Thursday, December 8, 2011

My New Hair!


Thanks to L'Oreal for sponsoring my post about my favorite beauty looks, tips and tricks! Check out Makeup.com for beauty advice from the experts.


OMG I'm so happy! For years, I've wanted to do something kind of crazy to my hair- pink chunks, red chunks, maybe blue. I've dyed my hair in the past, but always stuck to mostly normal colors.


When I was approached with the opportunity to write about a daring beauty look I wanted to try, I knew what I wanted to do. I get to share it with all of you, too! How fantastic is that?


I decided to use a kit from Splat color, although I think the L'Oreal Color Rays would work just as well. I got the kit with three colors- red, blue, and burgundy. This turned out to be a bit of a problem, as you'll see... in fact, this process was problem after problem- all user error! But more about that soon...


I started this process with long hair- SUPER long hair. My hair was hip-length at the longest, and I realized about a month ago that the weight of my hair was giving me headaches. So, being the DIY-type person I am, I grabbed my shears and started cutting. I only cut a few inches at a time, but ended up cutting off over 10" over the course of three weeks.


My hair ended up bra-length and layered, and lots of fun. Then came the bleaching. Since I wasn't sure if one round would lighten my brown hair enough, I split the bleach into two portions, saving about half for the next time. It did take two times, although I think that might be because I'm just not that good at coloring my hair! But it turned out blonde enough to scare the heck out of me... :D


Then I opened the color packet and started applying... and MAN that stuff is bright! My husband could hear me laughing, because it was really fun. Unfortunately, I didn't have quite enough to really saturate the hair, which made the red seem sort of faded even the first day. If I were doing this over, I'd have chosen a single color, rather than the kit with three. Again, no big deal- I can run to Sally Beauty and pick up a bottle of dye to refresh with.


Once I was finished, I went back and forth trying to decide if I loved it or hated it. It's a huge change, but overall I think I really like it! It's fun, and crazy, and it's just the change I wanted! However, I do have some tips to help you, if you decide to do something like this:


1: Enlist help! Sectioning hair, getting the bleach and foils on, applying the color... it's not easy! Having extra hands is something I would call a necessity.


2: Read the instructions ahead of time. I did, and still found myself going back to the instructions for timing and so on.


3: Do it when you don't have to be somewhere the next day. That way, if it's something you hate, you have time to fix it!


The bottom line is simple- you get one chance at this life, and it's just hair. Cut it, color it, do whatever... it will grow out. Don't wait your whole life wanting to do something!


Thanks L'Oreal for giving me the opportunity to do this!
See my disclosure statement for more information.