...
The finished result will always depend on your natural hair colour
WHAT L'OREAL SAY:
Creative Colourist Christophe Robin has combined his expertise with that of the L'Oreal laboratories to create a range of unique and refined colours. Every shade is made up of a perfect and subtle ... Read review
1-5 of 14 reviews of L'Oreal Paris Recital Preference
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I'm no Cruella DeVille (or a skunk!)
Advantages: Cheaper than a salon for a professional look Disadvantages: Not cheaper if you stain everything else too!
...
WHAT L'OREAL SAY:
Creative Colourist Christophe Robin has combined his expertise with that of the L'Oreal laboratories to create a range of unique and refined colours. Every shade is made up of a perfect and subtle equilibrium of colourants, for an exceptional colour that offers perfect grey coverage.
CONTENTS:
(as purchased this weekend, and after returning to Tesco for an exchange, ... ...length of your hair, (though L'Oreal state there are up to 5 applications).
An instruction sheet.
And two disposable gloves in a small plastic 'egg'!
PRICE AND AVAILIBILITY:
I bought this for £5.77 in Tesco, although it can possibly be purchased for slightly less in Savers, Wilkinsons etc.
I spent a good 30 years of my life with mid brown hair with gold lights in it! "Ok so what's wrong with that?" I hear some of you muttering! Well I always wanted to have either blonde or black hair, not brown and MOST CERTAINLY not GREY! And I had started to get a patch of grey hair at my left temple, as well as scatterings here and there.
I tried a blonde wig on to get an idea of how I might look, it made me look ill and didn't compliment my skin tone at all, which was very slightly olive/ tanned (not glowing or glistening or fair) so I tried a black one on and it looked really nice, sort of dramatic, in a Italian sort of way, that's how I saw it then anyhow!
So, the next thing was to pluck up the nerve to go out and do something about it! I had just turned thirty, and having my youngest child still at the nappy stage; I needed a boost.
If I remember correctly, a trip to 'Boots' and a look at what colours were available took place, I then had to chose something with no recommendations from 'Ciao' to look at first, so I picked a brand name that I thought was fairly good quality, and went for a very dark brown, called 'Brasilia' (No 3) not the black that I had intended, as I thought it had just a bit of warmth to it, and wasn't quite as 'flat' and severe as the black I had intended.
Now I know that many people colour their hair regularly, but the very first time is usually done 'by the book' even down to the stopwatch, just in case horror of horrors, your hair all falls out or goes green, so I followed the instructions like I said to the letter.
PLEASE NOTE:
L'Oréal Paris Récital Préférence is permanent, so it will gradually grow out. It does not wash out.
For the purpose of this review, I am concentrating primarily on the Brasilia (No 3) shade, although much of the information I give is relevant to most shades, when you are wishing to cover grey or go darker. To go lighter, you will possibly need to follow a procedure to prepare you hair prior to colouring.
You can use Récital Préférence on permed hair, but you should wait at least a week after the perm.
The finished result will always depend on your natural hair colour
WHAT L'OREAL SAY:
Creative Colourist Christophe Robin has combined his expertise with that of the L'Oreal laboratories to create a range of unique and refined colours. Every shade is made up of a perfect and subtle equilibrium of colourants, for an exceptional colour that offers perfect grey coverage.
CONTENTS:
(as purchased this weekend, and after returning to Tesco for an exchange, as the box I bought had the gloves and the conditioner missing Grrrr!)
Opening the glossy box, I am presented with a small brown plastic bottle of Gel Colourant with a twist off lid.
A slightly bigger whitish plastic bottle of Developer Creme, also with twist off lid (although the liquid doesn't take up much of the bottle).
A tube of Shine Enhancing Conditioner, enough for two or more applications depending on the length of your hair, (though L'Oreal state there are up to 5 applications).
An instruction sheet.
And two disposable gloves in a small plastic 'egg'!
PRICE AND AVAILIBILITY:
I bought this for £5.77 in Tesco, although it can possibly be purchased for slightly less in Savers, Wilkinsons etc.
BEFORE YOUR FIRST APPLICATION:
You should try a sensitivity test, this is performed by removing earrings, cleaning a small area behind your ear with surgical spirit, and applying a little of the colourant gel (brown bottle) with a cotton wool bud. Reapply a couple more times, allowing it to dry between each application and wait for 48 hours without washing. Reseal the bottle. If during this period you notice itching or reddening, do not use this product. Once you are happy that you do not have any over sensitive reactions, you probably won't have to do this test again, although for insurance purposes, the product recommends that you do, I only tried it the very first time all those years ago! Of course if you wish to have your hair coloured for a specific event, you need to consider testing a couple of days before.
OTHER WARNINGS:
Sorry there are so many, but forewarned and all that!
