Can't help you much with dyeing darker colors, because I've always bleached my hair. I go to the salon now, but I used to use Nice 'n' Easy when I colored my hair a honey blonde and Loreal Feria extra bleach blonde (my profile picture was actually from the days of using Loreal Feria). While those obviously left my hair smelling bleached right after/the next day or so, I would suggest trying a nice scented shampoo to get the smell out. You don't even need to get expensive: I use V05 Strawberries and Creme shampoo/conditioner which are $0.99 each and smells like deliciousness. If you don't mind shelling out $30+ for shampoo/conditioner though, I would definitely recommend something like Paul Mitchell products. I know the Platinum Blonde shampoo/conditioner smells AMAZING.