I preferred using Clariol Nice N Easy when I was coloring my hair. I liked it because it has 3 colors in the mixture which builds in highlights, I used Light Reddish Brown and then changed to Reddish Blonde and then phased out and let my hair go gray. When the roots started to show I would try to not part my hair until I could color again, I was coloring my hair every 3 or 4 weeks. Now that my hair has grown out I will not go back to coloring again as I am embracing my gray.