Do not use if you have already had a reaction to a hair colourant. Do not use if you have a sensitive or damaged scalp (although I have used it on mine and I occasionally get scalp psoriasis, it makes it a little tingly which stops after a while! Still better than looking like Cruella Deville!) If Tattooed you may be at greater risk of allergic reaction. In the case of a reaction occurring during application, such as burning or stinging, rinse immediately, and discontinue use. In the case of shortness of breath seek medical attention, and consult you GP before attempting to colour your hair again. (Although if it affected me like that I would have to accept the 'skunk' look!) Do not use to colour eyelashes and eyebrows Do not use after a bleach. Avoid contact with eyes, and try not to get too much on your skin, it does wash off with soap but might stain around your nails for a bit.
INGREDIENTS:
Too numerous to mention here, suffice to say they contain some strong chemicals, and if you have a known allergy, you should read the box first, or send me a message and I will help if I can.
PREPARATION:
A: as recommended by me!
I usually remove anything from my bathroom that could be damaged by any drops of the mixture! Bath mats, pastel towels etc, as an accidental spill can permanently colour anything porous, I have splashed dye on a white gloss door, and had to repaint it in the past! (even if you wipe it immediately it is too late!) Grout is another porous area so be careful! Baths of most types are usually ok, as the mixture is diluted when being rinsed off, however I keep my white shower curtain out of the way during application time, and I used to tell my daughter to colour her hair at her friends house as she is so messy! Lol! I usually keep an old bath towel available for use when colouring my hair, it saves on ruining my better ones.
B: as recommended by L'Oreal
Put on gloves provided. Pour the colourant gel into the larger white developer crème bottle, screw shut and shake to mix together well. Break off the nozzle cap immediately - this is very important to ensure the bottle doesn't explode! Wet hair with warm water, but do not wash, then towel dry.
COLOURING:
For a first application:
1) Apply the mixture to the roots by parting the hair with the nozzle of the developer bottle. 2) Massage the hair gently to work up a lather. 3) Allow 30 minutes for the colour to develop, the colour of the product will become darker but this is normal. 4) Pour a little warm water onto the hair and massage gently, then rinse thoroughly with warm water until the water runs clear, I usually lean over my bath to do this. (Make sure you rinse any plastic shower head to prevent staining!) 5) Evenly spread a sufficient amount of the Shine Enhancing Conditioner all over your hair, and massage in, leave to develop for 2 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
For subsequent applications, 4 - 5 weeks later, L'Oreal recommend you apply the mixture to the roots only for the first 20 minutes, and then massage through to the ends for the last 10 minutes. Then you follow the same directions as recommended for the first application.
I tend to have a shower and re-wash shampoo and condition my hair to remove any further traces of just coloured staining to the scalp. I feel it looks a little less obvious to anyone that I have coloured my hair in the last hour!
OTHER COLOURS TRIED:
I coloured my daughters hair with a blonde shade of L'Oreal Récital once, she had been a natural blonde, but as she was getting older her hair was getting darker, and the results did bring her blonde back, and we agreed it looked very nice. She has since then however, used a mixed variety of colours and quality colourants, and been red, purple, black, pink, blue, and red & black mixed! her hair is a bit of a mess now and at 19 she is letting shades of black and ginger (where bleaching went wrong!) grow out, SO BE WARNED!
POSSIBLE TIP FOR PEOPLE WITH SHORT OR FINE HAIR:
My hairdresser gave me an excellent tip one day, so simple that I hadn't even considered it! She recommended that as my hair was quite fine and one application either ran off my head in torrents because of over-application, or left a lot of dye surplice to requirement which got thrown away, I should keep the two bottles, and wash them up ready for the nest time I coloured my hair, then split the two new bottles 50/50 and keep one of each for a second application 6 weeks later or whenever. This is what I have been doing for the last 10 years, and as long as the two solutions are kept separate, and contained in the appropriate bottles with their tight fitting lids it works just fine. Of course the conditioner is provided for the initial dye, but there is enough to do more than one application included in the pack. The gloves will need to be washed and dried to re-use or buy a cheap box from a chemist or good supermarket.
AND FINALLY MY OPINION:
I have been using this for around 15 years and will continue to do so! I have never seen the 'Mallen streak' that I know exists beneath the colour and so neither has anyone else! I have tried other brands and colours during that time, but I always come back to this for the best coverage of grey, other shades particularly ones with redish tones, or other brands can make grey/ white hair almost pink which is horrible! I try to keep this colour as a base, and occasionally put a more trendy colour on when my roots have already been darkened!
This is not the cheapest hair colourant, but used properly and carefully it compares favourably with salon prices, and gives a professional appearance.
