to give your hair a salon treatment from the comfort of your own home. Here are the best hair masks you can buy:
If you style your hair daily with a blow dryer or curling iron, your hair needs protection from heat damage. The Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray will protect your hair from heat damage without weighing it down, keep frizz at bay, and give you silky hair at an extremely affordable price. Here are our picks:
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