Special Effects Blood Red Hair Dye

I purchased this hair dye in Blood Red. My hair had already been pre-bleached and colored a bright red (my natural hair is black), so I was afraid that it wouldn't come out the nice burgundy red like pictured. I had a good friend apply the color in for me (he has his license in cosmetology and specials in hair color, so I knew I was in good hands!). I have A LOT of hair. It goes down to my upper bra-line, and has natural volume. So, in short: "thick" and long! We nearly used the whole bottle. I have about 1/4 of the bottle left. We let the dye sit for 20-25 minutes, rinse out (with NO shampoo), blow-dried, and VOILE! My hair came out a GORGEOUS burgundy red. It has a subtle undertone of my previous red, but I think it looks wonderful that way. It gives my hair a feeling of depth and looks like it has more volume than ever! (as if I needed any more volume...) My only problem with this dye is that is stains pretty badly. Worse than any other dye I've ever used. So, be prepared to do some mega scrubbing if you get any on your counters/hands/floors/etc. Also, when you finish dyeing your hair, and if color continues to rub off on your clothes (especially on the first day), it'll be alright. My friend says that the color will do that for until you wash it a couple of times. And when you wash, the water will still run red (or whatever other color you buy), but the actual color itself will not wash out of your hair. Another tip from my friend! Use sulfate-free shampoo when washing with color. He says any brand in particular is fine; whatever you're most comfortable with. But make sure it's sulphate-free, or else it WILL strip the color out of your hair. And to always wash your hair with cold/cool water. It sucks, but hot water will wash out the color faster. So, just wash your hair out with water as cold as you can take it. My advice would be to shower normally, but use a shower cap so your hair won't get wet. Then get back in the tub after the shower (preferably in a bathing suit) and just run your head under the faucet with the cold water. Just so you won't have to take a cold shower! If you have brittle hair, this hair dye will be your best choice. However, take vitamins for a week or so before dyeing. Vitamins help you have stronger hair! My mother is Native American, so my hair is very long and silky. However, my father is black, so my hair also has a lot of volume, but can also be very brittle and dry. Taking vitamins is essential if you worry about your hair breaking. And try to get a deep conditioner treatment a week before dyeing. That way you know that your hair will be at it's strongest before coloring your hair. ESPECIALLY if you're going to bleach it as well. All-in-all, I'm in love with SFX Blood Red. Even if I change my hair color from red, I will NEVER go back to using any other brand. I can't wait until my Easter break is over to go back to college and show my friends my new color. :) P.S. I will try to add in pictures by Sunday when I go back to my dorm (left my camera back at college). I will make sure to take some in-doors and outside so you guys can see what the color looks like in various lighting~!

I dyed my hair without bleaching it. My hair was about a chestnut brown before. The shade of red was perfect. It was still so bright and stayed that way for weeks. As long as you are not washing your hair everyday and are using a red shampoo when you do wash it, the color will retain for quite some time. Mine faded nicely; no weird orange tones. It dyed over completely too when I no longer wanted the red. It is messy and will stain EVERYTHING (duh, it's red vegetable dye).

I was really disappointed with this product. It's supposed to be red, but on my hair it came out almost magenta, and immediately faded to a pink shade after the first wash. I had it professionally done, bleached and everything, and my hair takes red like crazy, but this just wouldn't hold. I'm not sure if they've reformulated in the last few years, but I just don't feel like the quality is what it used to be. I've also tried Electric Blue, which immediately washes out to a light purple-ish color and fades completely to a pink color within a week. Not super pleased overall. Same with Pimpin Purple. Fades to pink very quickly. I used to use Pimpin Purple a few years ago and it was totally different. Stayed purple for months and faded to a nice light purple/pink. I'm not impressed with this brand anymore. I also only wash my hair every other day and use a paraben and sulfate free shampoo. Not sure what's going on, but these are a pass for me now. TL:DR This isn't blood red, it's magenta, and fades immediately. Pass

It lasts longer than Manic Panic or Arctic Fox (and one other cheap one I bought on here), and I like that Blood Red fades to pink and not orange-yellow. It does stain things after the first wash, and if you don't rinse in Cold water at the end it might stain after a few washes. But if you're careful with that first wash it doesn't stain and the color looks nice for easily 4 weeks (Arctic Fox was orange after a week, both times I used it :( )

I have dyed my hair for many years using many products. I find that Special Effects is much better than Manic Panic in the sense that it last's longer and doesn't constantly bleed all over the place. It comes off your skin easily, but stays on your hair longer. I use a peroxide based red dye under and Special Effects Blood Red over. When it fades it turns many cool colors. Better than if you bleach under. Red's fade fast, so if you have a red base it wont look as faded as fast.

Been using Special Effects Blood Red for years. Color is an awesome rich dark red, but still bright enough to stand out. Used other brands before like Manic Panic and cant remember other brands, but Special Effects works the best because of the color and how long it last. I use to buy Special Effects at Hot Topic, but they stopped selling it and all they sell is that Manic Panic crap. Looked online and found it here on Amazon. Some sellers were asking ridiculous price for it, like almost $20 not including shipping and handling. I only say ridiculous because I use to get it for only $10-$14 at hot topic. I found this color for $14.17 + free shipping on Doctored Locks, Inc. I also had bought Atomic pink for $11.95 + $3.50 shipping. Both products came within a few days in two different packages through USPS. Nothing was damaged and they sent the right colors. Since my experience with Doctored Locks, Inc went well, I will continue to do business with them when I need to get more Special Effects hair dye.

Ii use blood red. t’s not the best at covering greys. But for a semi permanent product this stuff is really good! I use in between permanent dying to keep my color fresh.

Real person here lol. I've been using this hairdye for 8 or 9 years now. It is the longest lasting and absolutely my go to dye. I have used a lot of the colors, and have had really good results. I wasn't a fan of cupcake pink, but pimpin' purple, blood red, atomic pink, and iguana green are some of my favorites. It does stain everything, but if it didn't, would you expect it to last long? Bad with the good!