Tips to Dye For

Since I'm in full-blown fall mode, I decided my light locks had to go for a more updated and seasonal hue. This is what I was going for, a pretty brown color with a bold ombre for the ends:

BUT that is not what I got. To be honest, it was quite a mess. I HATED the initial results...it was waaay too dark! Ugh! Major ugh! So I died it again, this time trying to lighten up my strands. But the mix of the two dies was simply ugly. So I died it AGAIN. (WARNING: NEVER be as foolish as I was - DO NOT die your hair so many times in a short period of time! In my defense, I was beyond desperate. But I definitely regretted it, as it fried my hair and scalp. Major no-no!) Finally I got a hue I could live with - a light brown on top and a some subtle ombre at the ends. And I have successfully been able to make myself leave the color alone since (and even give the ends a good trim)! Phew! It's still growing on me, and I think in another week or so I'll totally love it! ;} Here it is:

In the melee of my hair dying fiasco I learned a few things. To save you similar pain, I've posted them below. Enjoy!

1. Buy an extra box. I had a disaster, and was forced to go back out in public (I was MORTIFIED) to buy more dye. I will NEVER make that mistake again! Plus, if you have long or thick hair, you may need the extra dye to completely saturate your locks. 

2. Figure out what works best. I've found that the foam methods either do nothing or end up super splotchy on my hair. After dying, I learned that if you have wavy/curly or thick hair, then stick with the gel or liquid formulas (which I USED to use with great success but didn't use this time as I wanted to try something new) as they will be more effective in saturating your strands...a tip I learned the hard way!

3. ALWAYS buy a shade lighter than you want. As my weekend confusion proved, it's so much easier to go darker/richer than it is to go lighter. 

4. Be prepared to help your hair recover, and have these products on hand before you begin. I love Redken's Real Control mask (as mentioned in my post outlining shower tips) - it seriously works magic - just one use and my hair was largely back to normal! I've also switched to Herbal Essence's new Honey I'm Strong conditioner, which is really great for strengthening - and super cheap!

5. Give yourself some time. Sometimes I find myself still wishing that I had been victorious in achieving darker roots and lighter ends like I had been daydreaming of. And then I start to thinking that maybe I should have just left it alone for awhile after that initial dye. And I should have! The dye will fade. It always fades! Every time you shower it will soften up the color (my hair is STILL softening up, weeks later!), and even without showering the color will ease up a bit. I will always wonder how my hair would have turned out if I had just let it run it's course after the first dying - and if I had also given myself time to get used to the change. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm still really coming to like the subtle change I ended up with, but be sure to at least consider letting your hair fade and giving yourself time to adjust to the new you.