Tried and tested: L’Oréal Casting Créme Gloss

An at-home hair dye has never been easier

Beauty Crew Contributor / May 25 2017

As someone who started dying their hair at home in Year 9, I’ve had a lot of experience in going lighter and darker. Most recently, I’ve been sporting some caramel and honey highlights, but thanks to multiple colour changes, lots of hair straightening and not going to the hairdresser as often as I should, the health of my hair has suffered a little. When I decided it was time to go back to my roots, I wanted to do it in a way that would help inject some life and vitality back into my hair. This was one of the main reasons I was excited to try L’Oréal Casting Créme Gloss. The hair colour claims to offer four times more glossiness and the ammonia-free formula is gentle on my already-in-need-of-TLC hair. Plus as it’s a semi-permanent colour, I can happily let the colour fade and not have to worry about using more dye to cover regrowth.

For my hair revamp, I picked shade 500 Medium Brown. The shade is a bit darker than my natural colour, and it has some nice warm tones in it that would work well with my olive complexion.

500 Medium Brown

Take a look at the transformation:

A big improvement, right? Besides being happy with the colour change, here are a few other things I like about using Casting Créme Gloss:

#1/ It colours very thoroughly

I am in my early twenties and greys are not (yet) a problem for me. However, towards the middle of last year I experimented with blonde, which not only damaged my hair but also meant that I needed a colour that would cover any traces of the light hue. Casting Créme Gloss had absolutely no trouble giving me a thorough, even brown that showed no signs of the blonde that had broken through past dye jobs.

#2/ My hair felt much softer

The nourishing colour formula of Casting Créme Gloss, paired with the royal jelly-enriched conditioner that comes in the pack, left my hair feeling softer. And on top of that, the glossiness promised on the packet was delivered in spades - I was really happy with the healthy, shiny finish.

#3/ The process was so easy and fuss-free

While having a sister, mum or friend to help you colour your hair is always ideal, it often doesn’t work out that you have an extra pair of hands. I found it easy enough to do the entire job on my own. I mixed the formula, applied the colour, let it develop and rinsed it off all in the space of about 40 minutes (which flies if you’re watching an episode of Gilmore Girls at the same time). It was super-easy to fit in at the end of a work day.

Side note: While the process was incredibly simple, my recommendation would be to thoroughly read the pack first! I failed to notice that I should have been wearing gloves (they were in the pack) and the formula did a fantastic job of colouring both my hair and my hands.

The final verdict:

I would be happy to use this at-home dye again. It was simple to use and I was happy with the rich colour, glossy finish, and softness. While the shade ended up a little darker than I expected, I wouldn’t mind experimenting with different shades in the future. I would definitely recommend to family and friends.

And I’m not the only one thrilled with the results using L’Oréal Paris Casting Crème Gloss. Here’s what a few of our members had to say about it:

“I have to say that this was really easy to use and I have continued to use this exclusively for the last few years. The instructions are easy to follow, it comes with everything you need, and you finish off with a really nice conditioner that I keep using until it is all gone. I find the colour that I use doesn't fade too much, but I am just enhancing my natural colour, not changing it dramatically, and the grey streak goes into hibernation. My hair always looks and feels great after colouring it, and I am convinced that the colour gives it added body as I have quite fine hair.”
– Nici
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BEAUTYcrew member
“This is a terrific product if you're looking for a non-permanent colouring option that skips the ammonia. I've purchased this many times over the years, and most recently coloured my hair last month in a fabulous, rich chocolate shade… After colouring, I have found my hair to be very shiny and full of gorgeous colour. This also does a fantastic job at covering those pesky grey hairs, and keeping them at bay for around 6 weeks.”
– Linda
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BEAUTYcrew member
“Let me just start by saying I love L'Oréal products and the Casting Creme Gloss is definitely one of the best hair dyes if you're looking for semi-permanent colour. I used this in blue black for nearly three years before I decided to go blonde and it is amazing. The smell is great, it doesn't damage your hair and my hair always looked shiny from it. I would highly recommend this product, ladies.”
– Tina
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BEAUTYcrew member

From Kylie Jenner's latest lip kit launch to cutting edge skincare technology, Jordyn has covered all things beauty for titles including BEAUTYcrew, marie claire and beautyheaven. Her words also appear in Harper's Bazaar and Collective Hub.