Instructions? Who needs instructions I said, as I slapped yet another hair dye on my head today.
I went for something different today – no time to go for highlights, scalp to sensitive for the like of Feria, I bought 2 packs of Kao (a Japanese household brand) Prettia Hair Colour.
This is about $8 retail but $17 (it was $16 earlier this week!) from Ichibankao.
I chose:
In the box you get the usual 2 bottle dyes, gloves, conditioner, instructions and so on. Nothing out of the ordinary.
The texture of the dye is interesting – its a mousse! The advantages is that it makes it very easy to apply and control but in a way I didn’t trust it – DID I cover that area? Mousse is so light so…hmm it’s hard to tell. Also when you first squeeze it out its very liquidy.
Use it on dry hair.
Instructions are:
1. Mix two bottles together (it’s clear which are wish) then turn the container to mix it together.
2. Tilt the bottle and squeeze the middle and the foam starts coming out.
3. Lather up the foam and cover all of the hair, then leave for 20-30 mins.
4. Rinse!
You have got to love the Japanese attention to detail. I love the bottle it comes in, I love the way everything is presented, so neat, so functional.
At the same time, the idea of a foamy permanent hair dye is interesting. I have the sensitive scalp of course, and I had a slight tingle but no where near any irritation so its a fairly gentle dye. So gentle that I was concerned it wouldn’t actually do anything.
Because the dye is foam, it goes very far. I bought 2 packs because my hair is so long, but one was more than enough because it just went on and on and on.
Now the result. The dye smell is pretty strong and even though I have washed my hair I can still smell it a lot. It’s not horrible at all though, just very strong. The result….is so-so. It’s really not quite like the picture…the promise of a cool light bright is perhaps just too much of an exaggeration. However, it has lightened my dark roots to a warm brown and the ends – which have been highlighted are a cool ashy toned brown. Its added for of a tint as opposed to an actual colour.
Verdict? I love the idea of the product, its SO easy to use and it goes far. It didn’t sting one bit either. My hair is super soft not and conditioned….But I am no 100% convinced because it didn’t get my hair colour anywhere near what it was supposed to and ultimately, that is what a hair dye is supposed to do.
I would try it again in another shade, perhaps something reddish toned which I will be able to see a definate result from.
{ 62 comments }
I like the dark tones colors. I’ve been using Palty, another Japanese brand hair dye. It’s pretty good – non messy application, less damage, lightens my natural hair color easily and affordable too. Even though my hair is not that long (just past shoulders), I need 2 boxes instead of one. However, I want to try this one too because of the pretty vibrant color selection!
Hi Sue
This is nice – is Palty also foam? Its very unusual as its white foam too but I guess it works and my hair is very very long but the foam from one bottle was totally enough it completely soaked my hair – weird! Hmm my hair is very shiny…
$17 for hair dye?!? For 17 effing dollars they had better throw in the model as well!
I really like Elegance Ash, myself.
aye aye aye expensive. I guess its come out ok, now I’ve had a proper look and no stinging either
hey row, nope its not foam – just the regular liquid kind but non drip. i’ve never tried a foam hair dye before so this is really making me curious! haha i don’t think $17 is too expensive compared to getting your hair dyed at the salon
Hey Sue
The colour has settled a bit now and it is actually quite lovely and has sorted out my greasy dark roots. Foam dye is so weird – you think, how can this be strong enough but it is made for stubborn asian hair, so there you go!
I pay quite a lot at the salon but it means I can just sit there but it takes hours so I cant be bothered. I feel like going red actually, but a semi i think.
Hey Row, I ordered this in Sweet Pink and it arrived today. Problem is I don’t understand Japanese either, and some of the diagrams are a bit confusing. Could you poss give me some tips, I’ve never dyed my hair before, either at home or salon! How do I make sure I don’t get it on my skin? Also, I figured I’m supposed to mix the two bottles of liquid, but any ideas what the sachet contains? Would really appreciate any tips
thank you!!!!
