L'Oréal Color & Co Is the Simplest Way I've Colored My Hair in 10 Years — Here's Why

When you visit the Color & Co website, you have the option to take the color quiz or have a free consultation with a colorist. I got to do both.

The color quiz asks you a series of questions to then recommend a color for you. During my color quiz, I went through a series of questions about my current hair color, the history of what colors I've dyed it in the past, and the color I wished to have before showing me a grid of hair-color options, which highlighted the Color & Co recommendations. Throughout the quiz, I hoped I would be suggested a blue-black, and I was.

For the consultation, I got to speak with Troy, who has 30 years of hair-color experience. We met virtually with cameras on so he could see my hair. After we spoke about our love for fashion colors, I mentioned that I wanted blue-black hair but didn't really get as much blue as I wanted. That's when he recommended something I'd never thought of. He recommended I use two packs of color. For my curly hair, it made perfect sense. Usually, I feel like I have to squeeze the product to get to the very last drop to make sure it covers all of my hair, so having two packs of color made perfect sense. He also recommended that I use a color gloss to maximize the amount of blue I could get and the replenishing conditioner to keep my hair hydrated.

Tip: Troy let me know that the only way to get two packs of color in one order is through a consultation, so if you have a lot of hair (especially if it's curly), you might want to do a consultation with a stylist.

After the consultation, I was able to request all of the products Troy suggested. When the package landed at my doorstep, I was pleasantly surprised that I got a full set of supplies. Below is a list of what I got:

The barrier cream gel is one of the items that I was surprised to see included. It's a gel that stylists use to keep color from dyeing the face near the hairline and ears. At home, I usually use petroleum jelly, but to have the gel included was an added bonus. Another plus was that the gloves fit my hands and didn't tear. Usually, the gloves included with color never fit me since I have large hands — I wear a men's size large glove, for reference. With everything I needed for the coloring process in my hands, it was time to color.

Before I put on the color, I made sure to detangle my hair, then divide it into sections. Following the provided instructions, I emptied the color into the developer, gave it a shake, and was ready to go. To apply the color on my hair, I started with my roots, then went onto my ends. From there, I spent the next 30 minutes listening to a podcast before it was time to rinse out the color. Pictured above is what the color looked like toward the end of the process.

I used my usual method of kneeling in the bathtub and running my hair under the showerhead using cool water, so I could minimize any possibility of splattering color all over my wall and shower curtain. Once the water ran clear, I reached for the color gloss.

From the times I would get my hair done in the salon, my colorist would always book me for a color and gloss for my blue-black. So I followed suit on my own. While the color gloss came with three gloves — for what I'm assuming are three uses — I used two-thirds of a tube in one use. The color gloss went on as sort of a Sonic the Hedgehog-blue conditioner. I left it in for about 10 minutes before rinsing it out. Afterward, I applied the replenishing conditioner, focusing on my ends, and rinsed everything out.

Once I was finally done in the shower, I styled my hair like I normally do (argan rich oil blend, leave-in conditioner, and gel). The result: a blue-black with no brown in sight — which I consider a win. The color got to every strand evenly, my hair never felt dehydrated along the way, and my curls are still bouncy after the color. Overall, the entire process was super simple. I was able to follow the instructions from prep to color, gloss to conditioner. Most importantly, I had all the supplies I needed to achieve my blue-black look — including professional advice — and did my hair in just under an hour.

Here is my before and after once trying the L'Oréal Color & Co products.