I have been dying my hair since I was around 14. Until I was about 19, I died it blonde with that awful Sun-in lightening spray. I had a bit of a disaster when I bought a cheaper brand and ended up with a head full of bright yellow hair. The girls at work kept saying it was fine, and no-one could tell. I almost believed them until a male colleague then came out with 'So, really love, how much do you think it's gonna cost you to put that right?'
After that, I decided that maybe I should just let the blonde grow out and see what my natural colour was (I had forgotten by that point!). My natural colour turned out to be, as I had somewhat expected, a horrible mousy brown/dark blonde, that looked dull, and the mix of mousy and blonde had the habit of making me look like I was going grey! I'm not sure why I decided to go dark, but I did. I'm also not sure why I decided to use Loreal Casting to do so, but I did, and I'm really glad of it.

~~About the dye~~

Inside the box you will find -
· A small plastic capsule, which holds a pair of gloves. I'm not sure what these are made of as it doesn't seem to say anywhere, but they are good quality, not like the 'plastic bag' type gloves that some hair dyes include.
· I bottle of tone on tone colourant gel (50ml)
· 1 applicator bottle of crème developer (50ml)
· 1 double does of conditioner with the scent of red fruits (40ml)
· Instruction leaflet

Before using the product you must perform a skin allergy test. When I was younger I never used to bother doing the allergy test. Thankfully I was lucky enough never to have a reaction. Now I would never not do the test. This is since watching a TV programme on a lady who burnt all her scalp, even though she had used the same dye before with no problems.
It suggests dabbing a bit of the tone on tone colourant (a penny sized blob) behind your ear, and then leave for 48 hours before using the product. Obviously, if, in this time you notice any redness or itching around this area you must not use.
I have psoriasis, and seem to be developing allergies to all sorts these days, but I have always been fine with this.
The box also says that people with Tattoos may be more prone to being allergic to this.

Preparing the colour is really easy with this product. I have used colourants in the past which required ridiculous preparations, like measuring powder and mixing it on a saucer! With this one you just unscrew the stopper from the colour gel, and this clicks onto the bottom of the applicator bottle. Screw into place, shake vigourously (you will then see the colour (Honey brown in my case) start to mix into the developer and you're ready to go!

I have always found applying the colourant very easy with this product as well. Simply wet your hair (without washing it), then towel dry and apply the liquid. You can use the nozzle to make a few partings in your hair. I have found this easy despite my hair being really thick. You then need to massage through your hair, wearing the gloves of course.
Simply leave for 15 minutes, or add an extra five for better coverage of greys or a more intense colour. I have actually found the waiting for 15 minutes part of the application the messiest part, strangely enough! The reason for this, is that I only have a bath, no shower and during the 15 minutes I kinda tend to get bored. I leaned back in the bath and my hair touched the wall, which left a brown patch on my wall which simply would not come off and I actually had to re-paint my bathroom to get rid of it! It will, however, wash off your bath and tiles (try Flash bathroom spray!) I have also ruined several towels by putting them round my shoulders while the dye is on my hair.
After your 15 minutes, add some warm water to make a lather, then simply rinse. The final step is to add the double dose of conditioner, which smells lovely and will keep your hair really soft.0

There are 14 shades available in this range. My local Wilkinsons only stocked brunette and reddy shades, but it's possible there are also blonde colours in the range which were not in stock.

~~My verdict~~