Hey Wei!
A hair dye virgin! Lucky you – the colour should take beautifully to your hair.
Important tips
*have clean hair that is dry
* use vaseline – apply around hairline, around back the the neck and the top of the ears
* use a towel around your shoulders and don’t forget to protect your nice white bathroom from stains
With the Kao -
You need to mix the two big bottles. Then you shouldnt shake it, but just turn it so the two things mix together, and you press the centre of the tube to make it come out as foam. At first it will just be liquidy foam so just let this go down the sink. About on your fourth pump it should be a pure white foam. Apply this like a shampoo – really work it into your roots first, then the ends. Pile it on top of your head when it is completely covered, clip and go and have a cup of tea! (take the gloves off!).
When rinsing the instructions said you can shampoo but I prefer to rinse I dont want the colour being flushed out, so rinse it really really really really well then use the sachet (a conditioner) leave for 3 mins. Done!
Remember to get the roots, I hate undyed roots! Really work it in Get the foam as even as possible cover every bit of your head, the foam goes really really really far thats what I noticed so dont feel you need to scrimp (I bought 2 packs, have very long hair and 1 pack was more than enough).
If you have irritation you need to take it off but I will be honest and say I can live with some tingles, if it BURNS then you may be allergic. I’d say dont use freshly washed hair, wash you hair and leave it for a day then dye it.
hope that helps! x
Thank you Row, you are amazing! I wasn’t expecting such detailed advice, but I know I definitely need it! I hope that didn’t take too much of your time, thank you again and I’ll let you know how it turns out!
P.S. thank god you reminded me about the vaseline! A Sweet Pink face is probably, in reality, not a good idea.
Hey Wei
I had a look sweet pink looks lovely! I am tempted by a reddish type dye but probably as a semi colour as I change my mind so much
Let me know how your dye goes!
Hey Row, just wanted to let you know that thanks to you my first home colouring experiment was a success! No stains, no mess, and I’m really pleased with the end result.
As with you, the colour has not turned out as vibrant as on the box, but it’s very close and definitely noticeable – five out of five people have noticed today, which I think is amazing given that I’d never dyed or bleached my hair before.
My original hair was a very dark brown, except for the ends which were a lot lighter, prob due to dodgy perms. Now it’s a reddish brown, with a hint of pink in sunlight. So as close to the advertised colour as someone like me could have hoped
Thanks again for the excellent advice, and for being lovely. Definitely try Sweet Pink next time you’re bored!
xxx
Hey Wei!
I’m so please you liked it! It can be difficult dying your hair for the first time the Kao is defintely easy to use in that respect. I am happy with my colour in that it got rid of my dark roots but I can’t wait to add some other colours to it.
I will check out sweet pink it seems like a lovely shade! x
Hi there! Just wanna find out, did the dye dirtied your towel with the subsequent wash? It’s suppose to last only a month right? Also, bringblingjp.blogspot.com is selling this for only 8USD.
Hey Row,
I just bought marshmallow brown, and i was wondering if you could answer a few questions!
how long did you leave the foam in for?also, for the sachet do you need to wash it out after or is it a leave in?
thanks so much
Hi Maggie
Its 20-30 mins, and the saches is a conditioner for after (like a treatment!) x
does anyone know what color this is?
is like redish brown but i want to make sure
Hi Chell
I think that is Marshmallow Brown (judging by the model on the front of the packet):
http://cgi.ebay.com/KAO-Liese-%2F-Prettia-Bubble-Hair-Color-Marshmallow-Brown_W0QQitemZ200379474168QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090902?IMSfp=TL090902164004r26457
I have used this colou before and to be completely honest it was no where near the colour of the models on the advert! It helps if you have virgin hair I think!
does it end up looking darker then the pixs on the box
Hi Row,
So you are the only English site I find with some reviews on the Prettia Hair Color. =] I’m interested in getting this, because the American brands have done nothing to my hair. I would say half my head is virgin hair and I’m just aiming for a lighter brown from my very-dark-brown-crossing-over-to-black color.
