RAW (Crimson Red)

Pros: Smells good, not too messy, doesn't stain too badly, doesn't bleed out, color is pretty
Cons: Came with no directions, color didn't quite match the bottle, the mixture was a little thick

So if anyone knows anything about Hot Topic, you know they have great deals when it comes to their sales and whatnot. When you spend $30, you get $15 in hot cash (though you have to spend $30 to use that, but whatever). Since I needed/wanted to buy a few things from Hot Topic anyway, I decided to give the RAW dye a chance. I decided to buy their Crimson Red hair dye. Previously, I had used their bleach to get rid of the black in my hair - big mistake. Their bleach was terrible and somehow (even though I have super short hair) I ran out. I ended up having to buy some of Manic Panic's Lightning Bleach to fix my hair, or else look like a calico cat, which I did look like for a few days. Irregardless of the fact, I got my hair looking...semi-decent bleach. So I moved onto the dying process. First off, there were no instructions on the bottle or with it. I ended up treating it like I did manic panic dye. I put it in, blow-dried it on (which may have influenced the color) and washed it out in ~30 minutes. It wasn't as neat to wash out as manic panic, but the dye smells pretty good when I was putting it in. Kind-of like bubble gum. That freaked me out a little at first, but since the dye took, I see it as more of a benefit now. Anyways, I washed it out, dried it and dealt with it bleeding a little the first few days. It rubbed off on my pillow a little, but after about four days, it doesn't bleed or drip at all unless I shampoo it. The color has been in my hair for about ~two weeks and it's holding up pretty well. The area around my roots is starting to become more blonde than red, but apparently it gives me a sunset-look so I'm okay with that. It hasn't faded (which is a huge problem with red dyes) and looks nice and vibrant still. If it weren't for my roots growing in, you almost wouldn't be able to tell it's been a while since I've dyed it. So all in all, I do recommend the brand. Or at least this color from the brand. However, I do not recommend their bleach.

How I take care of my hair:
- I shampoo my hair once a week (when I start to realize it's greasy and gross) and I use sulfate-free shampoo (L'oreal has one for color-treated hair. Or is it revlon? It's a pinkish upside down tube-looking shampoo)
- I condition my hair every other day (color-treated hair of course)
- I rinse my hair thoroughly every other day (rinse, then condition)
- When I shampoo, I try not to leave it in too long (more color just comes out)
- I don't necessarily use cool water when showering, but I do my best. They're not like extremely warm or hot

and I dye my hair by myself, though I do try to use my sister or roommate to try and catch spots I miss.