Warning: strong language (I’m really angry and this frustration needs to be aired and well, since this is my piece of the world, I get to say what I think, right?)

A few months ago, when I decided to move away from the blonde curls that I had and the red I had done at Urban Roots had faded considerably, I picked up the L’Oreal Feria in Mango Intense Copper, which is a gorgeous orange paprika mango ginger and I have been using it ever since (not just because I get tons of compliments on the colour, I really REALLY love the colour too).

But very recently L’Oreal started changing the packaging of the Feria range, promising it’s the same shades, just a different packaging. So when I was due repainting my regrowth (especially my blossoming grey hairs), I very happily snatched up the #74 Mango Intense Copper like I have done before. I truly believed that they had only changed the packaging – I mean, why would they change the formula, right? And why would they say on the box it’s the same formula/product if it wasn’t – ’cause that’d be false advertisement. I believed them.

BOY WAS I WRONG! L’Oreal are really full of sh!t! First of all, the product has now some sort of oil additive that I don’t remember having to add into the mix before application with the old products. That was the first clue. Or maybe I just have bad memory (well I am kinda known for that) – but I was distracted with the fancy black gloves (can you tell I’m easily distracted?).

I applied the colour as normal and waited 30min for it to develop, washed it out, conditioned it, threw some Awapul hair oil and Tresemme Salon Sleek spray on and started blowdrying my hair when I first noticed how much redder rather than ginger my hair was!! Same shade my ass! L’Oreal Feria definitely changed the formula because my hair is redder rather than ginger and that REALLY pisses me off!! I LOVED LOVED LOVED that ginger colour and now I have to go and find a new perfect ginger….

You might say “But, Maria, this colour is pretty, I don’t understand what all this fuss is about?!” and I tell you:

“Yes, I know, it’s a pretty colour, but I’ve been every shade of red in my life and I was really, really excited to have found a colour that suits me, that I get compliments for, that not everyone has AND that isn’t red! I’m very precious about my hair and very picky, I’ve been through so many different colours in my life and I would’ve happily stuck with this colour for another few months at least (maybe with the variation of darker/lighter tips)! So maybe that explains why I’m so bloody annoyed at L’Oreal?“

Why oh why, L’Oreal, would you claim in big letters on your (less than impressive) new packaging, that it’s the same product just with different packaging when i’s so VERY CLEARLY not the case and you have mucked about with the formulas?! WHY CHANGE WHAT WORKS?! Why don’t you go and spend your R&D money on, oh I don’t know, the gazillionth shampoo & conditioner or whatever!! GRRRRRRRR

Ever found your perfect product and then the company went and changed it all?