Hello everyone! In today’s post I share my review on the Igora Royal hair dye from Schwarzkoft Professional in the 8-1 shade. I show you the before and after and the steps I follow to use it.
Igora Royal by Schwarzkoft Professional
IGORA ROYAL dyes from Schwarzkoft are a type of permanent colouring for professionals and have 5 lines. However, they can also be found in some online stores if you want to DIY. The line packed in the red box is the main one. Then there are 4 subtypes. Each range has a distinctive colour:
- IGORA ROYAL Highlifts,
- IGORA ROYAL Fashion Lights
- IGORA ROYAL Absolutes
- IGORA ROYAL Silver Whites
These lines are used for specific colouring needs, such as gray hair or highlights.
How to apply Igora Royal from Schwarzkoft
This 8-1 dye from Igora I have used as my colour base. What do I mean by this? Well, this is the colour I apply to my virgin hair and on top on which I will add another type of colour later (bleaching). Let me explain. It’s simpler than it sounds!
I apply my colour base on my roots every 6 weeks (a month and a half). What I’m looking for is a dark ash blonde. A shade that looks very natural as my hair grows.
My colour calendar is: February 15, March 31, May 15, June 30, August 15, September 30, November 15, and December 31.
Obviously it is not necessary that they are always those days, but these are approximate dates. On these dates I always apply my colour base.
In one out of every two colour applications, I also do highlights and toning. That is, on the following dates I apply the base, and then also highlights and toning: March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31. If you notice the bleaching I do it every 3 months / 12 weeks. In other words, 4 times a year.
In this post I tell you how I do to tone up highlights. The truth is that I change a lot because I like to experiment, but there you have a very simple colour idea that always works.
How to prepare the mixture for Igora Royal?
Mix 60 ml of Igora dye with 60 of developer of 20 volumes. That is, we mix in equal parts (1:1).
Remember that developer must be purchased separately.
How long do I leave the Igora Royal dye?
With 20-30 minutes of application is enough for a developer of 20.
Where to buy Igora Royal dye from Schwarzkoft
In England I can’t buy it in salon commercials, so I order it from Amazon.
Igora Royal Colour Chart by Schwarzkoft Professional
Below you have the range of Blonde colours, within the range of “Natural”. For the full colour chart, visit the official Schwarzkoft website.
Here are other options of Igora dyes in ash tones (those ending in -1). Apart from the 8-1 we review today, here you have other lighter and darker colours, which are 9, 7 and 6.
Igora Royal dye by Schwarzkoft 9-1
Schwarzkopf Igora Royal 9-1 Extra Light Blonde Cendre Hair Colour 60 ml
- Main range of the IGORA line from Schwarzkopf Professional.
- Specialised in high precision colour.
- Covers 100% of gray hair.
Schwarzkoft Igora Royal Dye 7-1
Schwarzkopf Igora Royal 7-1 Medium Blonde Cendre Hair Colour 60 ml
- Main range of the IGORA line from Schwarzkopf Professional.
- Specialised in high precision colour.
- Covers 100% of gray hair.
Schwarzkoft Igora Royal Dye 6-1
Schwarzkopf Igora Royal 6-1 Dark Blonde Cendre Hair Colour 60 ml
- Main range of the IGORA line from Schwarzkopf Professional.
- Specialised in high precision colour.
- Covers 100% of gray hair.
Before and After Igora Royal by Schwarzkoft Professional
In the photos you can see what is the result of applying the dye 8-1 (mixed with water of 20 volumes). As you can see my base is dark brown, almost black. And the tone it reaches after half an hour of application is a light brown or dark ash blonde that I think is very beautiful and does not cover the highlights too much.
The 8 seems to me the perfect balance (without having to use other colours) between sufficiently clear but without being so clear that it starts to look orange.
Of course, you can create your own perfect blonde colours with different tints. That’s the beauty of the hair colouring. It’s an art that we all can learn. But seeing this, maybe you can get an idea of how it is used separately on a dark base.
Sometimes I experiment with other dyes, but this time in particular I wear only the 8-1 and nothing else. And that’s why I wanted to take the opportunity to write this post and show it to you.
My review of Igora Royal by Schwarzkoft Professional
The truth is that a picture is worth a thousand words. In my opinion, the 8-1 Igora Royal from Schwarzkoft Professional does the job, which is to provide a natural colour.
The main challenge of my hair is to lift so many shades without pulling to red or orange undertones. Something very, very, complicated. And the truth is that this permanent colour crema has managed to do so. The colour is super natural.
Obviously it is not blonde because my base can not reach a blonde with this dye alone. It would need a super brightener or bleaching. But it is the natural result I am looking for. I find it perfect and very nice as a base for my highlights.
If I had the highlights done directly over my natural colour (very dark brown) the contrast would be too strong. Although I have done it sometimes, but I wasn’t very happy with the result. So for me the option I like the most is to apply a dark blonde dye as a base.
If what you are looking for is an ash blonde tone because you are working with a very dark base colour, the natural range of the Igora can come in handy.
In addition to this review about the Igora Royal dye from Schwarzkoft Professional you may also be interested in my review of the Olia dye by Garnier. It is a low-cost dye for non-professional use. It is not as good, but is a budget-friendly alternative.
If you want to see more detail about my colour routine, I leave the following video on my channel. It is in Spanish, but you can turn the subtitles on:
Lots of love,
Deliria Rose
