by Louise Cairns

Created on: December 26, 2009   Last Updated: December 27, 2009

Unfortunately I was not one of the lucky ones who reached old age before being struck down by the dreaded hair dyes in the past 22 years.

~The Product~

Belle Colour is a permanent dye, meaning it shouldn't wash out, and will generally last until your roots start to grown through. It boasts a 100% coverage for grey hairs. This is fairly important as some permanent hair dyes don't actually cover 100%.

~What Do You Get?~

As with all hair dyes you get jojoba and wheatgerm oils according to the packet.

~Dying Your Hair~

This is pretty much the same for all hair dyes.

Firstly you should do a skin allergy test 48 hours before you decide to dye your hair. It shouldn't be any less because it can take time for the reaction to appear, and it shouldn't be too much more because once the bottles are opened they have to be used within a few days. To do a test you must mix a small amount of the colourant and developer and dab it onto an area of skin, preferably one that is not visible to others because it will stain.

Once you've done the test, and found it's safe to go ahead you need to mix the colourant and developer in the applicator bottle and carefully spread the developer through the roots of your hair. Gradually working your way out until all the hair is covered.

You then need to leave it for 20 minutes, or slightly longer for stubborn greys, and then thoroughly rinse through. Once all the dye has been removed, you can then condition as required.

~My Thoughts~

As I mentioned earlier I've used a lot of different hair dyes, and whilst Belle Colour is not the best, it is certainly not the worst, but for permanent colours it is usually the cheapest.

The first thing you'll notice is that the gloves are cheap and nasty, but they do the job that they're meant for, and they stop your hands becoming a strange shade of purple.

The big question for me is does it cover all the grey? Yes it does. The only greys that aren't covered are the ones I have missed by not going close enough to the roots, and you can't fault the product for that.

A slight diversion here, two tips that I have gained over the years to avoid missing the roots; firstly use Vaseline to cover your ears and around your forehead, this means if you do get some dye on your skin it wipes straight off. The second is if you've forgotten to use Vaseline and you've got a blob on your head or ear, then when you come to it, it works a bit like Blutack, if you dab Blutack onto a bit stuck on the wall it brings it off with ease, the same happens with the dye, but don't ask me why.

Back on track again, apart from the gloves the only other real difference you can see between Belle Colour and the more expensive brands is the conditioner. Whilst the conditioner is good, and generally better than your conditioners, it is definitely weaker than the conditioners from the likes of Recital or Nutriese.

I also find that I have to select a dye shade that is 3 times lighter than the actual colour I want. But I find this will all of them. My hair is light brown, so I need to pick light blonde in order to achieve a light brown colour.

All in all I'd recommend Belle Colour, for the difference in price, you're getting virtually the same for your money. 

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