Clairol Loving care

[Eireann]

I've been in the market for a kinder gentler hair color. As I enter the territory past waist, I'm trying to give up some of my bad habits, but I'm still not willing to go grey. I'm going to try Clairol Loving Care, which is supposed to last 6 to 12 shampoos (I only shampoo 8 times a month, and my roots show in a month even with permanent dye). I got dark brown for my new growth and medium brown for my previously dyed hair (since it doesn't lift color, I don't want it to look too dark on the bottom). If I have time tonight, I'm going to give it a try. I'll keep you all posted on the results!

[aenflex]

Good luck with the Loving Care!
Have you ever thought about vegetable stains rather than box dyes? Schwarzkopf (sp?) and Aveda have some good ones, they work well and don't fade as fast as the semi and demi perm box dyes.
PS - the hair in my siggy is right after a treatment with Lush Caca Brun.

[Eireann]

Good luck with the Loving Care!
Have you ever thought about vegetable stains rather than box dyes? Schwarzkopf (sp?) and Aveda have some good ones, they work well and don't fade as fast as the semi and demi perm box dyes.
PS - the hair in my siggy is right after a treatment with Lush Caca Brun.

Are those available to the general public? I'm too broke to go to a salon for color treatment, and Sally's always gives me an anxiety attack (I don't feel like I have the expertise to sort through all their products.)

[aenflex]

Hmmm...lemme see. Naturtint is one that you can get online. Hendigo also can be got online. Palette by Nature you can get online, or at wholefoods I think. Advanced Cosmetic Technologies offers a plant based dye. Aveda you would need to spend some $$ at their salon, same with Schwarzkopf.
But they are out there. Not that there's a reason you should stop using what works best for you. I used box dyes for years and years.

[Eireann]

I colored my hair last night with Loving Care, and so far I'm very satisfied. Of course, fading isn't an issue yet since it's only been a day, but the coverage was quite nice. I did dark brown on my roots and left it for 20 minutes, then put medium brown on the length for another 10 minutes (total 30 on the roots, 10 on the length.) It was a bit messy (messier than permanent dye, but easier to clean up.) My hair feels fantastic, but that's probably the cone-y after color treatment that came with it. I'm not complaining, though! I'll hold off total judgment until I see how it looks in a week or two, but so far, I'm pretty pleased. It will be nice to get off the peroxide!

ETA: I should also mention that I had almost no shedding at all when I rinsed it out, unlike my experience with permanent color which makes me shed like crazy.

[aenflex]

Glad for you!!! I love the conditioner that comes with dye!!!

[Eireann]

Following up. It has been 3 and a half weeks, and it's time to color again. That's not so bad, since even with permanant color I have to color every 4 or 5 weeks, so I give this product a big thumbs up! This time, I will leave it on my hair longer, and maybe it will last longer.

[aenflex]

Good luck to you :)

[eezepeeze]

I use Clairol Natural Instincts. It is very gentle, has no ammonia smell, and washes out gradually, like the Loving Care. My color is Toasted Almond. I haven't noticed any extra damage from coloring. I only do it once every 6-8 weeks. I'm like the OP, and only wash my hair about 8 times a month (if that), so my roots start showing just about the time it's faded. I really like this product. It's much better for my hair than regular boxed dyes with the strong ammonia smell. Phew! That stuff is pretty tough to take!

I'm not near ready enough to go gray yet, though, so I'm glad the market is finally carrying some better options.