Its true that I am not a natural red head. I have been a red head for over 30 years and have tried lots of products to keep my color, well, red between touch ups. This product does the job. The directions say to use for a few seconds up to 3 minutes. Here's how I use it, I wash and rinse my hair, put 4 pumps of product in my hands and leave it foamy, run it true my long hair. I shave my legs which I am guessing is a little less than 3 minutes and rinse. Then I add my conditioner. My hair stays red and shiny for many weeks. I use it 2 or 3 times a week. The smell is not great but its tolerable as it does what its supposed to do. The conditioner afterwards negates the aroma of the product.