L'Oreal Excellence To-Go 10 Minute Hair Color: A Product Review
I've been coloring my own hair at home for over 20 years. I found L'Oreal Excellence years ago- in the late '80's- and have stuck with it ever since. Back then, I used 9G (Light Golden Blond). But now that I'm attempting to age gracefully, I've toned it down to 8G (Golden Blond).
As long as I'm going for this full disclosure thing, I might as well tell you that my roots are not golden blond. They're kind of dishwater-y with some blond. OK, not "some blond" so much as "some silver". But not enough silver to make me look like one of those New England silver-haired matriarchs. Just enough to look like a frazzled suburban working mother who can't get her act together long enough to keep up on her roots.
It was time for a home hair dye root job. So about three weeks after I realized that it was time, I started looking in the Sunday paper for L'Oreal coupons. It was my lucky day! $2 off L'Oreal Excellence To Go 10 Minute Hair Color. I wasn't sure what L'Oreal meant by "to go". One side of me thought, "That sounds kind of weird," while the other side thought, "Two dollars- good coupon!"
When I got to the store I saw that it was $6.42 for a box of L'Oreal Excellence To Go 10 Minute Hair Color. Are you kidding?! For $4.42 I was so buying this!
I brought it home and let it sit on the bathroom vanity for a few days. I really had a problem with the words to go. Isn't that odd? But then I told myself that it's probably the same L'Oreal that I've always used. So I had this little self-conversation for a few days before I took the plunge.
When I opened the box I noticed that it was basically the same as the regular L'Oreal Excellence. Except the dye is in a tube, not a little bottle. I'm not crazy about that. (The metal tube was hard to squeeze with my arthritic thumbs.)
The process of applying the color was the same, except a lot shorter. I wasn't sure I liked that either. L'Oreal Excellence To Go 10 Minute Hair Color calls for a five minute application to the roots followed by a five minute application to the rest of the head. Do I need to set the timer as soon as I start applying the hair dye? Or five minutes after I finish applying it to all the roots? What if it takes me five minutes to apply it?
There's not much of a window here! I like a little wiggle room on these things... I don't want to turn my hair green because I got distracted for (what's now a critical) three minutes. Just the thought made me anxious. I wasn't so sure about this L'Oreal Excellence To Go 10 Minute Hair Color anymore. Panic in the bathroom!
Anyway, you'll be relieved to hear that I made it through. I'm sure you're "dying" (oh, I had to throw it in) to know the results. And the results are that my hair seems pretty much the same as always, except more uniformly colored. I don't think it did an excellent job covering "the gray", as L'Oreal stated it would. ("Gray" is their word, I prefer to call them "silver" or "very blond".) I also didn't think that my hair had that super- soft feeling that it usually does right after I dye it. That was pretty disappointing.
On a scale of 1- 10 I give L'Oreal Excellence To Go Hair Color a 5. If you think you might like the convenience of the 10 minute dye job, then give it a try. For me, I'll go back to the leisurely timing of L'Oreal Excellence Creme and the silky soft afterglow.
Published by Kay Whittenhauer
Kay Whittenhauer resides in Rochester, NY, with her husband, their teenage son, and a rambunctious dog of mysterious pedigree. She works year-round as an office administrator at a non-profit organization and... View profile
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35 Comments
Post a CommentOH,. .and you can buy Keys to lure that dye from the tube. Pick up at any Sallys or use a toothpaste key. Anyone had luck with Nice and Easy? I love that tone on tone business.....
I agree. I used the Medium Golden Brown as I used from the other product line. It turned out black and solid. This is one time I hope that it washes out in a hurry. It's not Haloween and doesn't suit me.
How long does it take for this product to rinse out?
I think the brand matters a little but your hair matters a lot. I've used other brands but this is a ten out of ten for me. My hair is soft, shiny, and beautifully colored now. The darker shades tend to stay in longer. I haven't had to color the top section of my hair at all or my roots. My lower section is a shade lighter but creates nice highlights with the reddish tint. I absolutely love it. I did notice my hair is thinning but that's actually good for me since my hair has always been too thick. However, it does not take ten minutes to color with this as you need to set up, wash out, etc.
I recently dyed my hair with this product. Barely two to three days later, the dye started to wash out and my hair looked as if I had a case of bad highlights. This is the worst hair dye product I have ever tried. My hair normally holds color very well. Don't waste your money on this.
Terrific writing, Kay.
I too was lured by the price, mulled over the product a couple of days and felt I had to speed through the operation. I also hated having to squeeze that tube. Plus the applicator was messy and hard-to-control (to roots only--I've been coloring for years). I hit the shower at 5 minutes on the dot, whereas I used to loll about a good 45 minutes to get the gray out and let the color develop (25 minutes was too short and left me with an ash tone--I use Dark Natural Blond). So that 5-minute time constraint was a bit stressful.
Anyway, my results were slightly darker roots than I'm used to, but not the black reported, nor did my hair fall out. The dye product stinks to high heaven, but the conditioner smells great; much better than all others (including Preference's original).
My hair seems to be in much better condition than it was via other products, much softer and natural looking. The gray coverage is not as complete, and gray hair became more more noti
I've colored twice in the same day, and my hair was fine.... Actually, much better the second time!
I have used Excellence for several years, with great results. I liked the idea of a faster product, so gave the 10 minute product a try. Does anyone know how soon I can color my hair again without it falling out? It is very dark at the top, then lighter in areas, with an oh-so-attractive line across the back of my head. And a dull, flat color. I have been wearing my hair in a French twist since the coloring disaster. Shame on Loreal.
I have used loreal Excellence for years. This 10 minute crap is all it is. CRAP. So disappointed Loreal for selling out.
Color is way too dark (medium golden brown came out almost black) and way too 'solid'. Looks terrible. I used Excellence Creme in the past and was happy. I am hugely disappointed with Loreal and think they rushed this out to compete with Clairol Perfect 10 which has gotten rave reviews. Shame on them.