This at-home hair dye gave me pink locks in 10 minutes

Although hair colour may conjure up images of bleach and a hefty budget, Maria Nila’s colour refresh is for those wanting to experiment. Available in 18 shades on Amazon, the dyes are housed in a hair mask formula that adds shine and hydration and helps to improve hair health. Plus, it’s only temporary, meaning it should completely come out in between three to ten washes.

The application

Unlike the majority of hair dyes which develop over around an hour or two, and often require foil and a plastic bag or similar to help stop us from making a mess, Maria Nila’s colour refresh, which can be thought of as more as a temporary tint, needs to be treated like a hair mask. Although, there are a number of tips and tricks to get the most out of the colour.

Firstly, remember that we’re all working from different canvases. A bleach blonde will pick up a pink colour much faster and stronger than a deep brunette, so you’ll need to tailor your application depending on your desired result.

As explained above, I started with freshly washed hair (shampoo only, not conditioner) to dilute the colour even further. Then, I mixed together three shades of colour refresh, pink pop, peach and dusty pink until I reached the perfect shade. Of course, quite a lot of colour is needed to ensure you cover your whole head, so do be generous and aim for around 100-300ml depending on your hair type and length.

To dilute it even further for a more subtle shade that should wash out much faster, I then added equal amounts of shampoo to the colour. I massaged in as you would a hair mask, making sure to cover the roots, tips and every strand in between.

For a stronger shade, skip shampoo and leave the colour alone (always with plastic gloves) for 10 minutes. Then, no matter the method you picked, simply wash out as you would your shampoo in the shower. Once the water starts to run clear, you’re ready to dry and style as you wish.

The look

As you can probably tell, I’m incredibly impressed with this hair colour. The application process was easy and the final result was exactly what I was after, a subtle shade of colour that adds just the smallest statement to my otherwise natural-looking locks. In fact, I’m so chuffed with it, it’s given me the confidence to really go for it next time – perhaps I’ll be bold enough to try straight colour dry, let’s see.

But what has probably impressed me the most is the amount of gloss that the mask has left. My hair’s soft, silky and shiny which, of course, is a huge win. I’m now intrigued to see how long it lasts.