Dreaming in Color.(hair color)(Product/service evaluation)

Dreaming In Color

For many women, coloring their hair at home is like baking their own brioche: Crafty but intimidating. We test the best of the boxes to see if the results will embolden our look -- and our nerve. By Brooke Le Poer Trench

For women willing to get toxin injected in their faces and hot wax spread on their bikini lines, it's amazing how fearful many of us still are of home hair color. "Gorgeous hair doesn't look like it came from a bottle -- it looks as if you were born with it," says colorist Rita Hazan, owner of the Rita

Hazan Salon in New York City. This is perhaps why so many leave it to the professionals. However, one third of women -- those on the intrepid forefront -- have discovered that the latest at-home hair-color formulas deposit color without much risk and for far less cash. Of course, certain challenges remain. First, Hazan says, you should "only ever lighten or darken within two shades of your natural color." Second, before you can color your hair, you have to figure out which box (of the multitudes packed on drugstore shelves) has your name on it. To make the process easier, we sent six women home with a different kit. Each requested something new -- Kelly wanted her red hair to shine, Patty wished her dark hair was lighter, Marisa was in the mood for chestnut highlights. As you'll see, the results aren't necessarily dramatic, but they certainly aren't scary, either.

Cara Litke, writer, Allure

WHAT SHE WANTED: "I liked the different tones in my hair, but I wanted to lighten up the overall color a bit." THE COLOR KIT: L'Oreal Paris Feria Sophisticated Blondes in Desert Flower, permanent dye that will lighten dark blonde hair. THE RESULT: "It was easy enough to apply. I thought my hair would be much lighter, and I wasn't expecting the reddish tinge. This washed out my highlights and made my whole head the same color. I don't think it looked bad...just boring. Two weeks later, I added some pale blonde highlights to the ends and around my face to brighten things up, and now I really like it." WHAT HAZAN SAYS: "The color has deposited a lot of warmth, especially at the roots -- it certainly isn't the ash blonde tone described. Also, any time you put color over highlights, it dulls them. Next time, Cara should coat any lighter sections of hair with conditioner and then apply the color. The dye won't penetrate those pieces, and she'll keep the dimension in her hair."

Patricia Tortolani, senior editor, Allure