Have you ever noticed that sometimes the easiest lessons to learn can also be the simplest to forget?
You mess up.
fall down.
Pick yourself up and dust yourself off.
Make the same mistake over and over.
Why do we do that?
Could it be because we are so caught up in what we want that we completely ignore what’s best for us?
Sometimes it’s as simple as not being happy with what we already have that spurs on the changes.
I’m bad for that.
Broken finger nails send me running to the spa for full manicure complete with fresh gel polish.
Two weeks later my nails are soft meaning they tear easily when I try to button my jeans or pull the T-shirt over my daughters head.
The polish is chipping and looks ugly leaving me unhappy.
again.
I’m even worse when it comes to my hair.
The only person who knows my real hair color is God and he isn’t telling.
My hair has been almost every color imaginable. From a soft black, fire cracker red, strawberry blond and bleach blond.
When I was in junior high I felt my mousey brown natural hair (like that of my daughter’s hair which I LOVE) was well…flat.
Boring.
Blah.
So I did what any teenager in my unhappy shoes would do.
I used ups all of my babysitting money and purchased a box of “blondisma”.
With the help of my best friend we stripped all my natural color out in under 20 min.
For 3 years I cycled between “straw blond” and “straw blond with roots”.
It was horrible.
We moved the summer of grade 9 I seized the chance to start fresh and start over.
The blond had to go.
When I pulled my hair into a pony tail all the hair at the front was a beautiful mousey brown and the back was straw blond.
I didn’t mind much.
I knew that once it was long enough I could cut out the blond and no one would be the wiser.
It’s only hair right.
So you would think growing it out wouldn’t be that traumatic but it was.
Unfortunately teenage boys are horribly cruel.
Even now their taunts ring in my ears and that was 20 years ago.
Twenty!!
A quick trip to the salon and my hair experienced more colors.
First my hair turned a funny shade of broccoli green then a beautiful salt and pepper grey.
Awesome.
Then she got it to a beautiful auburn brown that washed out two weeks later.
You would think after such an experience as that I would have learned my lessons.
Nope! Not me!
Fast forward to last December.
Arms with yet another of box color I surprised my husband with a head of soft black hair.
Truth be told I loved it.
Seriously loved the color until it started to fade and come out.
Are you sensing a pattern yet?
Yep, you guessed it.
I decided I need a change.
So I picked up a box of red hair color and recruited my oldest to the task at hand.
Something she had never done before and something I had no business doing.
sigh
How did I forget a simple lesson I learned 20 years ago?!?
The red color went on really well.
A little too well because I ended up with “hot roots” and blackish red ends.
Awesome…Now I look like a skunk!
But not the desired effect I was aiming for.
Simple lesson yet I ignored the voice on the back of my head warning me that this was not going to turn out well.
Simple fix though.
My new hairdresser Phoebe did a “Demi root touch up” so now the bottom of my hair matches the top and when it washes out it will be the same color.
Here’s what it looked like:
Phoebe working her hair magic…
The result!
The lesson: listen to that inner voice. You know yourself better than anyone else. Trust yourself! Don’t meddle with things best left to professionals. Box hair color is just an accident waiting to happen.
My hair has been every natural known color as well. I do not stress about it though. Even the worst mistakes.Well, at least so far
Ha! I think we’ve all been through this… but it turned out great!
Thanks!! I’m really starting to love the rich color.
My only hair coloring experiment was learning that sun-in does not work the same for blondes and brunettes!
Oh I remember that!!
We would drench our hair on lemon juice. Nasty stuff!
“The only person who knows my real hair color is God and he isn’t telling.” Honey, you are telling my story! I’ve highlighted my hair since I was in middle school. In college I tried color in a box and I would never do that again! I’ll leave it up to the processionals
I’ve never tried it at home myself. I’m way, way too scared for that. I leave it to the professionals too. That being said, I’ve never done anything to my hair color other than cover the gray. lol
Well, at least the end result came out great! I always color my own hair, I should probably get it professionally done at some point!
My sisters did this in college, me not! I always have gone somewhere and now that I am grey will continue to do so.
I stick relatively close to my natural color after going blonde for one summer & turning my hair to straw.
My step-mother is a hair stylist and always did my hair as I was growing up. When I moved to Texas I colored it on my own. WOW, what a mistake. I should have just waited till I went back home, but nope… tried it on my own and had to pay double to get it fixed… 🙁
I color my own hair, but I use a special type of hair dye. Box dye from the drugstore just doesn’t cut it!
Your telling me!! Apparently you can purchase salon colors at beauty stores but after last time….I’m stealing clear!!
Haha I’ve had that lovely green too! It didn’t take me long to realize that blonde or light hair would NEVER be me. I’m a dark haired girl, through and through!
I was born with beautiful strawberry blond hair that darkened as I aged. Foolishly I had hoped I could pull off blond but the roots just gave it away!!
I think you look amazing with dark hair.
Great reminder to listen to that inner voice! I had the great hair debacle a few years ago and it took 2 tries at my hairdresser to fix my boo boo! Thankfully I was a regular and she didn’t charge me a ridiculous fee. Glad you got it fixed!
I seem to have found my new stylist (hope she’s ok with that!). She gave me the healthiest and best option available. If I had if gone the other route I would have had To hand over my wallet for sure!
I have only used box hair color once and I was only brave enough to use the kind that washes out gradually. Glad you were able to get yours fixed!
I used the washout kind when I went black. It just didn’t wash out 🙁 I ended up with nasty roots. Not pretty at all!
I’ve colored my own hair for 20+ years, but that’s just to keep it the blond I was born with, lol! 😉 I’m not brave enough to try red or brown. With my pale skin, black is totally out of the question, unless I want to look like a vampire!
That’s what I thought too. I’m really fair skinned but the soft black actually looked really pretty.
I have been working on that lesson with my kids – trust your gut! It’s usually right.
How true is that!! My gut has never steered me wrong when I listen to it!!
You look beautiful! I’ve dyed my hair every color in the rainbow. I always leave it up to the professionals to fix it ha.
Thanks!! +Aly Marshrah
My hair has been every color, too, but I’d be way too scared to try doing it myself! Thanks for sharing your story. Your hair looks great!
Thanks!! +Lois Alter Mark
Oh boy can I relate! I think I finally got the boxed thing out of my system! But, I also do remember a time I also experienced the “salt and pepper grey” at the salon. Needless to say, I never went back there. It was horrid. Now, I try to stay with the same hairdresser because she knows my hair. Best decision ever! P.S. You nailed, it, love the new look!
I learned long ago NOT to do the box coloring. White hair was not the look I wanted… Thank God a pro fixed it for me.
Me either!! Unless I’m well into my 90’s then I’ll rock it 😉
Oh, the drama and trauma of boxed hair color! I always imagine there are people out there who use boxed color easily and end up looking like magazine cover models. It’s NEVER me. LOL…I’ve finally learned (after several failed attempts) that in order to get my hair colored and still look human…I must go to the salon! LOL
it’s not me either!! not once, never!
I’ve tried every color as well but always drift back to black love it
It’s quite an intriguing color to be totally honest with you but the upkeep is awful!
Well, your hair color rocks right now, and your stylist is great. I guess we do a lot to our hair in the name of looking dag on gorgeous.
I will remember your words now every time I think “I could totally color my own hair” 😉
I sure hope I can too!! Lol