This Demi-Permanent Hair Color Has Made Me a Box-Dye Believer (2024)

I've toyed with the idea of going red since I was 15. Now, at 25, I've finally made the transformation from brunette to a rich reddish shade. Here are the inescapable truths I've learned about maintaining color-treated hair: First, roots begin to show face at a speed that your wallet can't always keep up with. And second, once your birth-given hue undergoes color processing, every aspect of your hair routine will change with it.

So—there I was, six weeks out from my last salon visit, sending a frantic text to my colorist, in which I asked for her thoughts on experimenting with at-home, demi-permanent hair dye as a cost-efficient solution to my grown-out roots and flat and faded color. With her blessing, I picked up a box of Revlon ColorSilk Tone + Gloss + Care in Medium Red, and I'm sharing the highlights from my experience below. Spoiler alert: The final result earned a collective gasp from my household of women, so needless to say this multibenefit drugstore gem has officially earned a spot in my color-care rotation.

It Toned My Grown-Out Roots

I always assumed that box hair dye would leave me with blotchy pigment at the roots, but that wasn't the case with ColorSilk Tone + Gloss + Care. While my brunette roots weren't completely invisible after the process, the formula enhanced the overall tone of the area, providing a similar effect to a single-process glaze done by a pro—perfect as a stopgap between salon visits.

It Gave My Hair a High-Shine Gloss

One of the reasons I chose this demi-permanent dye is that it's made with up to 90 percent natural ingredients, including jojoba oil, and is formulated without adding ammonia. Instead of being harsh and drying, the color is formulated to leave hair two times shinier and four times stronger versus uncolored hair. And it works: The glossy finish I've achieved is next-level; my hair absolutely beams.

It's a Low-Commitment Dye Situation

Another reason I was hesitant to try box dye was because I worried about the possibility of being stuck with a shade I wasn't into for far too long. However, this one lasts for 28 washes, a solid yet totally manageable time frame.

The Kit Makes Hair and Scalp-Care a Priority

I had expected my hair to be completely dried out and my scalp to feel irritated after use, but neither happened. After the application and rinsing out of the dye, the process is all about moisture and care. The kit comes with a conditioner and a scalp-and-hair serum as the final two steps in the system. According to the brand, 93 percent of users showed an improvement in scalp hydration. Post-dye job, my hair looked silkier, shinier, and healthier than before I colored.

It's Got the Salon-Expert Seal of Approval

The brand touts that ColorSilk Tone + Gloss + Care is validated by salon experts to be used between appointments, and mine was certainly on board. Her approval helped me muster the trust and confidence to try this lil experiment, and now I'll be relying on this dye to maintain a fresh, vibrant look until my red-hair era is officially over—which, after this under-$10 discovery, may very well be never.