I went in for my 'consult'. My hair is just a bit below my shoulder and quite thick. Price: $425. Ouch. Here's what I was told; no washing for 3 days, no pulling hair back, no tucking behind ears, no sunglasses flipped up on head (that one is really tough for me!) and then use special shampoo with no, um - something sulfate? I can't remember but they said it's readily available and no need to buy their brand, and be sure to color my hair BEFORE the procedure because it actually helps to seal in the color. I forgot to ask what coloring after the fact is like because I color every 4 weeks. During those 3 days, any curve, curl or kink in my hair from sleeping or whatever needs to be ironed out. Regarding what I could expect; will last 3 - 4 months, does not grow out in the way that chemical or Japanese straightening does but more or less 'wears off', will make my hair very shiney and healthy. What it will NOT do is make my hair totally stick straight but it will eliminate frizz. It also will not mean that I am blow dryer or flat iron free but that could be based on hair type. She told me I will be able to wash, comb, then pul my hair back in a pony and it will remain smooth, something I've never been able to do. But if I want some semblance of a 'style' it will require blowing it out as I do now but will require far less work to get it smooth. I'd love to try it but the price is stopping me. If it was $300 and I had it done at the beginning of the summer I could maybe justify it. I'm sure there are other places here that do it (I'm in the Chicago suburbs) but this is the only one I know of. And this isn't a technique I want done by a newbie - this gal has been at it 8 months and has done hundreds of heads.

Phyllis, I used to use Mattique and I liked it for the coverage and the matte look. I did find that at the end of the day, I think the color turned a bit orangey. Nowadays, my skin is older (how did that happen, lol) and I find a more moist look is better - I look pretty dead with too much matte! I use L'Oreal Visible Coverage (recommended by a forum friend here, by the way) and it provides pretty good coverage which I need for blotches. I know you're much younger than me, lucky girl!

I used this & was happy with the results. The base color was dark brown despite being called light ash brown but since my hair is very dark brown, it did lighten it. The highlights also were nice albeit a bit on the orange side except on the gray - on the gray the highlights were light brown.

If you have a Sally Beauty Supply in your area you can use it as it's open to the public and a discount for the trade. I owned a salon for 35 years. I'll tell you just how to color your hair at home with a professional product and save money. First off, you need to know a little about color. Always buy a shade lighter than you see on the bottle. Okay, if you have gray, you have to buy Gray Magic, it comes in a tiny dispenser that allows you to add 3 or 4 drops to your color. This assures that your gray will be covered and not lift. Choose a permanent color as the temporary ones do NOT work well with gray. Purchase a bottle of cream developer 20% peroxide. I prefer Clairol to all other brands. I was an expert colorist so I made up my own formulas which work so much better than a solid color but you can choose one close to your own. Purchase an applicator bottle or a small bowl and applicator brush. Follow the directions for mixing. With Clairol permanent color it's equal parts color and peroxide plus the drops if you have gray. If you have trouble choosing a color I may be able to help you. The ten minute colors coat all of the hair and, unfortunately wear off much sooner than the box states. If you're coloring your hair for a touch up, apply color to roots only BUT, if the rest of your hair has faded, add water to the color and put it all over the hair for five minutes only. Shampoo. Try not to wash your hair for 30 hours, your color will last longer if it has time to oxydize. Hope this helps.