Zuvi ColorBox review: A hair dye printer that struggles

I will say that I think this product could be neat in some scenarios. If you like to dye your own hair extensions, or you’re constantly changing line color and don’t need to buy a ton of full-sized containers of dye, or you’re a parent of kids who are always dyeing their bleached ends, this might make sense. The resulting product has a pleasant smell. I also love the included container that allows you to store leftover dye. If you’re specifically looking for pale pastels, I still think you should just… get some hair dye and dilute it with conditioner.

ScreenshotZuvi app via Louryn Strampe

In the end, based on my assessment, the product failed to do its job. And even if this improves – even if eventually you get black dye to help darken shades, or Zuvi moves from using primary colors to using cyan, magenta and yellow, or the company starts making it easier to bleach your hair at home, or generative AI stops being used and Zuvi starts standing behind its own results… at the end of the day, you’re still left with a proprietary machine that uses proprietary cartridges, all of which would become paperweights if the company folds.

I combed through every result I could find from other reviews online. I’m not a licensed cosmetologist, but I have been coloring my hair for about 20 years, and I have yet to see a more impressive result than what a user could have achieved for less money with their local beauty products. Semi-permanent fashion dyes are available in hundreds upon hundreds of shades, and they can all be mixed together. It may take some trial and error to get the perfect pink, blue or red, but it can be done without a machine. Your local beauty supply store likely has an associate who has been coloring their hair for decades and will be happy to point you in the right direction. With all due respect, if you can’t understand color theory or add conditioner little by little to lighten your dye, maybe you should go to a professional and save yourself the trouble of doing it incorrectly. The Zuvi ColorBox adds more guesswork rather than removing it.

Although I love the initial low price, color corrections from a professional are very expensive, and Zuvi’s refill cartridges (about $22 each) can easily cost the same amount as hair dye supplies with products from your local beauty salon, especially if you have long, thick, and/or curly hair. I like the idea of ​​reducing residual dye residue, but again, you don’t need to buy a tool for that.