Would it be recommended to get the bottom half done first, perhaps ten minutes, before applying it to the roots, since the upper half will probably absorb the color more than the bottom?
Or should I just try the salon? The thing is, when I go to the salon, they require I sit for a good three or four hours to bleach my hair (big no, no there) before applying the color. I do not want to damage my hair with bleach… which is another concern of mines.. does the Prettia Hair Color have an excessive amount of bleach in it and how much damage does it do to the hair?
I realize our Asian hair is so much different from the Americans… and their dyes are no where near made for us.
Thanks for any input… I really appreciate your site because I’m desperate to try an Asian brand dye for my Asian hair. ^^
Noel
Wow. This product is amazing. I never thought the dye would work so well remembering that my hair so very black.
The colour stands out really well, easy to use, worth the price. Love it so much.
Hi Ink
Yeah these dyes work well for girls with naturally dark hair! I remember when old dyes didn’t do anything for black haired girls
Heyy I just tried the Cassiss Berry one (not in your picture) I think your hair colour didn’t come out that brightly because you’re supposed to use the one bottle for one head of shoulder length hair :p I used the full bottle on mine.. it’s quite bright :p
Hey Aleksandra
Do you like your hair? I recently dyed it ash brown and the effect is lovely!
Thanks for these helpful entry !
I’ve just received my “Marshmallow Brown” and I will use it during chrismas holidays.
I’m looking forward to try it !
I hope the colour will be lovely even if that’s not near the colour of the model.
I think that the model’s hair is lightened on this commercial.
On the package, the colour is more brown than this kind of “blond” hair.
I’ve tried one of these & I must say I really like the after effect, the colours are so vibrant.
Hi,
Would you please let me know where did you get Prettia Hair Color?
Hello~ ^^
I’ve been very curious about this product, and hoping to try one soon. :3
I just have a question though. Is the hair dye permanent or non-permanent? o-o
Hi Kana
Prettia is permanent!
Okay, thank you. =]
Hi do you know where I can buy this product :O
Hiya~! Thank you so much for the instructions, homg, I’d be poring over my Japanese dictionary to burn my eyes with kanji xD
I was wondering what kind of Prettia shade would suit golden-tanned/olive skin? I really want to dye my hair, but I can’t decide what shade wouldn’t look weird with my skin tone…
Thanks for the good posting. I’m excited to give it a try. But I had gray hair since my teenage days. And these days they started showing on my crown. I am wondering if the color will show more on those gray hair than the rest of my head.
Does anyone know if this product can be bought in the UK because i cant buy it on their website
This product sounds so exciting! I’ve been wanting to dye my hair for a while now, but I don’t know which product to use. This sounds promising…but I was wondering, how do you do touch ups? I’ve never dyed my hair before, but do you just re-dye over and over again every month or so?
Hi Kari
If you do a touch up wait until you have decent regrowth (don’t just do it when you have 1cm or something!) then apply the dye to your roots for 10 mins, then u take the dye over the rest of your hair for another 10 mins
This is just a GENERAL GUIDE – check your hair dye because each product and brand will have different times and methods but generally speaking you are supposed to stick colour on your roots then over the ends after so you dont keep dyeing your ends over and over!
I would try Kao, its a great dye and easy to use x
Okay, I’m basically a hair-virgin.
And I have the general idea of what color I want to dye my hair, but if I use this product, can you reuse the same bottle?
And is it possible to streak your hair with this?
You mean can you clean it out and use it with another product? You can of course, its pretty sturdy
I meant, that, let’s say I dye my hair Antique Rose, and after awhile it fades, can I use to same bottle with the leftovers from last time, or do I have to purchase another bottle?
And thank you for answering my questions
Hi Myra!
