Last month, thanks to TotalBeauty.com, I had the pleasure of joining my fellow beauty bloggers to meet with Julia Youssef, VP Of L’Oreal USA Technical Center and her team for a demonstration and tutorial on their hair color line.

Here are some of my learning outcomes from the Q&A portion:

Q: What is the difference between coloring your hair at home and in a salon?

A: Both can give you a great experience; both can give you a terrible one.  It’s about the application and quality of the product, not the price or location.  But if you do it at home, it generally helps to have someone else apply it, especially in the hard to reach areas in the back.

Q: When do you set the timer for leaving it in?

A: Do not start your timer when you begin application; you should start the clock once you’ve finished.

Q: Any  advice for gray hair?

A: If you are partially gray, start by applying