A wee over a week ago I went and cut my hair. Now I've gone and dyed it. The last time I colored my hair was two years ago (I colored it for the first time ever three years ago, but never consistently did it) after it had been bleached, dyed a light golden-ish brown, started turning orange-y ombre-ish, and I tried dyeing it darker like my original hair color. After that, I let my hair grow out, dye-free, and repair itself from the trauma of everything I'd done to it. I'm terrified to color my hair at home. When I had major color changes I trusted hairdressers to transform my tresses.
But if there's one thing I've learned about beauty it's that you've gotta be fearless. To change the way you look, to do it because you want to look that way; it's your choice, go on ahead and do it (haven't we all been in situations where we're smearing on face creams and serums, painting our nails chartreuse and swiping blood-red lipstick on, or trying a new cleanser in the hopes of looking better? I don't exactly know if this trial and error thing is effective as I can attest having had to red, itchy skin and orange hair as a result...).
I digress. This is about my home hair dye experience from last Friday. I used Revlon Colorsilk in Medium Golden Brown.
here's what's inside
I was inspired by this Max Mara S/S 13 campaign picture featuring Kati Nescher shot by Mario Sorrenti.
via faystyle.com
When I saw this for the first time in the March issue of Harper's Bazaar, I was smitten. I knew I wanted to have my hair that same alluring hue of golden chestnut (it did look a smidgen lighter in the magazine ad). I have quite a few boxes of hair dye sitting in a bathroom cupboard and I was originally going to use a Garnier dye that I've had for a loooong time, but after checking out reviews and such, I chickened out and picked up a Revlon hair color instead (I may want to use the Garnier in the future if it does indeed lighten my hair). I've seen Revlon give good color results in terms of lightening hair some plus it's probably the cheapest reputable hair color out there ($3-4/box is cheapies-cheaps). I was absolutely terrified something might go wrong, not just with the Revlon, with any hair color brand that touched my head. What if something went really wrong and my hair turned out brassy or if the dye was unevenly distributed and the color came out patchy? I was stressed and consulted with Haircolor Wikia for how it all worked (and for reviews/how the hair color turned out in real life). I also went to ekiblog.com for info...that's the best blog I've discovered for dyeing darker hair among other things (it's where I discovered BB cream two years before it exploded in the U.S. and everywhere else, but that's another post). Despite all my fears, I went ahead and dyed because I really wanted brown hair again. In case you've forgotten what my hair was like, here's a second look:
abyss coloured hair
With the color applied, I didn't feel any burning on my scalp (a good thing as I didn't do a spot test...) and the smell wasn't too horrendous. It was fairly pleasant. Here's the color-changing chart as per the box:
I left the dye on for a total of 30 minutes. I was really hoping the new color of my hair would be like the last depiction, more noticeably dark auburn-y chestnut, but this happened instead.
natural light
avec flash
Looks like nothing happened. I guess it looks warmer a smidge. I was sad. But then I went outside and took some pictures.
this & previous two pics in natural sunlight
My hair appears to be a warmish and a tad reddish brown. Brown! Hurrah for that slight change! I do wish it were more significant and visible in all lightings. Oh well. This is just the beginning in getting my hair a lighter brownish color that isn't brassy.
me circa 2011 (this was after I bleached my hair and the brown dye applied afterwards had faded. terrible!)
Perhaps something like this again:
me circa 2010
When my hair was colored then I had done it at a salon. The first picture shows the work of my Aesthe' hairdresser and the second was a coloring I did at a salon in Hongdae in Korea. As big of a change professionals make, I can't keep spending monies on this kind of thing...or thinking about getting touch-ups if I want to maintain the color. What about using Revlon Colorsilk again? I think the price is right, but the color you want will probably not show up, especially with dark hair like me. I also think because my hair is quite thick (like, the individual strands) the dye may not have penetrated and saturated the color into my hair...it's a theory I have so people with thinner hair might not have the same results. Another negative is the lingering dye smell that stays on the hair for a few days. It is not a pleasant scent. I did like that my hair didn't feel fried/dry like straw after coloring. Feels pretty much like how my hair always feels. It's good for experimenting, but I plan to try L'oreal permanent color next time.
bright young person loves it
this much
I know this a very long post, full of pictures and such. I really wanted to provide a reference for people with dark, volumious hair like me as to what this particulary hair dye and color did to transform my hair. I couldn't find particularly great reviews of this online that showcased my type and natural color of hair. This was the trial and error thing I mentioned earlier, in this case for the greater good of beauty.
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