No, you can’t ever use left overs of hair dye unless its a temporary wash in wash out. Ones that you mix two parts together should always be thrown away.
HOWEVER – say if you tipped out 50% of one bottle and 50% of the other, you could save them then, because they haven’t been mixed together yet. After you mixed the dye together, it’s got to go in the bin if you don’t use it all!
Oh thank you!
I was reading the comments above, and I have question about the sachet. It’s a conditioner, so is it a leave-in-conditioner, or do you wash it out after three minutes?
Ahahaha, sorry for all the questions xD
I just tried it in Apricot brown. I don’t see a tingle of color. But I probably have to stand under the sun (in the moment it’s very cloudy and dark by me) As I waited 30min. for the color to soak in (lol) I felt a strange sensation on my ear lol. I hurried to the miror, omg, the color was runing down allover my head lol. But it’s easy to remove though (even though I forgot to put vaseline allover). I would like to try another color
Hi…
I tot dat i wanna to change my colour hair.
And so great i found this web – so helpful. Thanks to all <3
Just wanna ur opinion/ suggestion / experience about colour blonde or red.
Which one do u prefer ?
Wish to colour look like strawberry blonde. Blonde will make ur skin look more bright ! Have experience on dat But blonde got un-healthy hair look.
Wanna go for red series but fear not suitable with my skin. My skin yellowish fair.
What do u think ? Plz help me out. really want to change my look.
Thanks for helping~~
Hi Momoy
It’s totally personal preference and also what shade you go for. There will be a red that will suit you and a blonde that will suit you too…
Blonde:
I find brightens my face, but it also makes the hair look dry if you over do it, and can make you look sallow if you have yellow skin. If you are going to go blonde, perhaps go to the hairdresser and either do highlights (not all over) because it’s such a hard colour to maintain if you are naturally dark?
Red:
I don’t really like red but I have a lot of natural red in my hair. I recenetly went for a dark brown with a hint of copper and actually it looks really nice. Have you considered going for a light brown/copper? It’s not quite strawberry blonde, but if you are going for a drastic change I’d recommend going to the hairdresser for it…
Much thx Row …
After deeply think about ur saying… so i go for light brown – milk tea brown.
I try to imagine dat this colour suitable for me, an Asian (hope so).
My natural hair colour is black like other Asian. But not really2 black.
One more thing, what different with milky and shiny ? Just confuse, if i go for milky…is it means my hair not shine ?
jus though ?
BTW, much thx again for answering my questions.
Love this blog <33
Thankyou Momoy! (That’s what my gran calls me!)
Hi,
I recently bought Prettia hair dye in Sweet Pink. A few weeks ago I tried to dye my hair with a L’oreal dye, but it didn’t take. I heard that the Prettia dye is designed for asian hair. Will it really change the color without bleach? (My hair is quite black, not brownish-black.)
Thanks!
i already colour my hair with prettia and i really2 satisfied.
the result same as professional touch without damage my hair…awosome…
rite now… i had try marshmallow brown and milky tea.
i tot 4 month later wanna change to red series but it hard to find the red series…huhu…
oh yes… i walk to watson and saw dye product similar with prettia called liese !
ppl said liese is prettia but other name for sale outside japan.
is it true ?
somebody here know ? if yes, i can save my money to order from online (postage are burden me )
Hello ^^
I heard a lot of this, i have black hair, but i wanna change to brown, i am not sure about bleanch my hair but i read ur post about “Prettia” is good for bleanch even if my hair is black?? Thanks ^__________^
Hi Kami…
Yes…u better try it…
And i pretty sure that u will love it
My hair become more prettier color result after after shampoo for several time…
Oh, thanks Momoy, i think this is good option for change my hair color, i dyed my hair before so i think i can do it ^^
hi all,
(
after using this product, how long does the color goes together with shampoo when you wash your hair? i used majirel from loreal, the color has been going down with my shampoo for 3 months after i colored my hair..
many thanks for the info
Hi donna…
I already used marshmallow , milky tea and now current casiss berry.
