Kota Color Cream Hair Color (CHERRY RED)

Product Overview

Kota’s cream colourant comes as a cream and a developer liquid that are mixed together and applied to dry hair. Processing time is 30 minutes, then it is rinsed out. This is the Cherry Red shade.

Allergy Alert — Do the 48-Hour Test Every Time

Do this before every single application, including if you have used the same product before. Hair dye allergy can appear suddenly after years of trouble-free use, and each reaction is worse than the last.

1. Mix a pea-sized amount of the colour exactly as you would for a full application.
2. Dab it behind the ear or on the inner elbow and leave it uncovered to dry.
3. Leave it for 48 hours. Do not wash the area.
4. If there is any redness, itching, burning, swelling or a raised rash — at any point in those 48 hours — do not use the product, and do not use any other dye containing the same ingredients.

• Never use hair dye on the eyebrows or eyelashes. It can cause serious eye injury including blindness.
• Do not colour hair if the scalp is broken, sore, sunburnt or irritated.
• Wear the gloves supplied and keep the colour off the skin as far as you can.
• Work in a ventilated room and never leave colour on longer than the instructions say.
• Rinse immediately and thoroughly if the scalp starts to burn or sting during processing.
• If your face or scalp swells after colouring, or you have trouble breathing, get medical help straight away.
• Keep out of reach of children.

What Colour You Will Actually Get

The shade on the box is the shade the dye produces on mid-brown European hair. On dark hair — which is most hair in Bangladesh — a permanent colour deposits over what is already there rather than replacing it, so a light shade reads as a warm tint in daylight rather than the colour pictured. Reds and blondes are the ones people are most often disappointed by.

Do a strand test. Cut a small piece from underneath, where it will not show, run the full process on it, and look at the result in daylight before you commit. Ten minutes of care here prevents the outcome nobody wants.

Grey coverage is generally good with a cream colourant; the greys may take slightly warmer than the rest, which is normal.

Red on Dark Hair — Be Realistic

Red is the shade people are most often disappointed by, and it is worth explaining why rather than letting you find out on your own head. Red pigment sits on top of what is already in the hair. On naturally black or dark brown hair, a red dye applied directly gives a dark auburn with a red glint in strong light — not the cherry red on the box. Getting a true bright red requires lightening the hair first, which is a separate chemical process.

Red is also the fastest-fading dye family there is. Its molecules are larger and wash out sooner than any other colour, so expect it to soften noticeably within a few washes.

Strand test. Cut a piece from underneath, run the full process, and look at it in daylight.

Key Features

• Cherry Red shade
• Cream colourant with developer
• Applied to dry hair
• 30 minute processing time
• Gloves included — wear them

How to Use

1. 48-hour allergy test first. Then a strand test.
2. Put the gloves on before you open anything.
3. Pour the liquid and cream into a plastic or glass cup and mix well. Never use metal — it reacts with the developer.
4. Apply to dry hair and work it through evenly, section by section.
5. Leave for 30 minutes. Do not extend the time.
6. Rinse with clean water until it runs clear, then condition.

Aftercare for Red

• Wait 48 hours before the first wash.
• Wash as rarely as you can bear, and always in cool water.
• Use a sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfates strip red faster than any other colour.
• Red bleeds onto pillowcases and towels for the first few washes. Use dark ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it last?

Red fades fastest of any shade family. Expect visible softening within four to six washes and a shift toward copper as it goes.

Can I put it over an existing dark dye?

You can apply it, but it will barely show. Dye does not lift dye — going lighter or brighter than what is already in the hair needs the colour removing or lightening first.

How should I store it?

Somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sunlight, with the cap closed. Heat and light break down oils and colour developers faster than anything else.