Best At-Home Hair Color Products, Tested by Experts

Since its modest origins, at-home color has evolved to include professional-quality formulations, varying degrees of permanency, a rainbow of color choices, components to care for hair health, and even customizing technologies. Easier than ever, today’s DIY dye kits provide a quick, less costly approach to refreshing your appearance without the time and money commitment of a salon visit. From tried-and-true color manufacturers, the best colors for home use last through frequent shampooing, sun exposure, and hot tool use to remain bright, healthy, and vivid.

Using state-of-the-art technical instruments to measure fading when exposed to water, UV, and shine, Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty, Health, & Sustainability Lab scientists rigorously tested at-home color kits from a variety of brands in the lab for color vibrancy and gray coverage in order to identify which boxed dyes perform best. Consumer testers also rate them on results, including the look and feel of hair after application; in the most current test, 2,721 data points were gathered to identify the winners.

Scroll to the bottom of this post for further information on how we evaluate color and advice on how to choose the correct type of hair dye (permanent, semi- and demi-permanent, temporary) and create the shade, whether brunette, blonde, red, or beyond. Our practical method can help your color at home like a professional; you can also find inspiration in our preferred colors for dark brown, black, gray, auburn, and blonde hair.

1: Phyto-Phytocolor Permanent Hair Color

Phyto won the most recent at-home color test in the GH Beauty Lab with an ammonia-free recipe including plant-derived pigments and oils like jojoba and coconut oil. Users discovered it lasted longer than all others tested, and the color was the richest, most consistent, and true one available. After application, the recipe left hair feeling the softest; it was the least messy coloring and the general tester favorite.

Remarkably, one hundred percent of testers said it produced rich, even color tones. The kit also voted highest for simplicity of preparation: it is not messy, creates a shade that complements the color on the box and lasts, and leaves you feeling nourished. “The best color I have ever used, including professional,” a user enthused. Many testers claimed it left their hair shining. One drawback is that the shade range is not as broad as that of other companies.

Formula	Permanent
Number of shades	21
Includes	Ammonia-free permanent hair color, developer, gloves, and a color-protecting hair mask

2: Revlon ColorSilk Beautiful Color Permanent Hair Color

In terms of performance in GH Beauty Lab tests, Revlon’s ammonia-free boxed hair color came out almost on par with its more expensive rivals. It got the best marks in many areas, even with its modest price. This drugstore color received top points from testers for having clear directions, simple preparation and rinse-out techniques, a low aroma, and a smooth, lustrous hair appearance.

Though some consumers needed more than one box to cover their hair, it wasn’t the best for grays when compared to other formulations. Many customers noted how easy it was to apply and the “beautiful color” it generated—true to its name. One marveled at how soft, shining, and nourishing it made my hair.

Formula	Permanent
Number of shades	41
Includes	Ammonia-free permanent hair color, developer, gloves, conditioner

3: ESalon Color Kit

Like in the salon, ESalon’s experienced colorists produce a tailored hair color particularly for you and your hair needs, which is then delivered to your door for application at home. Though it didn’t offer as good gray coverage or resist fading as other custom hair color brands in lab testing, it was a top performer in the GH Beauty Lab’s at-home hair color test for providing the desired shade, giving rich and even results, and leaving hair looking silky and feeling nourished.

Birnur Aral, Ph.D., a former executive director of the GH Beauty Lab, is a supporter of the service, and another former scientist termed it “a great option if you want the customization you get from working with a hair colorist and the convenience and savings of doing it yourself at home.” A tester raved, “Very nice packaging with all the pieces labeled; my hair felt soft and healthy and looked so shiny when I was done!; the service, the color I wanted, and the emails with helpful info and tips felt very personalized.”

Formula	Permanent
Number of shades	Custom
Includes	Ammonia-free permanent hair color, developer, two pairs of gloves, applicator brush, shampoo and conditioner samples, stain guard, and a stain remover

4: Zotos Professional Permanent Liquid Hair Color Dye Starter Kit

Mild but strong, this Zotos Professional dye totally hides even persistent grays and resists fading better than the others in lab tests. From ice blondes to deep crimsons and inky blacks, it is the mildest formulation and comes in a broad spectrum of colors. Lab tests revealed that the mixture most nearly matched the hue displayed and offered the best coverage of gray hair.

With the VeriVide DigiEye technology, color faded the least in a comparison of just-dyed human hair samples against those subjected to 20 wash/dry cycles and 10 hours of UVA light (simulating four weeks of usage). It also got high marks for not aggravating users. One disadvantage is the separate sale of the hair color and starting kit. One tester said, “natural-looking, beautiful, lasting coverage.”

Formula	Permanent
Number of shades	84
Includes	Developer, gloves, dye remover wipe, and color-protecting shampoo and conditioner samples (permanent cream hair color sold separately)

5: Clairol Natural Instincts Demi-Permanent Hair Color

Many colors from Clairol’s popular demi-permanent drugstore color delighted the GH Beauty Lab in tests, particularly dark hair like brunettes and reds. When applied to cover gray strands, the ammonia-free at-home color provided even coverage in lab testing, leaving hair noticeably lustrous and fade-resistant. Note, nevertheless, that in testing, it lacked robust gray coverage on blonde

Formula	Demi-permanent
Number of shades	38
Includes	Color cream, color activator, conditioner sample