'I wanted to change my hair without going to the hairdresser. So I tried a $40 product.'

When I told my mum I was itching to change my hair, she looked at me very sternly. She was saying, "Don't f**k with it now that it's healthy again" without saying anything at all.

And I get it. I've been blonde then brown then blonde then brown for years, before finally letting my natural shade of brown grow out, with the exception of a few highlights left over.

But then I went through a breakup – and you know what that means.

Watch: Five ways to lift your hair game. Post continues below.

For the past few months, I've noticed the most popular shade people are dying their hair is a deep chocolate brown.

It's in between cool and warm, and the colour has texture and shine, instead of being solid and flat. It's Adriana Lima-sexy, you know?

After doing some research, I came across colour-boosting treatments, which – as the name suggests – boost colour while also repairing and hydrating the hair.

It's basically a hair mask that adds semi-permanent colour. How had I never heard of this magic in a bottle?

I ended up purchasing the evo fabuloso cool brown colour boosting treatment, ($45.25), after reading the rave reviews, and tried it this week. Here's my honest review.

Okay, so what exactly is a colour-boosting treatment?

A colour-boosting treatment provides an instant colour boost (duhhh), combined with a nourishing treatment to refresh or tone colour, revive and add shine.

It instantly refreshes and intensifies hair colour and extends the life of colour-treated hair, while also softening and hydrating the hair to reduce frizz and give shine.

It's great for in-between salon visits or if you just want to change your colour ever-so-slightly, like me.

Whilst I ordered the cool brown shade, you can also get platinum blonde, copper, caramel, light beige, chestnut, purple and mahogany.

Image: Supplied.

How does it work?

As per the instructions, you wash your hair as usual and towel dry it. Then you pop on gloves, spread an even amount of the product over your hair and comb it through.

Then you wait three minutes, then rinse it out until the water runs clear. You can use the treatment weekly.

Where do I get them from?

A bunch of places! 

I purchased mine from Adore Beauty (not sponsored but I did get a Tim Tam with it) for $45.25 and it arrived in two days.

My honest review.

After returning home from a day at the office, I saw it sitting at my doorstep: my Adore Beauty order. 

I had an hour and a half before dinner with a friend, and it was time to get to work.

I jumped in the shower, washed my hair then towel-dried and brushed it out. Then I went in with a decent amount of product, spreading it evenly throughout.

Before applying the product, my hair was a medium brown shade with bright highlights around the front of my hairline, which were done back in February, so it was looking pretty warm and balayage.

Before. Image: Supplied.

Side note: it says to wear gloves. I didn't have gloves. So I stained my hands and nails, and made a note to buy gloves before next time.

The instructions say to leave the product on for three minutes; but they also say not to leave it on for more than 20 minutes. 

Having read some reviews earlier, most people said they generally leave it on for 10 minutes to achieve the perfect shade – so I did the same.

Don't ruin the makeup! Image: Supplied.

After 10 minutes, I jumped back in the shower and rinsed out the product until the water ran clear while trying my very hardest not to wet my makeup. (I was low on time, don't judge.)

Before even going in with my hair dryer, I could see the rich chocolate brown. It was cooler, and the product had taken the warmth out of my highlights.

Some at the front and on my ends were still visibly lighter but nowhere near as orange. My hair, once dried, also felt smoother and less brittle, and looked noticeably shinier.

After! Image: Supplied.

I am so impressed with this product; and quite frankly, haven't shut up about it since I tried it.

My hair feels so healthy but also looks different, giving me that transformation I was itching for.

Also, it's not permanent! So when I get over it, I'll just let the product wash out and go back to my natural shade.

It's not a crazy transformation, but it's enough for me to notice and feel like a slightly different version of myself. 

If anyone is thinking about changing their hair up a little bit, I could not recommend this product more. And if I could go back in time, I would hand little baby me a bottle of it before going in with salon or box dye.

But you live and you learn, hey?

Charlie Begg is Mamamia's senior lifestyle writer. For more fashion recommendations, read her articles here and follow her on Instagram.

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Feature Image: Supplied.