Living with dyeing

My first experience with dyeing my hair was not a good one. My freshman year college roommate and I decided we wanted our dark brown hair darker. We found a nice black shade, applied, waited and rinsed....and saw no change. Disappointed, we went to the store and bought two more packages. We applied and this time waited far longer than the suggested time. We wanted to see a change this time! And when we finally rinsed, oh we saw a change.

Our hair was inky bluish-black. It was witch-like and jarring. It looked like we were wearing wigs. We spent the next hour in the shower washing over and over, but the color was deep set. My roommate's mother was horrified, and she ended up going through an extensive bleaching and re-dyeing process. As for me, I wore my hair up a lot that year and then cut it short.

That was my last experience with dyeing my hair myself, but hair dye has been an integral part of my life for many years. My hair is very dark brown and gray hairs stand out like spotlights. I got my first gray hair in high school, and now I have a few dozen. I am determined to cover those up, at least until I feel like I should have gray hair.

I started getting highlights in college. Then my hair would get progressively lighter, so I would get a dark brown base and highlights on top. That means $150+ and hours in the salon chair. I recently decided to forgo the highlights. They are just too much work to keep up. You are a slave to them. And you are self-conscious about them when they grow out an inch.

I am growing my hair out right now, am much less concerned about my appearance since I am not in the public eye anymore, and don't feel like I can justify hundreds of dollars every month. So, despite my disastrous first experience with hair color out of a box, I decided to take the plunge again.

Yesterday I stood in the aisle at Target and contemplated the rows of boxes featuring smiling women with glossy locks. Was I dark ash brown or just dark brown? Should I get the $2.99 box or splurge on the $9.99? I ended up with Loreal Preference dark ash brown and headed for the checkout line.

Last night I pulled on my gloves and squirted the pungent goo in my hair. I waited exactly 25 minutes and then rinsed, hoping I wouldn't experience a repeat of my previous experience when I looked in the mirror.

I blow-dried my hair to get the exact shade and........

I am quite pleased with how it turned out. It really looks like my old pre-highlights color. It looks healthy and totally natural. And best of all, it cost $10.

I have spent many years in a love-hate relationship with dyeing my hair, but I think we have finally made peace.

--MM