Lighten Up! Do-It-Yourself Hair-Color Disasters

Suppose you are a blonde, and you wish to try life as a brunette. Or you may be a brunette already, but you think it's time to eliminate those blonde highlights. (After all, every woman over forty has highlights. They are like a flashing neon sign, announcing to the world that you have passed the Big 4-0 mark!)

Boldly, you step out where so many women have gone before: the hair-coloring aisle of your local store. With highest hopes, you hurry home, rip open the box, and begin to dye.

Timing the entire process carefully, you eagerly await the results. Finally, at the prescribed moment, you unwrap your towel-turbaned head and peer into the mirror.

What!?! Immediately, you discover that your hair is ten shades darker than the synthetic hair scrap at the store, or even the tiny photo color sample on the box.

Now what?

Don't Try This at Home!

My teen daughter wants to be a beautician. She's awesome with hairstyling. But she's still learning, in the color department. Aiming to be a supportive parent and encourage her developing skills, I allowed her to color my hair several months ago. We visited the store together and matched the tiny acrylic hair samples to my locks before selecting the color.

An hour later, my hair was darker than my niece's Snow White costume wig. The package said warm auburn, but my hair was midnight black.

Learning Too Little, Too Late!

Home hair-coloring is not the same science as professional salon coloring. The chemicals are vastly different, and the techniques vary considerably. However, home hair-coloring is readily available and economical, making it a tempting impulse for far too many of us.

SOS! Stylist!

I called my hairstylist in distress. She patiently listened to my tale of tinting terror. She asked me what product and color we used. (I read the chemical ingredients to her over the phone.) Then she explained how dyeing disasters may be redeemed most of the time, if a professional colorist is enlisted within the first two to three days. However, she was leaving for a two-week trade show. I would have to wait fifteen days for an appointment.

In the meantime, she told me to follow these steps at home.