[Click here](https://imgur.com/a/VFc0hBj) for an Imgur post with more photos of the box contents and close ups/comparisons of the results. In the photos in **this post**, left side is always my natural color, right side is the dyed result. Photo 5 is comparing the undyed bleached ends (top) to the dyed ones in both shade and full sun, and Photo 6 is comparing the color in full sun (left) and shade (right).
I recently discovered that the Japanese grocery store near me carries hair color, and after a bunch of research I ended up selecting the Kao Liese Creamy Bubble Hair Color in Cool Ash. It was very, very hard to find reviews of this from anyone with my hair type, so I’m doing one here. I’ve used foam color before (specifically the John Frieda Precision Foam Color) so it wasn’t an unfamiliar concept, and I was interested by the color choices, so I figured I’d give it a shot.
**My hair:**
* medium reddish brown with a considerable amount of greys including several natural silver streaks
* very fine, curly/wavy
* dry
* mostly virgin with about 4-6 inches of lightly bleached ends from several years ago
I very, very rarely use heat, and the only product I put on it aside from the occasional hair mask is a DIY curl spray made of 1:1 Kikumasamune High Moist toner and water with some gel mixed in.
**The Product**
I got one box of Cool Ash, with the hope that it would cool down some of the red and give the white/grey an interesting tint. A lot of the reviewers I’d seen said it didn’t do much for their greys but I figured it was worth a shot.
The box came with everything you’d expect to find in a box dye kit, but there was one thing I’d never seen before: a set of instructions and paper tools for patch/strand testing. This was super helpful, since with other box dues I’m usually having to wing it and hope I’m getting it right. All text on the box including the instructions is in Japanese but you can find an English version on the company’s website at [this link](https://web.kao.com/sg/liese/color/bubble/howto/)
I found that the color chart on the back of the box explaining the results per hair color was reasonably accurate.
**Process**
The process here is exactly the same for other foam dyes I’ve used: mix the two bottles, shake gently (the instructions recommend gently turning it upside down and back about once a second for about 10 seconds), then put the nozzle cap on and squeeze the foam out to apply with your hands. One thing I did notice is that if I left the bottle sitting too long it wouldn’t foam as well when I tried to squeeze the dye out, but that can be fixed by turning it over once or twice every time you go back for more foam. I didn’t experience any staining on my skin (but I also rinse anything that gets on me asap if I can) and the few spots that got on the white tile and tub came off easily with a bit of dish soap.
Before starting I quickly washed, conditioned, and gently blow-dried my hair with no product. I applied the dye then put on a shower cap and waited 25 minutes. I kind of wish I hadn’t done the cap, as there’s the tiniest hint of hot roots in certain sections that I think wouldn’t have been an issue if I’d left it uncovered. My hair felt VERY soft and smooth after rinsing the dye out, if you’ve ever used Garnier Olia it was similar to that but without needing the add-in oil.
The only unusual thing here was that I had a LOT more hair fall than I was expecting given that before dyeing I combed it out, shampooed, conditioned, combed, dried, and combed again, which on its own had produced the usual tennis ball sized hairball that most of my fellow curly folks have experienced on wash day. I started inspecting every strand I could catch as it came off thinking there was massive breakage happening, and while there was some I’d say a good 75-80% of what was coming off was full strands complete with the root/bulb. I haven’t had anything like that happen since that first wash, so I don’t really know what else to say about that 🤷♀️
I styled and air-dried as I usually do, it looked fairly dark and kind of purple/maroon when wet so I was worried that I’d made a huge mistake on the color selection but it lightened up a lot as it dried.
**Color Results**
The brown color generally is much more cool and ashy and my grey hairs are a silvery purple/blue; when I do my usual wet style and air dry process I end up with a couple completely silver waves and curls, which is awesome. The bleached ends are now roughly the same color as the rest of my hair, with a couple of pieces that have completely turned the same silver/purple/blue as the white hair at the top. It does look darker in the sun. I do think there is a lightener in the dye but generally speaking the overall color is roughly the same or maybe half a shade darker at most than what I started with.
I’m super happy with this overall. I wasn’t looking to really change how light or dark my hair is, more just to work on the tone and do something with the grey/white hair. I wasn’t necessarily looking to completely cover it, just blend it in a bit better. I definitely plan on embracing it when I get older but I’m still in my early 30s right now, so not just yet. Until then I’m gonna be over here with my silvery blurple streaks 😊 will def repurchase and try again once it’s grown out.
by g-a-r-n-e-t