Hair Color Review: John Frieda Precision Foam Colour

We're heading into the colder months, which typically means making the switch from highlighted hair to warmer tones. My natural hair color is dark brown, but typically I lighten or highlight it in the summer months. Being that it is only 6 weeks until Christmas, getting my hair colored at the salon was not in my wallet's vocabulary, so I opted to color my hair at home. I made my way to CVS and decided upon John Frieda's Precision Foam Colour. I went with 4BG  (Dark Chocolate Brown.)


My highlighted hair before, colored immediately after and results 1 week later.

I have to say, I don't typically read the warnings on home hair coloring kits because I have been coloring my hair since I was 13 and they typically all say the same thing. However, I noticed John Frieda's included some things I have never seen before like you need to remove all accessories you are wearing and cannot use metal tools. Since there seems to be an issue with metal, I assumed that the accessories they meant were jewelry.  So I removed my earrings.

It also says you shouldn't use this product if you have a temporary black Henna tattoo, as it is likely to increase an allergy risk. If you wear contacts, you need to remove them also...however I'm not sure how you could put on your glasses since you can't have metal around. If you've colored your hair previously with compound hennas, metallic dyes or color restorers you have to wait until your hair has grown out and then cut. And don't try to put the foam on your eyelashes or eyebrows because it may cause blindness.

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So, basically, by the time I was done reading that I was freaked out. Then I went on to read how to mix the product. It says you cannot shake the mix (you need to gently tilt it 5 times,) you cannot use the pump but instead have to squeeze the bottle to make the foam come out of the pump...which is psychologically confusing because you are holding a bottle with a pump...that you cannot pump. The bottle needs to remain upright at all times and you can only apply the foam to your hands first (in gloves of course) and not directly onto your hair. So basically I felt I was going to mess this up big time.

Application was tricky because the instructions state that you cannot get the foam on your face or ears at all. My hair is shoulder length, so good luck with that Shannon! Trying to prevent the foam from touching my skin, while trying to keep the bottle upright and not pump it was like playing a game of Twister.  

Additionally your hair needs to be "frothy" with foam in order to be "done." Ok, guess what? Foam evaporates or absorbs into your hair. Especially if you have long-ish hair and are trying to make sure you get each section equally. Wait time from this point is 30 minutes. I rinsed my hair, applied the conditioner, rinsed that out after 3 minutes and then blew it dry. I was pleasantly surprised with the color. I loved it. Tweeted about it. My 7 year old snapped my pic for me and I was happy I was still alive with great looking hair.

Fast forward 1 week and while my hair is still brown, as you can see from the picture...the color has significantly faded. Ugh. I do not wash my hair everyday, in fact I usually only wash it every other day. I also used sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner, so I know it wouldn't have been the culprit to strip my hair color. I also hadn't washed my hair 24 hours before applying the foam as the instructions stated and I did not have any product build-up to prevent the color from adhering. So was it worth it to save myself the $60-$75 of coloring my hair at the salon? Not really. Have you used John Frieda's Precision Foam? I'd like to hear about your experience (good or bad.)

12 comments

Shannon Smyth
Shannon Smyth
That’s a good question! Since they are both chemical treatments, I would think it’s best to wait a month or so after coloring. Too soon after coloring and you take the chance of frying your hair.
Monique
Monique
thank you, i appreciate the information. i guess i will be staying with loreal preference. the golden blonde works beautifully and leaves my hair shiny.it leaves my roots and hair looking slightly strawberry blonde for about a week but a beautiful blonde. because of my white hair i don’t have to color very often. i was just hoping i could find a foam that would do the same color with less work. have a wonderful evening
Shannon Nelson
Shannon Nelson
Hi Monique, I asked celeb hairstylist Pearson Knight his thoughts. He has no relationship with John Frieda and hasn’t used his foam, but in general here is what he said: If her hair is that light naturally and the foam only deposits, it will be darker. I would suggest the lightest foam on the market or one that lightens if Frieda’s will. I would honestly recommend staying with the salon. With hair being white with grey, it is too risky to try to achieve a delicate blonde with self color. Also grey hair is more resistant to color, being the cuticle is thicker. If all over color is hard on the scalp or too many trips to the salon doesn’t work, try blonde natural placement highlights and going longer between visits.
Monique
Monique
fantastic i am due for a coloring so i would love to try something wonderful and easy. i haved loved the shiny gold color with loreal and would love if i could get the same with this product
Shannon Nelson
Shannon Nelson
Hi Monique, let me see if any of my hairstylist friends can answer that for you. Will post back when I know for sure!
Monique
Monique
so my natural hair is white with some grey. i tried Loreal’s foam for blondes and my hair came out so dark i couldn’t believe it. i have been using loreal prefernce medium golden blonde and love it. however i thought it would be easier to color if i tried a foam since someone else has to actually apply the regular color for me or i miss all over the place. i was told because the foam has no lifting qualities it only deposited color and that’s why my hair came out so dark. could someone tell me what would happen if i colored with a medium golden blonde foam from john frieda? i almost look like a platinum blonde at this point. what will happen? i can’t go dark since i look unnatural and my roots are so light it would mean i have to color too frequently, my scalp can’t handle frequent colorings. thanks
Shannon Nelson
Shannon Nelson
Yikes Rayne! I would recommend going to a professional to have it fixed, that way they’ll know what to do so that your hair doesn’t fry and become over-processed.
Rayne Saltair
Rayne Saltair
I’ve been coloring it since I was 12 a nice platinum blonde. It’s holiday time so I am strapped and here is a freebie gift card for John Frieda. Reading the box I liked that it said you wouldn’t have to worry about the 2 shades you get with “bleaching.” I had that telltale duel color going on at the moment and didn’t want to waste an entire box of my usual coloring. Big mistake!!!! I read all the directions and followed it exactly as they said (never used foam before always straight bleach). Instead of finishing the process from my last coloring and lightening it to match the rest of my head it turned my hair grey. I don’t even have any grey in my natural hair and this doesn’t look like a natural grey. My head looks like I had a fight with a clothing dyer and if I wore a pinstripe suit I’d match. At the moment I don’t know what I’m going to do I may have to wait a week or so and than redo my whole head with my normal bleach and just pray my hair doesn’t all fall out.
Shannon Nelson
Shannon Nelson
Courtney, I think with dark hair you can always try doing different shades of undertones to make it more vibrant. And I love Taaz, btw, I know the person behind it. Very cool.
Courtney
Courtney
Wow, your hair looks good highlighted and after using the foam. I haven’t used it only because I feel since my hair so dark I don’t think I have too many choices. Been trying out different colors on Taaz.com with their makeover tool. I tried on some Beyonce highlighted hair – let’s just say it looks better on her. ;)

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