John Frieda Precision Foam Colour

Last week I attended an event at the Mayfair hotel in London hosted by John Frieda to learn all about their new venture - hair colour! Since I have long been a fan of the John Frieda range my hopes were high and I wanted to be impressed. Luckily, I was not dissappointed!

The new Precision Foam Colour range of permanent at home hair-dye kits are definitely innovative. I was happy to see that instead of bringing out yet another dye that promises 'salon results at home' John Frieda took the time to develop a kit that makes the process easier. During R&D the team carefully listened to real women who had expressed their dislike (and in some cases hatred) of dying their hair at home, with their main concerns being the messy application process and unevenness of results. As someone who hasn't seen their natural hair colour in just under 10 years I can completely sympathise. I have personally struggled with:

• Tangled hair due to obsessive sectioning in a vain attempt at getting an even spread of colour
• Dye dripping down the back of my neck
• Stained (ruined) clothes/ towels/ tiles/ sinks
• Looks of panic from the bf as I tip toe around the house trying not to drip
• Stained ears/ neck/ (forehead!!!!)
• Running out of dye before I have finished half my hair
• Rinsing out to find patches of colour
• Black ends due to dye build up

You name it, I have probably sulked over it lol ;). So here come the before photos:

As you can see I had some major 'rootage' as I hadn't dyed my hair in a few months. My hair grows fast and as my natural colour is more ashy than the dyes I use the difference is very noticeable under flash photography as it picks up the red tones in the dyed hair. I was looking to even the colour throughout my hair and get rid of the brassy tones that had developed over the Summer.

 The box contains all the usual suspects - colourant and developer (both liquid for easy mixing), a dispenser that creates foam, black rubber gloves (of the latex variety, which are much easier to use than the plastic sheets stuck together you sometimes get), an instruction leaflet and a generous tube of creamy, rich conditioner.

Applying the foam to dry hair was easy and much less messy than usual. I found that I could quite easily massage the foam into the roots without the need for precise sectioning. The more you massage, the better it spreads. The smell of ammonia wasn't too bad either, which is a very important fact to consider when your bathroom doesn't have good ventilation!

 Although the bottle looks deceptively empty the mixture creates 2L of foam, which was more than enough to saturate my long hair. The foam also made my hair stay in place with no drips and without the need for a shower cap. Though I can't lie, it was still a little messy as sometimes it was difficult to control exactly where the foam is going as it is so lightweight and spreads easily. However, the inevitable blotches of dye around my ears (as shown in the shmexy photo below... woops!) and neck were easy to wipe off with a damp tissue and left no stain.

After 20 minutes I crossed my fingers and hopped in the shower. The dye rinsed out fairly quickly, which is always a relief! The conditioner in the box was creamy and thick, perfect to restore shine and hydrate dyed hair. I was also impressed to find no dye on my towels, and no colour run in subsequent washes or in the rain. Though, no matter how glowing my review, the proof is in the after photos:

As you can see the colour is uniform, with no product build up on the ends. The brassy tones have been removed however, the colour is not as vibrant in real life due to the flash used in these photos.  I am pleased with the results and would definitely recommend the new foam colour for those wary of home-dyes looking for a natural, even all-over tone. This isn't the strongest dye, so I would not recommend it if you are looking for dramatic results. It works best if you chose a colour one or two shades away from your current shade.

The John Frieda Precision Foam Colour launches on the 2nd of November. At a price just shy of £10 it isn't the cheapest on the market, but I do envisage some promotional offers in conjunction with its release - I will be sure to pick up a few boxes ;).

Are you a fan of John Frieda? Are you curious to try this new approach to home colourants?