**REVIEW** Clairol Nice and Easy Permanent Hair Color

Remember back when I raved about the Walmart Beauty Box?  Well, while I liked everything in that neat little $5 box, I had a couple of favorite items. One was the Foam Conditioner by Pantene (of which I plan to buy a full-size when I'm in need of more conditioner), and the other was the Nice and Easy Hair Color that I was able to get FOR FREE with the generous coupon provided.

Question: When you buy something that is less than the coupon amount, why don't you get the change back? Just saying. The coupon was for $8.99 and I think the product I got at Walmart was priced at $6 and some change. Oh well. The important thing is, I found the product and was able to use it.

Normally, I've used L'Oreal's Colorsilk hair coloring (Dark Soft Brown or Brown Black shade). The price is what attracted me several years ago (even in Anchorage, I didn't have to pay more than $4 for a box) and I found it easy to pick the right shades for my hair so just stuck with it. Had it not been for the coupon, I never would have tried the Nice and Easy. I'm SO glad that I did. So let's talk about this.

When I have dyed my hair with the L'Oreal, I always liked the results, but until now, I never noticed that it was slightly harsh on my hair. It doesn't strip my hair or totally dry it out and I love the conditioner that comes in the kit. Next to the Nice and Easy, though, I have to say the L'Oreal is not as good. There was more of a conditioning effect with the N and E and the color was definitely richer and covered the grey better. The one downside is that, because I am not used to the color charts for the N and E, I went a little too dark... As in, instead of the soft off-black or brown-black I was going for, I ended up with crow-black results. I have since tossed the box, but I want to say that I got the Dark Brown to put on my own Dark Brown hair.

This is what my hair looked like pre-Clairol coloring:

And this is my Jackie Chan Black hair post coloring:

I was going to re-color it to tone down the black but my neighbor told me that it's actually very flattering. I don't photograph well so you don't get the full effect. That color is the same color as my eyebrows.

After coloring and conditioning, my hair was very soft and manageable. The color was very dark and it covered every inch of my grey. I can tell that this dye penetrates much better than the L'Oreal. After I use the L'Oreal, I can rinse some of the dye out a day later. With this dye, there is no residual loss of color so soon after coloring. As a matter of fact, the next time I use this dye, I have to be more careful not to get any on my skin because this stuff stains more than the other brand.

So yeah, I do love this brand and I'm going to be switching away from the L'Oreal. Now if I can just find the best shade.

Peace
--Free