Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I remember back in the day when I was a teenager, I dyed my hair every color of the rainbow. I tried every brand you could possibly think of. What I quickly learned was that this particular brand not only smelled better than many of the others, but lasted so much longer on my hair, had beautiful colors to pick from, and even when it faded, there was a pretty shade left on my hair. I have been wanting to dye my hair a dramatic shade for a while and decided that I'd give this brand a try again. I used it over medium brown hair. Is it messy? Yes, it can be, so I made sure to cover any area around me that could be easily stained. I only shampooed my hair prior to applying and I did that earlier in the day. I waited till the evening to dye my hair when I'd have some free time. I applied lotion around my face and ears so that it would be easier to remove any stains. I wore an old button up shirt to make it easier to remove and I wouldn't have to pull it over my head. I opened the jar and poured it into a disposable plastic bowl. I've heard that it can be mixed with some conditioner to give you more to work with and it's better for your hair, so I decided to try that. I also did it because I only had one container and I have shoulder length curls. I applied it and was happy that there wasn't any overwhelming, disgusting chemical smell. It was a bit of a grape like scent. Oh yeah- make sure to use thick latex gloves. It's no fun when your hands and nails get super stained. It's not too hard to remove if you immediately scrub them with shampoo or lots of soap. You can also use nail polish remover on your nails to remove the color. It will splatter everywhere in your tub, so make sure to clean that up as soon as your done with some magic eraser pads or bleach. I prefer the pads and think they work great for removing this dye. What I find the easiest, and not everyone will do this, but if you really don't want to make a mess indoors, you can always have someone spray your hair out with the water hose outside. It sounds funny, but it works well for me. I let it sit for about an hour and a half, which was okay, since it's more of a stain for your hair and doesn't dry it out like a box dye. This brand conditions your hair, so the longer you can leave it on (make sure to do an allergy test first, if you've never used it before), and then rinse it out with really cool water. I also didn't use any shampoo afterward. I used a color safe conditioner. These two tips will help your hair retain the color better, in my experience. I also didn't wash my hair for the next two days. The color does tend to bleed slightly each time I have washed it, but not as bad as with other extreme color brands. I just make sure not to use white or light colored pillow cases, and I always make sure that my hair is completely dry before putting on my shirt. If stuff does get stained, most will be washed out in the washer, which is great. The color will work on medium brown and lighter hair as far as showing up as true as the sticker on the jar, but it also depends on the condition of your hair. Not all hair is the same so it may show up on some people's hair better than others. Also, if your hair is really dark, it will just have a highlight effect on your hair that will probably only really show up in the sunlight or in bright lighting. The price for this product is very reasonable. I will be buying again in the future because I love the way my hair turned out. It looks nice indoors and even better outdoors. I've gotten so many compliments on it.