The L'Oreal company came through for me. I had ordered their product " Iced Blonde" 3 times. The first one was switched purposedly for a horrible metallic grey. I had to spend another $18.00 for color remover and another box of Iced Blonde which was not tampered with. The first one came with a somewhat crushed box but an intact seal. The color is not on the color tube inside the box. Since the seal was secure it never occurred to me someone (in shipping?) would think it cute to change the color. The second box was perfect. The color is perfect so when it came time to order number 3 I did so thinking it could never happen again. I was wrong. Same situation intact seal somewhat smashed top, I took the product and mixed a little in a plastic cup and waited. Its a 10 minute toner so nothing changed and I felt confident everything would be ok. Wrong. Ended with gun metal grey hair. I left a rating explaining my problem and the next day I got a brand new box smooth box top and all. Today I get the color remover and I am back to being a blonde again. L'Oreal came through with flying colors. This being Fourth of July weekend I thought I would have to go thru it with the horrible grey color. Thank You L'Oreal you are a stand up company. Diane Q

listen up, hair color fanatics, because L'Oréal Paris Excellence Créme is about to rock your world "“ and your wallet! Say goodbye to those overpriced salons, because this little gem is here to save the day (and your bank account).

I mean, come on, who needs to spend a fortune on hair color when you can do it yourself and save yourself a boatload of cash? We're talking big money here, people, and L'Oréal has become my secret weapon in the battle against the grays.

Now, I'm not trying to pull off some drastic hair transformation, okay? I just want to cover those grays and keep it simple. No platinum blonde endeavors here, just a little root touch-up action.

And let me tell you, this hair color does the trick like a pro. It lasts about four weeks, but let's be real "“ my hair grows faster than mold on 4-week-old bread, thanks to my healthy hair supplements.

Speaking of money, guess what? This stuff is priced like a dream "“ for the same cost as those fancy salon treatments, nobody can tell the difference! Save your money for something more important "“ like a well-deserved shopping spree!

So, if you're ready to ditch the salon and embrace the at-home hair color revolution, L'Oréal Paris Excellence Créme should be at the top of your list. It's the numero uno in my rotation (along with a few other brands, but let's not get carried away). Get ready to rock your hair color game and say hello to fabulous hair and fabulous savings. L'Oréal, you've won me over "“ one root touch-up at a time!

I have tried many strategies to lighten my very dark blonde hair to the light blonde color it was in my youth. Most of them fall very short and do not lighten enough while leaving a lot of brass behind.
I have disappointed in salons near my house as well. They don't listen the info I try to share and I end up with either very brassy, ashy or very red blonde color and am out $200 for it. My hair color actually has a lot of ash color from my mother's side and red from my father's side embedded in a blonde base that has darkened with every year since puberty to the point of being a very heavy, drab color. If the red and brass and ash aren't lifted evenly the results are not good.

I know I am asking a lot here to deal with my freaky natural pigment but it's what I have to work with.
I did have experience lightening and coloring hair successfully in the past before my hair had become as dark as it is now.
After trying a few other lightening systems with poor results, I stumbled across this and something compelled me to try one last thing before pouring my wallet into new salons or just giving up entirely.

It worked! I ended up with a pale butter platinum that will easily tone to the perfect shade.
This is about the best one could hope for with my pigment density.
My husband and daughter love it which is nice because they have to look at it even more than I do.
My hair does not seem damaged and is soft.
(I also tried the L'Oreal Ever Pure Glossing system on the 3rd day after lightening and the results were fantastic -- I have never had such shiny, silky looking and feeling hair)

I did use a cap to trap warmth and promote full processing.

This is a winner for me and I think at least worth a solid try for most.
Some tips that you might already know but may be good reminders:
Have a few hair clips and a parting comb handy
Have a plan for organizing the hair in sections and working quickly
Start on areas that have had residual color in previous lightening sessions as they may actually have more pigment and need more time.
Leave the bottom 1/3-1/2 inch of the roots unapplied until about 15-20 minutes through the processing time.
If hair is more than shoulder length or ultra thick have 2 boxes on the ready -- it is still a bargain compared to salon prices.
If you do need 2 boxes, don't mix the second box until the first is used up so the mix isn't aging/losing power in the bowl/bottle.
Put a coloring cap over the processing hair at the end of applying the mix (cold spots won't process as well as well as the warmer parts near the scalp and the cap helps even this out)
Set your processing timer at the end of application for the maximum time (anything less may give uneven results) you can always add color/tone back in a day or two days later with a toner.

Good luck! Finding the right stuff for each hair type can be a trying process. Hope you end up as happy as I am!

I love this product! I never really leave Amazon reviews, but honestly I am starting to like this brand so much! It was able to take my black and brown roots to such a beautiful light color that I can tone. All you need to know to tone after this is a basic knowledge of color. I will pink purple toner to counteract the yellow in my hair. Wella T18 is my best bet to get platinum blond. I ordered another one of these because I didn't use it on the length of my hair; I thought it would be too strong. But for platinum blond, you need to go this light (banana peel light) and then you need to tone.

Notes: I left it on an hour and I didn't use shampoo on my hair after. I am letting my hair rest for 3-4 before toning (it's my preference to minimize damage and also because my scalp feels very porous right now"¦adding more bleach would sting like crazy)

Common mistakes:
Not toning after and blaming it on this product
Using this product over and over again as a substitute for toner (Don't do this!)
Blaming the undertones that come out on this product (It's not the products fault that your hair was dyed red before, you need to counteract the red with a toner opposite in the color wheel)

I have been looking for a pretty color like this for a while. I left this on my hair for a total processing like of 45 minutes, two boxes. I had brassy hair previously before dying. I really like it and have subscribed and saved so I can get it monthly to refresh. Reds fade fast and though the vibrancy has indeed faded, luckily i do not see any area that has faded
So much to where i see any blond.(and I wash my hair daily) I recommend this if you dare to risk dying it yourself. I know its a big controversy but I personally would rather mess up my own hair than pay someone to destroy it(it has happened before).