Experimenting with beauty products is probably one of my favorite pastimes. I've taken on countless DIY projects: lash and brow tinting, gel manicures, too many makeup techniques to count, and of course, an at-home box dye or two. Because I work in beauty for a living, I sometimes forget there are people out there who haven't accidentally dyed their hair orange to get the perfect sun-kissed highlights—Nicole Sahebi being one of them. Despite her love for beauty, the L.A.-based content creator had never been tempted to do more than tint her natural locks until this fall.
"I was really craving a change," she tells me. "My natural hair is brown, but after a summer of being in the sun, chlorine, and ocean water, it had gotten a lot lighter. I wanted to bring back that richness and go even deeper with it. I loved the idea of having this really dark, glossy brown for fall. It felt like a subtle change, but still enough to completely shift my look."
Sahebi says she was particularly inspired by the trending roasted dark mocha trend—a brunette shade that blends velvety-soft mocha undertones with rich dark brown to reflect light and create movement. "I wanted something striking, but still really timeless. There’s something about a deep mocha brown that feels so luxurious and polished, especially for fall. I also love how rich, dark hair can make everything else stand out, like your skin, your makeup, and what you're wearing. It felt like the perfect way to change my look without doing something that didn't feel like me."
Check out her full transformation below then read on to learn more about the step-by-step process.
As a content creator and reality TV star, Sahebi doesn't have the luxury of having a bad hair day, so she decided to dye her locks with Revlon's ColorSilk Bond Repair Complex Hair Dye.
At-home hair dye has come a long way, but few formulas feel as salon-quality and foolproof as Revlon's ColorSilk. As a first-time dyer, you'll want a product that delivers the exact color you want and that won't damage your hair. I like Revlon because it offers nearly 40 shade options, making it easy to find your perfect hue. Plus, it's made with a bond repair complex that helps strengthen, smooth, and hydrate hair in the process. The result is less breakage and shinier, softer hair.
When I asked Sahebi about her experience using the dye, she said that on a scale of 1–10 (10 being the most difficult), dyeing her hair with Revlon ColorSilk was about a two.
"I had never dyed my hair before because I always assumed it would be this long, stressful process where you really had to know what you were doing. I was almost intimidated by it. But it ended up being surprisingly simple. I mixed the two solutions, applied it throughout my hair, let it process [for less than a half hour], and rinsed it out. That was basically it. I remember thinking, 'Wait, that's all I had to do?' It was so much easier than I had built it up to be in my head."
Another reason I like Revlon's ColorSilk Dye is that it comes with the After Color Conditioner. You apply this formula after you've washed the dye out of your hair to help seal your cuticles, further locking in your color. It also contains the same Bond Repair technology as the dye, so your strands get an extra dose of protection, and glycerin for deep hydration and shine. The After Color Conditioner from the box became so popular that Revlon decided to sell it separately, so now you can reap the benefits daily.
After using the conditioner, Sahebi said her hair was the softest it had ever felt. "That was probably what surprised me most," she told me. "When I ran my hands through it afterward, it felt insanely smooth and silky, and it had this really healthy-looking shine. I expected to love the color, but I didn't expect my hair to actually feel that good after coloring it."
It's been a few weeks since Sahebi dyed her hair, and with the wrong products, her color might have started to fade by now. Instead, she says her color is still rich and striking. "It hasn't lost that deep, glossy look that made me want to go darker in the first place. And honestly, my hair looks healthier than it did before I colored it. It still feels really smooth and soft, and the darker, more even color makes it look so much shinier and healthier overall."
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