Switching to darker hair tones for the colder months is a common trend, and like many, I usually transition from summer highlights to warmer shades as autumn approaches. With the holiday season nearing and salon appointments not fitting into my budget, I decided to try coloring my hair at home. My choice? John Frieda Precision Foam Colour in 4BG Dark Chocolate Brown, hoping for a wallet-friendly hair transformation.
Before diving in, I must admit, I’m not one to meticulously read every warning label on at-home hair color kits. Having colored my hair myself for years, the warnings often seem repetitive. However, John Frieda’s instructions caught my attention with some unusual precautions. The directive to remove all accessories, including jewelry, and avoid metal tools was new to me. Assuming this was due to potential reactions with metal, I removed my earrings and proceeded.
The warning list continued to grow. It cautioned against use if you have a temporary black henna tattoo due to increased allergy risks. Contact lens wearers were advised to remove them, creating a conundrum for glasses wearers since metal was to be avoided. Those with hair previously colored with compound hennas, metallic dyes, or color restorers were instructed to wait for significant hair growth and subsequent cutting before using the product. And a stark warning against applying the foam to eyelashes or eyebrows due to the risk of blindness was also included.
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By this point, honestly, I was a bit apprehensive. Moving on to the mixing instructions, the unusual directions continued. Shaking the mixture was prohibited; instead, the bottle needed to be gently tilted five times. Dispensing the foam required squeezing the bottle, not using the pump – a counter-intuitive instruction given the pump mechanism. Maintaining the bottle upright at all times and applying the foam to gloved hands before hair application added to the sense of potential user error. I genuinely felt like I was on the verge of a hair coloring mishap.
The application process itself presented challenges. The instructions explicitly warned against getting the foam on the face or ears. With shoulder-length hair, this felt like an almost impossible task. Trying to keep the bottle upright, avoid pumping it, and prevent foam contact with my skin while ensuring even coverage felt like a complicated balancing act.
Achieving “frothy” saturation, as indicated in the instructions, proved difficult. Foam, as expected, tends to dissipate and absorb, especially in longer hair, making it hard to gauge even coverage across all sections. After a 30-minute wait, I rinsed my hair, applied the included conditioner, and rinsed again after 3 minutes before blow-drying. To my relief, the initial color result was pleasing. I was genuinely happy with the dark chocolate brown shade and even shared my positive initial reaction on social media. My child took a photo, and I was pleased to have successfully colored my hair at home without any immediate disasters.
However, fast forward just one week, and the picture tells a different story. While my hair remained brown, the color had noticeably faded. This was despite my hair washing habits – I wash every other day – and using sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner, which are designed to preserve hair color. I had also followed the instructions to not wash my hair 24 hours prior to coloring and ensured no product buildup that could hinder color absorption. So, was saving $60-$75 by skipping the salon worth it? In terms of color longevity, the answer, unfortunately, is no.
Have you tried John Frieda Precision Foam Color? Share your experiences, good or bad, in the comments below!
