I received Clairol’s Perfect 10 by Nice ‘n Easy back in December prior to its launch. Since I signed a contract to keep mum about it, I decided not to use it until I could tell you all about it. That day came shortly before I left for Fashion Week on January 31st. Unfortunately, I couldn’t give this product an overwhelming good review (and I see my friend’s at DeLush felt the same way). Most of my life I have used Clairol’s products to color my hair, so I decided to give them the opportunity to respond to my concerns over Perfect 10.

Perfect 10 is supposed to color your hair in 10 minutes, fully cover grays and leave hair shiny and healthy looking. The kit comes with a comb you attach to the bottle to provide faster and more even coverage of the hair color.

The Bad:
* The comb applicator dripped dye everywhere. I like the idea of it and it covered a large section of hair, but it is not practical at all when it is so messy.

* The smell stung my eyes and I had to open the bathroom window.

* The shine booster and softener didn’t really act like a conditioner because even after spraying detangler in my hair it looked dry and like a tangled rats nest. Ouch to all that brushing.

* Even after drying my hair it looked kind of dried out.

* I normally use Dark Brown (Sabel Cove in Clairol’s Hydrience) to color my hair, but Dark Brown with Perfect 10 made my hair jet black.

The Good:
* Just using the regular root applicator worked fine, no mess.

* I like the fruity smell of the shine booster.

* Once I used my hair straightener, my hair looked amazing. (The Conair Infiniti Nano Silver Hair Straightener will change your life forever!!!)

* I got compliments all morning on my hair color and how shiny my hair was.

Marcy Cona, Clairol’s Director of Color & Style’s response:

Tip 1 - How to pick the right shade

· When coloring your hair, the end result is a combination of the shade you choose plus your current color. When choosing your shade make sure to look at the shade chart on the side of the box to find your current color, if your current color is not on the box, you’ve probably either gone too many shades dark or light.

· In the future, I recommend testing a strand of your hair before applying it all over. Take a small section of hair from underneath the ear area, mix a small amount of color and developer, use the applicator tip and apply - then process for 10 minutes. Rinse, blow dry and then take a look at your new hair color against your skin to get a sneak peak of the end result before applying it all over.

· If you felt the overall hair color was too dark, next time select one shade lighter to avoid getting that “too dark” look.

Tip 2 - How to best apply the color

· The Perfect 10 instructions (option B) also provides the following tip: apply the color to your roots by using the applicator tip, so you can guide and control your application. This will also help you guide the amount of product that is dispensed. After applying to the roots, replace the applicator tip with the PerfectColor Comb to apply and comb through the remaining color to the rest of the hair.

· One additional thought, when using the comb you do not need to squeeze too hard, due to the design of the bottle, and flow of the comb, the haircolor dispenses very easy and quickly!

Tip 3 - How to get soft, silky hair after coloring

· Perfect 10’s high-performance color crème works at a lower pH level (pH 9 instead of 10-11), which preserves hair’s f-layer or natural protective coating and protects hair surface quality over time.

· Be sure to use the ColorSeal Conditioning Gloss after coloring and leave in for 2 minutes or up to 10 minutes for a deep conditioning treatment. The intensive conditioner has our exclusive ColorSeal complex that seals the outer layer of the hair (called the cuticle), helping to keep hair from looking faded, dull and dry.

Have you used this product? Please share your experience in the comments.