from my personally i really love this product
to answer ur question based from my experience using prettia is the color not shown for 1st wash. 1st i tot the colour not work to me. but after 3 -4 times washes (shampoo) i came out. u get it ?
this product not shown the achieve color immediately but slowly (after several time shampoo). The best things is i save much money , easy to apply. but i can’t the stand the smell.
hope this will help
hi there, i m about to color my hair using prettia. But, absolutely, i dont understand any words as they are all in japanese. So, ur guide absolutely will be a big help for me. I am not used to with coloring my hair, it’s my second time. So, i forgot how to color it. My question is should i wash my hair before i put the foam in my hair?
thx ..
I just bought and tried this product the first time today. I got the Orange Brown color because the lady wearing this color looks cute. =)
I have only tried Garnier Fructis hair color before (for self-dye), but the color didn’t show at all cuz my hair is dark black & thick. I heard my friend said Japanese hair color worked better for my hair, so I got this one. The chemical smell is actually not as strong as Garnier’s, and it works! Even though the resulting color is still far from what the product picture illustrates, I am satisfied because it’s a visible result compared to Garnier’s.
I will try a lighter color next time to get more brownish. For people who have black and healthy hair (no other hair treatment before), I would advice choosing lighter color than the desired color, and let the dye stay on hair for longer (40 min if that doesn’t irritate your skin) to get the color result in the picture you want.
To iin: DON’T wash your hair before dying. I heard from my stylist that the dirty hair is easier to get the dye on. It would be better for your hair too due to oil on your hair can protect it when dying. I don’t know whether this holds true but at least that’s how hair salon will do it for you.
it was $7 then it became $16?! where did you purchase it? im from philippines
Hello!
I have read most of your posts about Japanese hair dies and I have finally decided I would try Blythe Fresh Light. I have got one problem though… I do not know how many packs to buy. You said your hair is very long and you bought 2, but I have read that for shoulder-long hair two packs are barely enough… my hair is waist-long… should I but 4? I have died my hair quite a few times before, but only with “our” dies, like Garnier, L’Oreal etc., and I usually bought two packs… although last time I have died my hair was last August and I haven’t cut it since…
I would be really grateful if you could help me with this one… I am dying to try one of those out.
Off-topic: I LOVE your blog, I really enjoy reading your posts
Thanks for sharing all that information (I know it takes time and patince, especially with the swatches most probably).
Thank you in advance!! ^.^ have a great day!
Hi Nikki,
i have a very long hair
and i have prettia for several time
(honestly , i love this product)
i just use only 1 box to cover all my hair.
coz the bubble enough to cover all inch in my head
hope this useful
It was useful indeed, thanks
In the meantime I have realised I do not really pay attention to details, because I just “found out” that Blythe is not a permanent hair dye, so I am going to order two packs of Kao Prettia in Antique Rose, from Mihoko Shop 
Gorgeous! I also used prettia! I used MARSHMALLOW BROWN and I’m surprised at how easy it was to get an even color (even my dark roots cuz i already had lightened hair from previous dye!) In case it might help anyone, my before and after pics of it can be found here.
http://onlymeworld.com/blogs/entry/Kao-Liese-Prettia-Bubble-Hair-Color-Marshmallow-Brown
join me at onlymeworld.com
hi!
just want to ask if u can still use this even if u had ur hair rebonded? will it destroy the hair or u really need a virgin hair to apply this product? i had rebonded my hair last february so im quite scared to try this product for my hair.. hope u can help me.. thanx
Hi Nynhiah
Oh dear I really don’t know this! Can you use normal dye on Rebonded hair?
Hello!
I just bought a box of this dye in sweet pink, I can’t wait to try it out…
I have very short hair though, like above my shoulders…how much of the foam should I use to cover my hair? Is it possible to save some formula and mix it later? Because it would be a waste to dispose of so much unused foam…o,o
Thanks!
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