L'oreal Healthy Look Semi-Perm & Sebastian Cello's (Long)
This is my first post on LHCF after stalking the site since discovering Macherieamour's helpful tips back in the day! I wanted to add my 2cents about my experience with semi-perms & cello's.
Having used cello's for about a decade, I loved em'! They colored my gray strands (started graying at 21), didn't harm my hair & added a nice color & shine as he would custom-blend it for me. Switched to a new stylist after a decade of loyal visits (another story for another time) but she wasn't familiar with cello's & convinced me demi was the same thing & didn't harm the hair. Initially, I liked the results but I started to question it's "gentleness" after experiencing breakage & dryness over time. Back fact - I was diagnosed with PCOS in 06 & lost a ton of hair in 07 & it hasn't been the same since so I wasn't sure if the issues with my hair were due to the demi or a flare-up of PCOS. Either way, her protein treatments were not helping & after a time mix-up caused me to miss an appointment, I came across an AMAZING stylist near me & feel as though I finally found the one! : ) I'm back to cello's now & she educated me on the real difference & harm that can come from demi's. So cello's it is for me - she uses Sebastian btw (red brunette).
Side note - Prior to finding my current stylist, I had my hair done only for relaxer touch-ups (every 6-8 weeks) or special occasions. Once I started to question the demi color, I decided to try an at-home process & opted for L'oreal's Healthy Look Creme Gloss Color in 4G - Dark Golden Brown. The fact that it says "10MIN" on the box peaked my interest. I write reviews for publication so here's my take on it:
I haven't colored my hair at home for over a decade after my stylist said my use of Clairol's Natural Instincts resulted in a streaky, red mess. I'd have to agree, it was not pretty. So, I've gotten cellophane's or demi-permanent color every since but I'm stretching out my time between relaxers to give my hair a break, which means I'm going longer without my normal color touch-ups as well. As anyone with 'silver highlights' can tell you, those buggers wait for no one much less my choice to delay my next touch-up. I started to grow weary of people staring at my hair pretending not to notice the grey strands peeking out. I'm only 35 & still somewhat vain, so I had to do something. Came across an ad for Healthy Look while reading "In Style", checked the reviews before taking the plunge & decided 'why not'. I purchased 4G - Dark Golden Brown/ Golden Chocolate & couldn't wait to try it! 10 minutes? I was sold!
It was easy to apply, much easier than Natural Instincts from what I remember. I followed the instructions tho based around my hairline w/ vaseline, yes, vaseline. I left the color on longer than 10 minutes, because it took longer to separate each section & apply the color. I used a color applicator brush from Sally's to rub it into the roots & my hands (glove covered of course) to pull it through to my ends. Rinsed, conditioned & styled as normal. LOVE the results, covered all my gray flawlessly! The conditioner smells DIVINE, best I've ever used & my hair had shine & was less dry once I finished.
I will definitely buy it again, it darkened my hair from a med brown to a chocolate shade & I couldn't be happier with this cost efficient result.
** I do wish they sold the conditioner solo. Why not? I'll never understand! I kept the left over though the instructions state to toss it or could explode. It hasn't, but I'm sure that's more of a marketing ploy to get you to buy more sooner than necessary. I have a lot of hair & used a lot of the dye but still had some left so I'm happy with that too!