As a native redhead, blond highlights were formally a dangerous pursuit until better hair color products entered the market. Both L’Oreal Feria and L’Oreal Styliste offer blond highlights without much brass, but do so with varying results.
The trick for salon quality blond highlights is largely in the application. Both L’Oreal Feria and Styliste provide decent products, yet neither is as easy to use as the kit implies.
L’Oreal Feria – True Blond Highlights
Between the two hair color products, L’Oreal Feria produces more pronounced and higher-lift blond highlights and streaks.
With a flowing, rich consistency, L’Oreal Feria is much easier to disperse along the hair strands than is Styliste. Additionally, Feria provides substantially more product, useful for more highlights and thick or long hair.
One difficulty with L’Oreal Feria is that surrounding hair strands next to the hair color may lighten considerably. Consequently, brass or other undesired results may occur unless additional precautions are taken. (See Tips)
A bright periwinkle hue, Feria is easy to recognize on the hair and where it is seen it lightens very well.
Concerning hair damage, Feria is more invasive than Styliste. Individuals with fine or previously processed hair should proceed with caution and more careful timing.
The anti-brass conditioner accompanying L’Oreal Feria is quite good and requires little, say dime size, for good results.
Overall, L’Oreal Feria performs well in its free form highlighting class. Follow the instructions carefully and the tips at the end of this article for best results.
L’Oreal Styliste – Subtle Blond, Maybe too Subtle
The best thing about L’Oreal Styliste is that it stays precisely where it is applied, almost to a fault.
Fearing some of the zebra stripes obtained with L’Oreal Feria, a more conservative approach was taken as to application.
The initial result with Styliste was a bit disappointing. Not enough blond highlights could be seen – even in areas where they were intended. Too thin an application was the primary problem. Unlike Feria, the product requires more ample distribution.
Another disappointment was that there was far less product available with Styliste than Feria. The instructions emphasize working on both sides of the head, and this technique may concern running out of product prematurely as much as even lighting effects.
Styliste shouldn’t be dismissed if you desire few or more subtle blond highlights, or as a healthier alternative for touch-ups. Styliste seems much kinder to the hair. Even when hair is processed beyond the recommended time, such as where application begins, hair damage appears minimal.
Additionally, Styliste may work well to transition back to one’s natural color.
Tips for Applying L’Oreal Feria
As L’Oreal Feria provides high lift, foil may be desired to better protect hair strand where lighting isn’t desired. If you can not navigate your hair like a stylist, simply lay foil between the layers, or wrap sections of concern.
Bold blond streaks look great but should be done with caution. Unless you are familiar with the product, limit Feria highlights to pencil width or less.
Apply L’Oreal Feria highlights close to scalp but avoid direct scalp application.
Feria highlights that originate one-half inch or more away from the scalp look choppy and demarcation lines will result.
Ensure that you have adequate amounts of hair untouched by the hair color product if you desire a streaked look.
Pay careful attention around hair lines and around the face, thinner highlights here may be optimal.
Smooth L’Oreal Feria hair color along the hair shaft and remove any excess globs.
Conclusion
Depending on the school of thought, over-the-counter L’Oreal hair color was not a stylist recommended product in decades past. But L’Oreal Feria meets modern hair color challenges and even Styliste is a solid hair color product.
Both Feria and Styliste shine in different ways but Feria more closely resembles salon quality highlights when high-lift blond hair color is desired.
Disclaimer: This author is not responsible for botched hair color jobs. Consult with the instructions and a hair care professional for best results.
