I'm 27, a freelance hack based in London, where I've lived all my life.
I'm 27, a freelance hack based in London, where I've lived all my life.
Member since:15.12.2000
Reviews:154
Members who trust:129
- largely because I have a habit of forgetting which hairdye I used the time before, which makes it difficult to buy it again. At least I did before (cue cheesy ad moment) I discovered Feria.
I'm not sure why I bought it the first time, especially as it's a bit pricey. Certainly a couple of quid more than I would normally pay. Probably the chemist didn't have anything else in the colour I wanted, which is a red/auburn to tint my dark brown hair rather than change it radically.
And to start with, I didn't notice a difference. Feria's the same as other hair dyes in that you have to faff around with little bottles and those crappy plastic gloves before you can get going. In particular, youi have to do tht thing where you get the blue bottle filled with dark stuff and kind of screw it into the bigger bottle with white stuff in it - you'll just have to trust me that the instructions are good enough for you to do this without any problems. The key thing is that when it says break the top off the bigger bottle AS SOON as you screw the smaller bottle in, they mean it. It will explode if you don't. This hasn't happened to me but it happened to a friend and suffice to say it's very messy indeed. Plus you have to buy a new kit and start over.
Now, if your hair is towel-dried and you've got a top on you don't care about (or better still, no top at all) you can get going. As soon as you do, the superiority of this dye becomes apparent. It's got a lovely gloopy consistency, thick enough to be controllable and runny enough not to go into clumps or splatter the bath (tho' you do need to be careful with anything red - get a bit trigger happy and the bathroom will look like you've just murdered someone). It also smells really nice, which is a very pleasant change compared to most hair dye. You get heaps in the bottle so there's more than enough to cover all your hair (a problem for me, as mine is quite long) and you only have to leave it on for half an hour.
When the time comes to rinse, the excess colour washes out really quickly and you can tell even when your hair is wet whether it's worked properly. And then comes the piece de resistance: the conditioner. This stuff is glorious, gloopy and silky and it makes your hair quite incredibly soft. I'd actually buy it separately if I could, but as far as I know it's not available. You can get away with not using it if you're in a hurry, but I wouldn't recommend it.
As with most dyes, you have to be prepared to have a fair bit more colour come out the first time you wash it afterwards, so going swimming or something immediately isn't such a great idea. I went straight to the gym after doing mine once, and didn't understand what the problem was until I saw everyone staring at me, looked down and realised the communal showers looked like something out of psycho.
And the colour lasts too. It's thick and rich and glossy and fades just enough that my roots don't show, and if you re-dye then it evens everything up. It actually makes your hair look like something out of an ad, to the point where you might even want to walk down the street swishing it about.
In short, it's a top product and well worth the extra quid or so. My only quibble, and it's a minor one, is that I'd really appreciate a shower cap to cover my hair while I'm waiting for the dye to take - otherwise it drips, and cling film is so fiddly. But then perhaps perfection is a bit much to ask for £6.50.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Affordable DIY-kit that delivers a brown which really shows up on naturally dark hair, available in a wide range of colours from blondes/browns/reds to purples Disadvantages: Formula is quite strong - contains some bleach, ammonia smell is strong, not suitable for already dry, weakened hair, quite runny hence can be messy
Jan 5th, 2001
(Jan 29th, 2001)
very helpful by (100%):
