When I was a kid, my mom and aunts would go into the bathroom, hands wrapped in latex gloves, newspapers covering the counter and floor and they would mix together a dark, foul-smelling paste in a plastic bowl. For hours, they would take turns chatting and applying paste to each other's hair. When the monthly ritual was performed, his gray hair was completely gone. I, the judgmental expert, would wrinkle my nose and say that this all sounds like too much effort.
he asked me to wait until I Started turning white.
Two decades later, I still maintain that I was right. Thanks to an unfortunate pandemic experiment with purple hair, I know that dyeing hair at home is a serious pain in the butt. I vowed to never do that again. Then, at my last haircut, my stylist tried to convince me to get a dye job because, “You're too young it Grey.” At that moment, I saw my mom and aunt in that old bathroom, pointing their fingers at me and yelling.
Thus began my two-month experiment with L'Oréal's Colorsonic.
I got my hands on the $124.99 L'Oreal Colorsonic for the first time ces 2022It's a high-tech hair wand with bristles that spit out spit so you can dye your hair quickly. The lower half has an empty chamber where you insert the refillable hair dye cartridge. The upper half has a nozzle with bristles that oscillate more than 300 times a minute to apply color evenly. You press a button, move this thing through your hair, and voila! Done. There are some extra technical features thrown in – for example, there are chips in the cartridge so the device can tell you how much dye is left. It's meant to make coloring your entire head, touching up roots, and covering gray hairs easier, faster, and more affordable than a trip to the salon. And in the world of beauty tech gadgets, there really isn't anything else like it.
I, and my growing hair, wanted to believe. Let's be clear: Coloring your hair is not something many people do without thinking. Colorsonic's audience is predominantly women, many of whom, at least on a subconscious level, view a beautiful head of hair as a source of cultural power. Changing your hair color is a way to completely change your image. But it is not easy. It is a deep commitment in terms of time, effort, maintenance and money. Something like Colorsonic is absolutely attractive because it is saying that power can be yours with less work, money and time. And coloring hair is also a difficult task. Unlike straightening or curling at home, you are applying harsh chemicals to your head. If done wrong it can happen destroy your hairThis is why many people prefer to spend several hundred dollars to see a professional, even when a box of dyes costs $10 at CVS.
So it's great that L'Oréal has put some guardrails on Colorsonic. It is not a one-stop dye machine. This equipment is designed to handle only the coloring portion of the process. The cartridges are permanent hair coloring formulas, which means they contain a lightening agent. However, they are not as powerful as straight-up bleach. If you want to bleach your hair, you'll need to buy a kit or visit a professional. L'Oréal also stuck to natural colors for this first shade range. For dark brown hair like mine, this means that unless I bleach my hair first, I have to stick to colors that are close to my natural shade. This is not a tool for complex dye jobs. In turn, this reduces the damage caused to the average person.
With all this in mind, I was equal parts nervous and excited to unbox the Colorsonic. I was surprised how thoughtfully everything was packed and designed. You get to store the device in the original box insert, and it comes with reusable gloves and a huge waterproof, tearproof instruction sheet with QR codes for video tutorials. The instructions are straightforward, and the actual process of coloring your hair is surprisingly easy. Anyone can insert a cartridge into the chamber, press the button and brush their hair. The first time I tried it, the entire application process took 10-15 minutes.
He is wild. I have a full head of hair. In the era of my misguided purple hair, dyeing half It often took 45 minutes in my head. ColorSonic brushing your hair is also a cleaner process than sectioning your hair, clipping it, and then painstakingly applying dye in thin layers. The latter not only takes time but makes me and my white bathroom look like I murdered Barney the Dinosaur. I wouldn't call the Colorsonic completely glitch-free. You essentially get some dye on yourself and the sink. But cleanup – which included rinsing the Colorsonic with its cleaning cartridge – took five minutes.
While waiting for the dye to set, I thought it would be too good to be true. Half an hour later, after washing and drying my hair, I was fine. my hair Was A darker brownish-black, but my white color hadn't gone anywhere.
Apparently, brown colors can be dye-resistant. To overcome stubborn buggers, several Reddit forums suggest leaving the dye on longer. Good. I thought I'd experiment and see if doing this around my temples would make a difference. After my first application, I still had about a third of the cartridge left. But by the time I completed the entire warm-up process, my first cartridge was empty. I had to order another online for $30.
My third attempt has been the most successful so far. So much so that I'm pretty sure my first cartridge was slightly defective. Not only did the dye come out thicker, but its application became more seamless. I let the dye set for 45 minutes. I felt confident going through the washing process that my vitiligo would be gone.
About 70 percent of them were.
I probably looked a year or two younger! Colleagues and friends appreciated me! A good chunk of the gray on my temples – the one that bothers me the most – was either gone or blended out better. But my goal was to completely nuke my gray hair. After another, slightly less successful fourth attempt, I still get quite a bit of frizz every time I comb my hair. I have been told by my spouse, coworkers, family, and friends that this is a problem between me and my ego.
That's the thing about hair tech. Whether it's L'Oréal's Colorsonic or one of Dyson's curlers, it still requires a certain amount of skill, luck, and know-how to get the best results. I can only have stubborn gray people according to the Bible. I'm sure my first cartridge was a little defective. It's possible that my application skills are not good enough yet. could be possible it The exclusive hair dye formula for Colorsonic is not optimized for full gray coverage. Maybe, my mother and aunts tagged their grays the way they did because it was a carefully refined process discovered through a lot of trial and error. Maybe I was naive in hoping that the first iteration of a gadget would make everything easier And Excellent.
My time with Colorsonic was a lesson in what compromises I'm willing to accept. I've used $60 worth of cartridges and a $125 gadget to get mediocre results. At $185, that is excess It would have been even more expensive than if I had bought two boxes of dye But More affordable than my salon rates in New York City. (I was once quoted $600. Respectfully, no.) It's much less time-consuming than a box dye or salon. So far, my hair is intact. Sure, I wish I got more value for my money from the cartridges, but I'm much happier with No I spend an hour scrubbing stains off my bathroom counters and tub.
Whether Colorsonic is worth it depends on what you value: best results, cost, or convenience. pick two. My mother and aunts chose results and cost, such was their painstaking dedication to box dye. For results and convenience, a salon is going to provide you with the most infallible experience. Personally, I have realized that I am an economical and convenient girl. I'm happy with the average price and good enough results. Especially if it means getting a lot of time back. This makes Colorsonic a perfect fit for my needs. This is not perfect.