THE WEBSITE:
There is a website but, either it is incomplete or my pc was running too slow to access it in greater depth.
Advantages: Cheap and straightforward. Disadvantages: The smell.
...My dye of choice is L'Oreal Recital Preference for no good reason other than that my mother uses it (and despite the fact that she inevitably dyes her ears as well her hair looks reasonably alright) and nearly every supermarket/chemist sells it for around a fiver. You'll find it with all the shampoo stuff in a big gold box with the name and a picture of a woman who gives the impression of being very pleased indeed with her hair on the front. The ... ...her head. She phoned the helpline people, who, once they'd finished laughing, gave her the name of a L'Oreal consultant in the local chemist who'd fix it. There you go: hair dyeing made easy. Anyone can manage it, and for gingers it should be mandatory. ...
tallulahbang 03.03.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of L'Oreal Paris Recital Preference
Advantages: great colour, soft shiny hair Disadvantages: smells really bad, bit messy, ruins your towel!
...I have been using L'oreal Recital Preference shade number 3.66 for about 2 years now and I love it. The colour is described as 'dark red ultra violet'. What this means is your hair goes a rich dark reddy/purpley brown colour and when the sun hits it the colour shines red and looks really nice.
I have naturally dark brown hair, which if I'm being honest has the odd grey. However this dye should not be used if you have a lot of grey as it will turn ... ...is not for you I'm afraid. The box says that this dye can be used on dark blond to black hair.
It says that the colour is fade resistant and high shine, which I have found to be true. My hair always looks very shiny with this colour. I do notice some fading after the first 2-3 washes but I think that is just the removal of any excess dye. The box contains a bottle of developer cream, a bottle of colourant gel and a small tube of colour maximizer. ...
rachael23 06.04.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of L'Oreal Paris Recital Preference
Advantages: Glossy colour, shows up well, good price Disadvantages: Very strong smelling & messier than all other dyes I've used (probably due to the fact you need to dampen hair)
...colour to mine had used L'Oreal Recital Preference in the shade Brasilia I knew it'd suit me. What attracted me to it was that there were no red tones in it and it was a very dark brown, close to my almost-black natural colour.
L'OREAL RECITAL PREFERENCE
This dye comes in a smart box similar to many of the other L'Oreal hair dyes. As with all dyes there are plenty of precautions and warnings on the box and the instruction leaflet which you must ... ...fruity (although nothing beats the L'Oreal Couleur Experte conditioner!) It felt like it was really softening my hair as it went through. I had timed this quite badly as Big Brother (sad, I know) was just about to start so I slightly rushed the rinsing of the conditioner.
Blow drying my hair in the usual fashion and without applying any styling products my hair ended up really soft and shiny with a really noticeable colour change. All the red tones ...
carly_pussycat 26.07.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of L'Oreal Paris Recital Preference
Advantages: Leaves hair shiny and beautiful colour Disadvantages: Makes hair fluffy, didn't actually dye my hair
...I bought a box of L'Oreal Recital Preference in 'Palma Natural Brown' so that my hair will go dark brown and I can get highlights.
USE
As I open the box and tip out the contents I am pleased to see that they are still the same as they always have been. Just a big bottle of developer cream, a smaller bottle of colourant gel, gloves, instructions and shine conditioner...simple. I wet my hair because the dye requires that your hair is damp before ... ...It has been suggested that L'oreal is not such an ethical company as it still tests on animals even after controversy over it's buying into the Body Shop. Also, food company Nestle own over 1/4 of L'Oreal's shares and rights. If you are unfamiliar with the problems with Nestle's ethics and why it is a bad thing that L'Oreal is partly owned by them then you may want to have a look on Google. Personally I do not have the money to be buying ethically ...
Frailfrost 12.09.2007 (13.09.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of L'Oreal Paris Recital Preference
Advantages: Vibrant colour, high shine Disadvantages: Messy ... very messy
...picking up a box of L'Oreal Recital Preference in the local supermarket the other day. The shade is 4-66 and is described as "Incandescent Dark Red". The shade description did put me off a little but when I looked at the shade chart on the back of the box I was comforted by the result showing on dark brown to black hair as being one that stays dark, but has sparkly, shiny red tones. Not only that but the brand was on special offer at £3.99 and that ... ...totally honest.
The package looked classy and expensive so I looked forward to examining the contents. What I found was
Developer Crème
Colourant Gel
Color Maximizer Shine Enhancing Conditioning Shampoo
Professional Quality Gloves
Instruction Leaflet
My first major disappointment comes when I realise that I have to thoroughly dampen my hair and towel dry before application. I'm so used to just mixing developer and colourant together and then ...
fantasybeliever 13.09.2005 (15.09.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of L'Oreal Paris Recital Preference
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