If you’re a DIY hair color person, I’d bet you’ve tried Clairol Nice’n Easy—it might even be your go-to. But, with at-home hair color comes a list of common frustrations like the smell, the mess and potentially imperfect results that don’t mimic those you’d get from a salon professional.
So to make the process way easier for those who favor the lower cost and convenience of refreshing your strands in the comfort of your own home, Clairol decided it was time—after more than 60 years—to update all 47 shades of its cult-classic Nice’n Easy formula, and the new products just launched this month.
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With the goal to bring the salon into your home, the brand is introducing what it calls a “groundbreaking innovation” that took more than two decades to develop. “Now more than ever, consumers are expecting more from their at-home hair color,” says Anna Vorrias, vice president of global and U.S. marketing for Clairol. “True innovation in this category has been long overdue, and our scientists have been working on this new formulation for more than 20 years in order to address the biggest concerns women tend to voice about at-home color: damage, color results, smell and mess.”
These are the key modifications and upgrades to the Nice’n Easy collection that you should get excited about:
The formula now conditions as it colors.
“The first key innovation is the EDDS damage-blocking technology, which helps block copper-induced damage that occurs while coloring your hair (microparticles of free radicals, like copper, scratch the surface of the hair cuticle during a chemical reaction such as coloring),” says Vorrias. “It not only helps block damage, but also helps color last longer.”
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You no longer have to worry about product dripping down your face.
The formula has also been tweaked to make it a cream rather than a liquid, which eliminates the messy dripping problem and creates a more precise application process.
The terrible ammonia smell is gone.
Clairol’s new ammonia-trapping technology helps encapsulate the strong scent so it never reaches your nose. And furthermore, the brand worked with a fragrance company to create a “fresh, floral scent” that it says is a first for at-home color.
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The risk for allergic reactions has been minimized.
One reason many women steer clear of at-home hair color is because they’re scared of having an allergic reaction, which happens more often than you think (it can happen in salons too). To solve this problem, Clairol created a revolutionary dye molecule called ME+ to replace traditional ingredients that are potential irritants (PPD and PTD), while still giving hair beautiful, natural-looking color. “The search for an alternative molecule that wouldn’t compromise the color result has been ongoing for decades, and Clairol is the first to succeed,” says Vorrias. Note: It’s still important to check with your dermatologist before trying a new product, as allergic reactions can still occur in certain situations.
So, if you’ve strayed from the idea of doing your own color all these years because there wasn’t a good option, you may want to reconsider. And with nearly 50 shades to choose from, you’re bound to find a hue that works for you. The new collection is now exclusively available at Target.com and will roll out to additional retailers in February.
