Like most women I have experimented with the colour of my hair. I have dyed my naturally dark brown hair a myriad of shades from darkest brown through reds and mahogany to blonde streaks. I once even dyed it black. This was however a complete accident as the box said mid brown. My skin is so pale I had to wear bright red lipstick and lost of blusher every day to not look like an extra from the Undead and even then I still gave Morticia Adams a fair run for her money. But I digress; the point is that I dyed my hair because I chose to - like I would choose a different eye shadow or lipstick shade to match a different outfit.
This all changed a couple of years ago at Mini-Me’s birthday party. One of her friends was upset so I bent down to console her.
“My mummy has hair the same colour as yours” said one of the other girls.
I tried to picture the lady in question from the gatherings around the school gate.
“Has she?” I answered brightly.
“Yes” she replied smiling.
“She’s got a big grey stripe down the middle as well”
From that point on I could no longer kid myself that dyeing my hair was a fashion choice. It has now been officially reclassified as Maintenance. Like waxing, plucking and shaving this is Something That Has to Be Done To Not Look Old.
Given that the product I choose now has to perform a function – i.e. cover the ever expanding stripe rather than just put a gloss of colour over the top, this has narrowed the choice considerably. For a start, I now have to go to the end of the shelf where the Permanent Dyes live. Semi permanents have no impact whatsoever on these little grey impostors.
The thing with permanent hair dye is that it does exactly what it says on the box – it permanently colours your hair which is a very scary proposition. Because if it goes wrong it doesn’t wash out. Ever. And that means you have to grow it out or pay a hairdresser to sort it out for you.
My Grey Stripe is Getting Harder To Hide...
I have tentatively tried a number of products on the market since the untimely outing of my Grey Stripe. Whilst some appear to lightly cover the offending hairs within a couple of washes their wiriness is soon poking out amongst their dark still coloured friends. So it was with some trepidation that I tried John Frieda’s Precision Foam Colour.
What I have learnt, particularly after the Black Dye Incident, is that your hair is actually a couple of shades lighter than you think it is. So I chose shade 6N for my dark brown hair.
The mousse is extremely thick and easy to apply although it does have a strong smell of ammonia. The colour takes longer to develop than some on the market but the results are amazing. Strong, glossy, vibrant colour with no greys. And they stay hidden until they grow out.
The mousse is extremely thick and easy to apply although it does have a strong smell of ammonia. The colour takes longer to develop than some on the market but the results are amazing. Strong, glossy, vibrant colour with no greys. And they stay hidden until they grow out.
I have now used this twice and the colour each time has been exceptional and very natural. Even my new hairdresser commented on it.
So for now, my greys are gone and my hair colour worries are over...until next month.
