I think we’ll all agree that at the very core of Good Golly Miss Hollie is a penchant for home hair colour. I’ve been dying my hair for years, ever since my Mum allowed me to use one of those ‘Shaders + Toners’ sachets from Superdrug age 11. I tried the mahogany one expecting to be transformed into someone different, just in time for the new year 7 school year, but I don’t think it really did that much to my hair.
That said, I’m really expressive with my hair and (rightly, or wrongly) default to changing my hair colour if I’m going through a change in circumstance if I’m simply just feeling bored, or want to try something new to shake things up.
You only need to track back through the ‘hair’ archives on this very blog to see I’ve previously had my hair coloured purple, pink, blonde, pillar box red, auburn – You name it, I’ve tried it! And so it’s probably no surprise that today I’m talking about yet another home hair colour solution that I’ve tried. Before we begin though, the hair colour kit I’m about to talk about was not sent to me, I bought it with my own money and having read absolutely no reviews about the concept.
Custom home hair colour by eSalon
As part of my job, I work closely with a salon wholesaler, producing content for their digital magazine. (See pinch-me moment with Mary Greenwell!) Whilst doing some preliminary research for an article I was writing, I came across eSalon, creators of custom home hair colour that is mixed by experts and posted directly to your door. Handy huh?
I had a play around on the eSalon custom hair colour profiler and loved the process of discovering the custom hair colours that would work on my hair. You simply answer a few simple questions about your hair type and what you’d like to achieve through your next hair colour, eSalon then come back with a custom colour solution. The colour option I chose was Medium Brown (Red) as I was looking for lots of warmth as well as a striking, statement red shade.
I was delighted with the ‘consultation’ tool offered by eSalon, I often find that when I’m stood in Superdrug, trying to weigh up which of the models on the box dye have the right hair colour for me, the process can make me indecisive and flustered.
The way that the eSalon technology works is quite complex and detailed, but from what I’ve gathered from their site, the eSalon colourists look at the information you’ve inputted and any photos you’ve uploaded to determine your base colour, and then formulate a home hair colour shade that is less than 1/4 shade difference in tone, warmth or vibrancy.
The cost of the ‘one-off’ personalised kit was £18 (excluding postage, which I also paid fast-track for) and includes my colour, a developer, a complimentary tinting brush, non-latex gloves, sachets of shampoo and conditioner, stain guard and stain remover. I have to say, I love how compact the kit is and it arrived within 5 days!
As you can see, my hair was very multi-tonal, the picture on the right was taken in harsh daylight and the picture on the left in normal light in my office. I was really just looking to even the colour out and try and get it looking a little more uniform in tone. I do have some old balayage that has been growing out for the last year or so – hence the lighter ends.
I must say, due to my colour shade this is a MESSY process and my white bathroom is now looking much more pink than white. Though, that said, the formula is completely drip-free, which I appreciated.
I finished up the dye process by rinsing and conditioning and letting my hair air dry to spare it anymore hell. I’m pleased with the colour, it’s not 100% what I was expecting, but it’s not bad. My hair feels soft and conditioned and I’m really interested to see how this red shade fades/ washes out.
eSalon allow you to ‘tweak’ your hair colour with each new order, so I’m really intrigued to see what I can do next time…perhaps more copper? Who knows! Overall I love the concept and hope it’s one that sticks around.
