Product Review: Schwarzkopf Palette Hair Dye 4.0 Dark Brown with Creative Studio 20 Vol. Developer

This review is actually for two separate products as I decided to mix my own colour this time round instead of buying a box dye. I was specifically hunting for that flawless, professional grey coverage that is often so hard to find with home kits. If you’ve ever been intimidated by mixing your own colour, here is exactly how it went—plus a surprise DIY haircut!

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Jo Linsdell with Schwarzkopf Palette Hair Dye 4.0 Dark Brown with Creative Studio 20 Vol. Developer

Schwarzkopft Palette Hair Dye and Creative Studio 20 Vol.

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Product details

Schwarzkopf Palette Hair Dye 4.0 Dark Brown

Description:

Palette dark brown tube – the permanent colour cream with professional performance – featuring a professional mix of colour pigments and a nourishing care complex – now available for use at home. The high-performance formula with a professional mix of colour pigments ensures a flawless, intense, and radiant colour result with professional grey hair coverage. The care complex provides extra nourishment for your hair.

Ingredients:

Aqua (Water, Eau), Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Toluene-2,5-Diamine Sulfate, Decyl Oleate, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Resorcinol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ethanolamine, Parfum (Fragrance), Potassium Stearate, Glycerine, Serine, m-Aminophenol, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Hydrosulfite, Carbomer, Sodium Sulfate, Polyquaternium-2, 2-Amino-4-Hydroxyethylaminoanisole Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Linoleamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, PEG-14M, Propylene Glycol

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Review

Like I said, this is a two product review. Let's start with the developer.

Creative Studio 20 Volume Developer

I've used the Creative Studio 20 volume developer several times in the past and have always found it works just fine. I would have preferred to use a 10 volume developer which works fine for covering grey with a darker colour like I was doing here but the lowest they had in the store was 20 volume and so that's what I ended up with. The smaller bottle was just the right amount as I was only really dying my roots this time and just blending with the previous colour.

Tip: Remember, you only need higher volume developer when going lighter. 10 volume is less damaging and works fine for darker shades or for covering grey hair.

Overall I'm really pleased with the result. The colour took to my hair well and it left my hair feeling in good condition after dying. If you're looking for a good, budget friendly developer I can definitely recommend the Creative Studio range.

Now on to the dye...

Schwarzkopf Palette Hair Dye 4.0 Dark Brown

I wasn't sure how this was going to go as I've had a few hit and miss experiences with Schwarzkopf dyes in the past. That said, I'm really happy with how my hair turned out. It did a great job of covering the grey whilst also blending perfectly with the previous box dye I'd used.

These before and after photos show the great job it did on covering the grey hair:

Product Review Schwarzkopf Palette Hair Dye 4.0 Dark Brown with Creative Studio 20 Vol. Developer before and after

If I decide to keep this colour, I would definitely use this combination again instead of going for a box dye package. I am tempted to go lighter again though... maybe blonde again for the summer? A lighter brown shade? Or add in some highlights or balayage? As you can probably tell, I'm a little undecided about what I want to do next with my hair. What do you think?

As you can see from these before and after photos, I also decided to give myself a hair cut whilst I was at it. I cut off about 6cm from the length and tidied up with layers a little bit to get rid of some of the dry ends.