Vanity

18 years ago

You gentlemen may want to tune out unless you enjoy a good laugh at my expense. One of the side effects from my recent surgery was that the hair surrounding my face turned white. It didn't bother me because I haven't known the real color of my hair since 1954. The first dyeing attempt when I got home turned out a deep mahogany red rather than the medium auburn I expected but there was nothing pressing on the social calendar so that didn't bother me too much. Color change is easy. Then we got a dinner invite to a fancy restaurant with only 2 days notice. Well, the hair color had to get toned down for this one and I made a trip to the pharmacy for the proper stripper that left me totally exhausted. I read the instructions to find I needed TWO boxes of the stripper so that meant another trip to the store. I used the stripper as instructed and after rinsing, shampooing and drying I looked in the mirror to discover my head was covered in orange sherbet curls.

You have never seen a more tangerine haircolor. They don't make fright wigs that color. It looked exactly like the Salmon Pink chiffon gown I wore to my last prom. I'm not sure where the curls came from. After recovering from my bout of hysterical laughter I called on a friend to pick up some extra dark blond dye and lend me some help since I was beginning to get pretty tired. After she stopped laughing and pointing at my head she assisted in putting the new dark blond color on my hair. I'm so glad there were no cameras handy.

By this time I was in a race to beat the clock and the clock was winning. Whatever color it turned out to be was going to be it. I will have to do another dye job when my poor body and my hair have a chance to rest but I have to admit it could have been worse. I am now sporting a not very fashionable strawberry blond color. 5 years ago I would have loved it and DH says it looks like the color my hair gets in the summer when I get neglectful of such things. I think I am going to invest in a good wig. Sandy

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Comments (10)

zinniachick
18 years ago
"...the proper stripper that left me totally exhausted..." I've been looking for that one for a long time. :)

Great story, Sandy! I would've been tempted to stay with the orange curls. The youngsters are all paying good money for that kind of thing.
youreit
18 years ago
Sandy, you made it through one of the greatest fears known to those of us who "accentuate" our hair! I've been fortunate enough to not experience such a thing...yet. :D

Hey, and you're a strawberry blonde! Work it, lady! Work it!

Brenda
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hnladue
18 years ago
Any chance on getting the name of that stripper?? heh! Next time post pictures!! We all need a good laugh. Glad the new color came out ok!
comettose
18 years ago
I am a natural light blonde and I thought one time I'd like to make it strawberry blonde, but not too permanent. So, I bought that stuff that lasts 20 washes, or so the box said. It was a red color. I'm thinking, put some red on top my blonde and wala, strawberry blonde.

Hmmmm.... Well, I had this stuff on my hair for about 2 minutes (not the 20 it said) and looked in the mirror. Harpo Marx comes to mind.

OMG - I wash my hair 20 times hanging over the tub, only to notice later I was using shampoo guaranteed not to wash out color. Then I thought, well it's wet, what will it look like dry. So I dried it and sure enough - Harpo Marx.

So I race out to buy a permanent dye in a blond color similar to my natural color, with the thought this will change it back. But, finally exhibiting some semblance of control, I stop and call the 800 number on the box of the first dye, for instructions.

They said not to dye my hair a second time and to use Dawn dishwashing liquid to remove the red dye. So I washed my head 20 times with Dawn, and sure enough - I ended up with a respectable Strawberry blonde. Now that wasn't too hard;-)

Thinking of trying strawberry blonde? Don't. LOL
jeanner
18 years ago
My motto is ... it's just hair, it will either grow out or fall out. I have to say though, I've never tried a stripper, much less two!
sleeplessinftwayne
Original Author
18 years ago
I'm not sure which chemical is or was to blame but one of them continued to work through the night. That 2 inch wide strip of hair that changed color after the surgery is now orange while the rest of my hair is a fairly normal blond. Since my hair is shoulder length the strip is fairly noticeable.
I've always had a lot of natural red in my hair and it has always been a chore to figure out what a new product was going to do. Sometimes the results were hilarious. Until recently I was never able to get a decent ash blond. The cosmetic companies have continued to work on the problem but it seems they introduced a new color every couple of years and eliminated the one I was using. Very frustrating so I decided I might as well enjoy it. As a result my haircolor changes frequently and sometimes DH has been very unhappy about it. A couple of years ago he went with me to choose one he liked and it was a disaster. The final color was a very intense burgandy. That one didn't last very long but I got lots of inquiries from teens about where I got it. Sandy
fairy_toadmother
18 years ago
" but it seems they introduced a new color every couple of years and eliminated the one I was using."-- you have the ftm virus, sandy! watch out everyone, it has spread to ft. wayne...

thank you for sharing that courageous story, sandy (lol CT!) i'd be tempted toleave the orange streak. it is only 2" wide and in the front, eh? it'll keep people on their toes!
jeffahayes
18 years ago
Go with jet black and be "goth" :)

I'm still "au naturel" for now, but when I get gray enough, I may just shave it all and dye my head my favorite color... deep blue (like the blue on the links we click for these threads).

Wouldn't THAT be nice??? :)

Maybe I could join the Blue Man Group.
youreit
18 years ago
I promise to refrain from clicking your head when you post a picture of your man vanity, Jeff.

Brenda
goodkarma_
18 years ago
Sandy hope you are feeling more rested by now. I once had my blonde hair done in a red temporary "color glaze" It stained my hair. I really didn't like it but the colorist told me it was fantastic. I knew I was in trouble when I was coming home, stopped at a stop sign and a kid about 8 years old shouted "Wow, cool hair!". The only thing that removed the color was a trip to Florida with plenty of salt water and sunshine. I looked like Ronald McDonald.

Lisa