Ever since I saw a product called Fat Foam in the health and beauty aisle at my local Walmart, I have been curious about this new trend in DIY hair color kits. Now that Clairol, John Frieda and L’Oreal have jumped on board with their own versions, I decided to give color foam a try.
I have been coloring my own hair for quite some time as I refuse to pay a salon for what I am perfectly capable of doing on my own. Over the years, through trial and error, I have learned what brands I prefer and what ones to stay away from.
Having very thick, long hair, my biggest issue with home hair coloring is that I need to purchase two boxes in order to get enough product to saturate my hair. Some brands are runnier than others and the thicker dyes don’t seem to go as far.
Gray coverage is another issue. I have added products such as Gray Magic but I still need to do my roots every 3 to 4 weeks.
It was time to do my roots and since I wasn’t doing all-over color, I decided to buy some color foam and try it out.
I chose L’Oreal Sublime Mousse #50 Pure Medium Brown. At $9.99, it was a little pricey (I normally pay around $6 for regular hair color) and only purchased one box. My hair is currently medium brown and since I was only doing my roots I figured one box would do it.
I prepared the color by pouring one small bottle into another and adding a pump top to it. The colorist gloves that were included in the box were not very thick and I was a bit disappointed. L’Oreal hair color products usually come with higher quality gloves than these.
I read the instructions which specifically said not to apply the mousse directly to the hair. The instructions say to dispense the mousse into the palm of your gloved hand. They also recommend that you massage the product into your hair to keep it from dripping.
I primed the pump and pushed a small amount onto the palm of my hand and began applying it. The first thing that I noticed was that applying this mousse was not a simple as I thought it would be. It was hard to direct where the foam went and I had to quickly wipe it from my forehead. (very similar to regular hair color)
The other problem was that trying to pump out more product with a gloved (slippery) hand was difficult. Maybe if the bottle had some kind of grooves on it or something it would be easier.
I continued to struggle and eventually felt like I was getting the hang of applying the mousse to my hair. I really doubted the ability of this color foam mousse to penetrate my hair, especially the grays around my hairline.
The smell of the product was pleasant which was a nice change from other strong-smelling dyes. I also felt that I covered my roots and even ran some of the color down my hair and I still had mousse leftover.
Unlike using regular hair color, the color mousse felt like styling mousse on my hair. Anyone who has ever used too much styling mousse is familiar with that “stiff” hair feeling. The color foam mousse does not drip; it almost seems to harden onto your hair so there is no chance of dripping. While I waited the 30 minutes processing time, my long hair was loose without fear of dripping. (very nice touch!)
After the 30 minute processing time was over, I rinsed and conditioned my hair in the shower. (a 1.86 ounce tube of conditioner is included) The conditioner was nothing special but there was plenty to use another time.
I towel-dried my hair and excitedly did what I do after every time I color my hair; I checked my hairline for gray coverage. (drumroll) The good news is that it did a good job on most of my gray, only a small amount (noticeable only to me) remained near my ears.
The rest of my hair looks refreshed. My roots now match the rest of my hair and overall, I am pretty happy with my color.
Would I buy L’Oreal Sublime Mousse again? Honestly, I would have to say no. The best part about this product was how non-drip it was. Even though I got the hang of applying it, for doing your entire head, I would be afraid of uneven coverage. For just doing touch-ups (and if I had a coupon) I might buy it again.
I haven’t totally given up on trying color foam products. Maybe a product that is easier to apply might be for me. Color foam is still pretty new and I am sure that improvements will be made in the future. For now, I think I will stick with my favorite crème hair color.
