Usually, I'm good at a quick root retouch with a non-permanent dye. No fuss, no muss; $7 and 20 minutes. But this time, I decided to do something different. I was feeling adventurous and kind of...red. I like red. I used to have red hair when I was very little and it darkened to brown. Dark red seemed like a nice choice.
I went to the store and took no less than a half hour to choose the perfect shade of red. But when I finally settled on the one, I was happy with my choice.
After mixing A with B, the dye was the color of an orange Creamsicle. Gee, that wasn't alarming at all. I saturated my hair and waited in breathless anticipation-praying to the color Goddesses that the finished result wouldn't be some sick chemist's joke. The color once it was done?
Screaming red.
Kind of like this >
Which would have been fine--except it only took at the roots. About 2 inches of roots. Yay me.
I looked it up. My "oops" had a technical term--hot roots--which is exactly what it looked like.
I played around with bright hair color in the 80's when I had a mohawk. Green, pink, purple, bright red, I did them all. Cool when you're a 20-something college student, not so much now. But, it is what it is, and I take things as they come. My thoughts after I blow dried my hair? Yeah sure, I can rock this.
That afternoon, I went out shopping with my daughters. While one of them was trying on some clothes, I caught my reflection in the store mirror.
Oh, hell no.
The next day I bought a semi-permanent dye. Loreal "Healthy Look" in Dark Brown. I figured it would mellow out the red--kind of like mixing paint, you know? I held my breath for 20 minutes...and yes, it worked. It's about the color of the first photo now. Eventually, after 28 shampoos (so says the box) it will wash out.
But for now, it is what it is.
