I know what you’re thinking… “Charlotte, don’t be stupid – you don’t just “accidentally” dye your hair”. But allow me to explain, because it’s not as black and white (and red) as it may initially seem.
You remember that time when you accidentally ate someone else’s Krispy Kreme because you weren’t paying attention? Or that time you innocently forgot to take your pill and had a baby as a result? There are all kinds of accidents, it’s just that some of them aren’t completley blame-less.
I didn’t mean to wake up this morning with bright red hair that leans menacingly toward the cerise, but I’ll admit that it didn’t just ‘happen’ either. It went something like this…
I bought a bottle of Crazy Color semi-permanent hair color cream online from Amazon… after umm-ing and ahh-ing over the shades, I went for #56 Fire mainly because the reviews of some of the other reds in the range were pretty poor. I bought the Renbow Crazy Color because I was looking for something to refresh my recently dyed hair without causing further damage. The Renbow Crazy Color range works by staining the hair shaft without opening the cuticle and penetrating into the hair, it’s a vegetable dye that doesn’t inflict damage in the same way as conventional dyes.
In order to refresh my locks and give them a little boost of colour, I intended to mix a little dye into my conditioner and let it sit for a couple of minutes before rinsing out. Easy peasy! Except, it didn’t quite work out like that.
Once I’d blow dried my hair, I could see that the dye had really taken to my lighter roots, creating an uneven halo effect. Not only that but thanks to my cackhanded application, only the very top layer had grabbed the colour. I tried to live with it for a couple of hours… but I couldn’t kid myself, I looked ridiculous.
So I went for it.
Ignoring the instructions, I applied 3/4 of the bottle to my dry hair and concentrated on ensuring that I was evenly distributing the product throughout. I can’t lie to you, it was messy. At one point, Paul commented that it looked like he’d been trying to murder me. I knew from reading reviews that vegetable dyes are notorious for staining skin and bathrooms but I don’t mind admitting that I got to the point where I didn’t care!
Once I was satisfied that every strand had been covered (and combed through for extra insurance), I set to work on the cleanup. I’d been wearing disposable gloves… an absolute must, trust me. The rest of the cleanup was surprisingly easy – the sink was treated to a hefty dose of Cillit Bang and any ‘staining’ wiped off without any bother. As for my skin? I used a damp flannel and rubbed until my skin bled I decided that I’d rather live with the staining than keep going. I left the dye on for around 30 minutes before rinsing.
And rinsing. And rinsing. I was stood under the shower for another 30 minutes in an attempt to get the water to run clear. Eventually I got bored (and a bit cold) and gave up. At this point, don’t reach for one of your nice towels – you’ll ruin it. I’m gonna burn mine to hide the evidence.
Enough talking… it’s just hair dye. Here’s how it turned out….
BRIGHT!
I’m anticipating that it’s gonna fade quickly (6-8 washes maybe?) so I’ve bought another bottle online and I still have about 1/4 of the first bottle left to go back to my original plan of refreshing the colour by mixing a little in with my conditioner when I wash my hair. I’ll be honest, I’m a bit unsure of my new ‘do’ – it makes my eyes look really green but I think it clashes with my skintone!
Anyway, that’s the story of how one might become an accidental redhead. Call it a cautionary tale if you like.
Do you use vegetable dyes? Got any favourites?!
* oh, by the way, I need to tell you that you all disgusted me, disgusted me with your grubby ways on yesterday’s post – you brilliant, brilliant lot.
