Wella Viva Shaders and Toners

I thought I'd tell you about a fantastic product which I use and have found to be one of the best temporary hair colorants I have tried.

The product is by Wella and called Shaders & Toners and is a 14ml sachet with enough of the wash in/wash out colour shampoo to do one wash. It's around 75p - 99p in supermarkets, chemists etc and occasionally Tesco have it on offer for 2 for 99p or BOGOF (buy one get one free)
The claim is that it will add instant colour & shine to your hair.

There are various shades 12 of them in all to suit most shades of brown and black hair.
35 Deep Mahogany (dark to light brown)
40 Dark Brown (med brown to dark blonde)
55 Mahogany (med brown to dark blonde)
566 Plum (dark brown to dark blonde)
64 Warm Red (light brown to med blonde)
655 Rich Mahogany (med brown to dark blonde)
67 Rich Velvet Brown (med brown to med blonde)
74 Flame Red (dark blonde to light blonde)
803 Light Golden Brown (med blonde to light blonde)
81 Light Ash Blonde (med blonde to light blonde)
873 Golden Sand (dark blonde to light blonde)
874 Copper Blonde (dark blonde to light blonde)

I have naturally mid brown hair but have had dyed a rich brown with blonde highlights on top….those blonde highlights can start to look a bit dull and faded after about 4-6 weeks of getting them done and as a student I just can't afford the £50-£60 it costs to have them done every 6 weeks….so I have to look around for a cheaper alternative that isn't going to damage my hair further as I usually leave it about 3 months between salon visits if I can help it!

I first discovered Shaders & Toners years ago as a teenager experimenting with colouring my mousy brown hair….and then stopped colouring my hair when I turned about 20 so had no need for this product again until 3 years ago.

My preferred shade is the Light Ash Blonde as this really brightens up my pale blonde highlights and makes them look as good (if not better) than the day I had them done in the salon! So the rest of this review will refer to this shade although I have tried over the years a few of the others, which work just as well.

The sachet shows a picture of a pretty girl with gorgeous pale blonde hair. This sachet has a small tear at the sides near the top to enable you to rip it open when needed. This is an extremely easy sachet to open, even with wet hands (a real bonus as anyone who has tried to open a sachet in a shower will tell you!)

How I use this product….
I first of all soak my hair and squeeze out some of the excess water, I then squeeze the thick dark purple liquid from the sachet (be careful with this as it can get on your clothing but it will wash out) it feels like a normal shampoo. I lather it into my hair paying careful attention the ends and all parts which are blonde, this doesn't colour my darker brown hair but does make it shine. The recommended time to leave this on your hair is for 5 minutes but I usually pop it on my hair, wrap an old towel around my hair and jump in a bath….half an hour or so later I'll rinse it off until the water runs clear and then just use my normal conditioner leaving it on for 5 minutes (I used to not bother with conditioner but since the water board changed our pipes my hair feels like straw after every single wash so conditioner is a must for me)

Once I have blow dried my hair I can notice a very visible difference…my tired looking blonde highlights now shine…and look brighter and blonder than before.
I usually get on the same bus every morning for college and sit with one of my daughter's friend's mum who is on same bus….so she sees me every weekday usually, and this morning she asked me if I had been and gotten my hair done again as it looked so blonde and shinier than usual. This was all the proof I needed that this product actually works.

Of course this will only work if your hair is blonde, don't go expecting dark brown/black hair to instantly turn blonde in 5 minutes using this….for that you would need to use something stronger!

The Colour normally lasts me a week-2 weeks( I wash my hair 2-3 times a week) so for less than a pound this is really a bargain buy for me and lets me put off that trip to the salon for a few weeks longer or until I can really see my roots showing! LOL

There are lots of cautions on the back of the packaging…
• Use only as directed ( I never do lol)
• Can cause an allergic reaction…ingredients are listed on label so you can see for yourself if there are any that you know you are allergic to.
• Do not use to dye eyelashes/brows
• Do not exceed development time stated (wooops)
• Immediately rinse any spillages on skin or clothing as staining can occur…I've always managed to get the purple tinge off my skin with a little soap, and I usually use an old towel when colouring hair anyway although the colour hasn't stained it as yet.

On that note I will add a little bit of my own advise…..Don't visit your salon getting harsh chemicals put in your hair every six weeks as you can save yourself a little money and keep your hair looking just as good at home using this product. Give it a try…..for under a quid what have you got to lose?

Thanks for reading
Michelle Jan 07