Revlon Permanent Hair Color, Permanent Hair Dye, Colorsilk with 100% Gray Coverage, Ammonia-Free, Keratin and Amino Acids, 12 Natural Blue Black, 4.4 Oz (Pack of 3)

After trying ZILLIONS of red hair dyes from just about every brand imaginable (from the cheapest to the spendiest) this is my go-to for color that really POPS without looking incredibly "metallic" or otherwise far afield from anything nature could possibly produce. (At least not on medium-to-dark hair. If you applied it to lighter hair, it would look utterly artificial - which is great, if that's what you're going for.)I always let this product process a looooong time. (As much as an hour following complete application.) Because naturally darker hair requires significant lift (chemical lightening of your natural hair color) to create a more porous and "grabby" surface on which to deposit the chemical color (in this case, bright auburn), you want to ensure the mixture doesn't fully oxidize (develop/process) PRIOR to application. (The reason for this is that most of the chemical "lift" or "pull" comes early in the oxidation process.) In other words, if you mixed your color with the developer and then let it sit in the bottle for 20 minutes before application, you'd get much less lift, which also means you'll get a dramatically more subdued deposit - not nearly as vibrant a result.The tricky part is that the mixture oxidizes very quickly. So, unless you have fairly short hair (which I obviously do not), by the time you get past treating your roots, the product is mostly oxidized. (Again, this means less lift and therefore less availability to deposit.) To prevent this, I mix only half of the product at a time (using a separate application bottle). I use the first half of the bottle to treat my entire hairline (front to back) followed by the crown, temples (these are most visible areas for root-show), and then the remainder of my head. (At this point, I'm ONLY aiming for my roots - the healthiest and therefore most deposit-resistant portion of your hair.)Only after I've completely covered my roots do I mix the remaining half of the product for the rest of my hair. I use a small portion to re-treat the most deposit-resistant portions of my hair (the front of my hairline and temples where I have some graying areas) working downward from the roots to cover as much of my hair as possible. As I near the end of the product, I add a teaspoon or so of water to thin it out and get the last of it out of the bottle. (Since your ends are always more damaged than your roots, the mixture doesn't have to be as concentrated to do its job, so it's perfectly okay to dilute it with a little water.)Because this particular color is VERY vibrant (unnaturally so - they don't call it "bright auburn" for nothin') I use dish-washing soap (horror, I know, lol) to shampoo it out of my hair. (I shampoo it 3x in a row, followed by my regular conditioner, resulting in the color you see in the photo for this review.)Like all reds, this red will not remain rich or vibrant with repeated washings. (Red hair dyes have smaller color molecules than blonde or brunette shades, making it harder for the hair to hold on to the chemically deposited color, which means much faster fading.) Comparing the staying power of blondes and especially brunette shades to red ones is an apples-to-oranges affair, so given this is a very "true" red, it performs as expected for its category and class. (This is about the cheapest hair color you can buy.) This said, it has less lift than most other boxed brands (which also means it's less harsh and less damaging), but this can be overcome with the approach I've described above. (Double applications of non-fully-oxidized product to lift-and-deposit-resistant areas.)As you can see, with strategic application and extended processing times, this product delivers gorgeous shine and excellent gray coverage. (Keep in mind that you're looking at hair that is super, super healthy to begin with since I shampoo only 2-3x per month, RARELY blowdry or use hot-tools, or even apply any styling products.) If you begin with damaged or otherwise non-lustrous hair, you won't get the same level of shine - this isn't a miracle product, after all - but I bet you could still get really beautiful results!

This is a great color ! This color in a box will leave your hair looking shiny and very hydrated !!! Great price point as well .

Easy application and great colors.

For Reference: Before using this product, I had a faded metallic pink permanent box of hair dye on top of L'Oreal Colorista bleach and 2 boxes of Color Oops! I didn't like the colour it came out and decided to go black to being box dye black. I've only ever used 2 black box dyes in my life: The Revlon Permanent Hair Colour, and the Schwarzkopf Simply Colourful. I only tried the Schwarzkopf because it was on sale, and it performed slightly worse compared to this hair dye and smelled awful.1. Shipping: This had a very long shipping time considering it's a small cardboard box inside a plastic bag. I ordered it on March 8th and received it on March 13th. I have Prime shipping, so I imagine it would be an even longer shipping time if you didn't.2. Packaging: It was very plain packaging, which could be improved upon. It was in a plastic mailer with the Amazon Prime logo, and inside was the box itself. I think there should be a little bubble wrap or something like that to protect the inside of the bag if something were to get tossed around while shipping.3. Quality: This is my favourite black hair dye. As you can see, it completely covered the pink and left no traces. My hair is reminiscent of the black holes I played in as a child. The after-colour conditioner is my holy grail- it smells like Jolly Ranchers and left my hair healthier, softer, and shinier than before colouring, which is rare to find with any box dye. (I will note my hair is exceptionally stubborn and refuses to be long-term damaged by chemicals. I hope this remains.)4. Value: Here is why I took the star off. I didn't know they retailed this at my local Wal-Mart, which sells this for $3.97. It was $5.86 from this retailer, which is nearly two dollars more. This doesn't seem like a large amount, but if you're going to dye your hair black routinely, I recommend this brand, not this retailer.Overall, I rate this 4 stars. I love this product, but it was an excessive shipping time considering it was Prime and cost 2 dollars more than the same product at my Wal-Mart.

I purchased this regularly and keep it in stock in my home. Great quality comes in a three pack and much cheaper than you can buy in the stores. The color is vibrant, but natural looking to my hair color. I get many compliments on the color.