L'Oreal Paris Casting Creme Gloss Review

I was fortunate to get this on a Trial from the BR team. All the packaging is pretty much what you expect. The bottle for application is a good size, easy to hold & made for easy application. The first thing that hit me when I opened the colourant tube to put in the developer was the smell of Black Currant! I was not expecting it to smell like it's namesake! Very nice touch! I found the formula to be a little drippy, disappointing as it states a "non drip formula" but then again because it's a little runny, it was easy to get through my knotty tangles. I really didn't like the instructions. They were a little simple (although home colouring is pretty much all the same process) & most of the writing on the page was in Arabic or something of the like. Only a 20 min developing time which is great, I don't really want to sit for a million years waiting. The colour came of my skin easily which is great as it was very red on my skin & washed out of my basin easily too (I made a bit of a mess with the drippiness). The coverage seems to be pretty good, I can't find any greys so it did what it promised there. The end result is a little darker than I was expecting but that's pretty usual I find. It's not so much shiny but it's healthy looking. I'm not really a fan of the Casting Creme Conditioner that came with it, although a great size bottle (would get a few washes from it) it's really thick & took ages to wash out & off my body. I probably won't use this again to be honest.

This product is great if you pick the right color. I have used it previously with the iced chocolate shade and found that it gave my hair a wonderful shine and added a lovely depth of color. However, with the sample I was sent I tried the dark blonde shade. At first we had an issue with the gloves as they were far too small for my boyfriends hands, then there seemed to be absolutely no color change even though my hair isn't dark blonde to begin with. It has developed with a couple of washes but only seems to be at the roots. While I have had successful results in the past I am disappointed but will probably still use this product in future but be more careful with shade selection.

At 20$, I think it's a little over the value of the product. Ive only tried a dye of this series once, and it was going blonde > brown. The color didn't go on very strong (turned out a fair bit lighter than i expected), and faded very quickly. Also the product isn't as thick and creamy as I like my dyes to be, so it felt a little painful for my hair. In saying that, the range of colors they provide is quite good. Perhaps I will try one of their blondes in the future

I would definitely recommend this if you were thinking of dying your own hair at home. I tend to only go to a salon for my hair colour now however when it comes to at home hair colour, I would definitely say that pretty much all of the l'Oreal ones are the best. Especially for going dark. Obviously there is only so much you can achieve with at home hair colour.

I was so excited to be asked to join this trial. I dye my hair every 2-3 months, because I am super conscious of my grey hairs, and it doesn't help my mother in law picks them out. "You're how old and you already have greys!?" Can someone say rude?

First impressions of this product... I like the box! I love pink, so naturally, I like this. The opening of the box reminded me of a milk carton, I don't know why. Maybe it was the way it was folded! I also like that you can smell the product as soon as you open the box, even before. That's a nice bonus!

Took me a while to find the gloves, but when I did, my first thought was "what the hell!?" I have no idea who they were made for, and I do have somewhat little hands, but these gloves are ridiculous. I tore both of mine just trying to get them on. I did like the way they felt before I put them on, but the fact that they didn't slip on easily, or off for that matter, really puts me off. It was almost tempting to just dye my hair without the gloves.

The bottles are labelled 1 and 2, and you mix them together. Easily labelled, and they mixed together really well. They smelled really nice, thanks to the ammonia free formula. The color I got when the two mixed together was a gooooorgeous purple (odd, as the color is a browny/red!). The liquid was runnier than what I'm used to, but I only made a small mess which was easily cleaned with hot water.

After waiting the time needed, 20 minutes, I rinsed this out. I was also bleaching some parts of my hair at the time, and I was super happy that the color of Black Cherry didn't bleed into the bleach. It took 5-10 minutes for the color to be rinsed out, but it still bled a little.

I shampooed my hair as I usually do after I dye it, and then I put the conditioner through. Firstly, I really hate the conditioner. The smell, the way it made my hair feel... No deal. Between this and the gloves, they are the biggest reasons why I wouldn't repurchase this product. The conditioner gave me a headache and I only used half the bottle (over two washings) and I threw the rest out. It made my hair feel greasy and just really not nice. It was a generous amount of conditioner though.

The color pay off is pretty decent - on top of my head the red cherry color comes through really well, but down the lengths and tips I don't see any red, just darker. I still love how it came out though. It's darker than what I go for, but I LOVE it. I washed my hair 3 times after dying my hair, and each time it bled out. Today is the only day it hasn't, so I guess it has stopped.

Overall, I don't know if I would repurchase this. The conditioner and gloves are the biggest let down, but the color makes up for it, so I'm on the fence.

UPDATE!: It has been less than a month since I dyed my hair, and the red color is all but gone, and my greys are back with a force that tells me they never really left. Great dye when you're in a pickle, but now I know I won't be buying again.

I wouldn't buy or use this product again

To start with the box kept falling apart so everything fell out the bottom and the gloves were really small.

Mixing the product was easy enough but the instructions were a bit of a pain to read as they were written in a few different languages.

Applying the product wasn't an issue, it gave me great coverage and even with only the one bottle it covered my long thick hair really well. I did have a little bit of an issue with it running onto my face but it didn't stain like a lot of other hair colour brands.

Washing out was where had a problem, It took me well over half an hour to wash it out and now after 4 washes it is still running like crazy. I can understand that it may run a little as it is only a semi permanent but this a lot of colour every time I wet my hair.

The Conditioner is an awesome size and left my hair feeling really soft and also left me with enough to use the conditioner several times.

I Lovvvveeedd the Caramel, it looked gorgeous...for a few days. Really bummed out but maybe my hair isn't in prime condition? Not too sure, I left it on for the required time as I always do( dye my hair a lot as I get Bored)

Just as easy to use as any other brand- I didn't find anything too special about it.

CONDITIONER REALLY HARD TO GET OUT OF THE LITTLE BOTTLE

Great colours to choose from and the instructions are very simple to follow. All the bits in the box are numbered and you just follow the diagrams to apply the colour. I like that there was not a very strong smell when I applied the colour. I did find it a bit tricky to apply by myself as my hair is very long and I have not done this in a long time. I think the next time will be easier. I Rinsed my hair thoroughly and it only took about a minute for the water to run clear. I used the conditioner provided and dried my hair. I could see already my greys were gone. First night sleeping, no marks on my pillow case, that's always good. The next day my hair is the colour the box shows and very glossy.

I think the real test came after the first wash. The Loreal Casting Creme Gloss is only to last up to 28 washes. I was a little disappointed when after the first wash I could see my grey hair again, and that night I ruined my pillow case too :(

When i first dyed my hair with this my colour was amazing! but for about 3 weeks everythime i washed my hair (every 3 days) the colour kept washing out, and it just faded so quickle. Even using a colour protecting shampoo and conditioner. I dont think its value for money, and wouldnt be repurchasing

When I used this product and put the gloves on, I found them to be very small for my hands and tight wearing which wasn't pleasant.

After mixing the solution together I found it to be runny from the applicator bottle and was messier than other products that I have used.

The colour however did look good.