Life Is More Fun In Colour

I think I’ve said a few different times that I wanted to do a post on the multitude of different hair colours I’ve experimented with the last couple years. I’m currently rocking a good old fashioned brown ombre and for the first time in years I’ve got zero inclination to go back to blue or purple or green. I loved every minute of each different hue I rocked, and have no regrets. Even when my hair started falling out and breaking off from increasing damage LOL. If I’m totally honest, it is extremely intensive, expensive and time consuming to maintain a bright and unnatural colour. I love the initial looks, but as soon as they begin to fade or it takes a heavy toll on my hair I bow back out to brown gracefully.

I wasn’t really sure what this post would evolve into as I uploaded pics and blurbs, it’s basically a reaction to each shot. Kind of a nice waltz down memory lane too.

The first time I added an unnatural colour to my hair was grade 12. I decided to put red highlights (lowlights? I dunno technically) in my hair after cutting a whopping 12″ in length. I got a super cute inverted bob, put loads of red in that bish, and then a couple weeks later Rihanna did something similar. So I was crestfallen. I had thought myself so original and all of a sudden a mega star was rocking a super similar look. Little did I know that I was not original haha, nor was I the first lady to get bored and chop and dye. It did start a long journey of changing colours, changing styles and just embracing life in full colour. I don’t have a picture of me with the red, apparently FaceBook doesn’t actually download all your pictures when you delete your account. But I have scrounged up some of the looks that came not too long after that first bout of enhancement.

Purple seems to be a common one over the years. This was one of the first times I went ombre with a funky hue instead of just having peek-a-boos or whatever they were.

I started getting more confident and blatant with my “fashion colours” as they’re aptly dubbed now.

I still LOVE this blue and purple combo, and it remains one of my fav looks to this day. My stylist NAILED it and there was many a selfie taken with this one.

This magenta one was always a fallback. Joico Colour Intensity makes gorgeous pigments, and this one always faded out beautifully.

But then I got bored and decided I wanted to be pseudo blond. It’s also a recurring theme with me… insert monkey face 🙈 

Ooh I had forgotten about this gorgeous, vibrant Sparks purple! It was when I started getting braver and dyed root to tip. It was the beginning of my colour downfall for a while though, this is where the damage started setting in. Again, regular maintenance on fashion colours is every 4-6 weeks. And it was costing me $300-$500 every time so it’s not cheap to have it done properly.

I think this was the first time I had a cobalt blue?!

Actually this is what one of my do’s had faded out to and I loved it so I left it.

Another purple and blue all over combo.

Purple and pink, not my fav on me.

I would place this one dead last for me colour and length wise. Not a flattering combination on me, I think there was too much root?

This one I LOVE. It was when my hair literally started falling out and breaking off, and also when I knew I couldn’t keep bleaching my hair at the rate I was. Most of my bleach jobs were pre Olaplex too so my hair took a lot of abuse for a long time. But this colour made me think of the Caribbean Ocean every time I caught a glimpse of it.

This was Sparks electric blue over the picture above it, once the Caribbean had faded out.

I didn’t hate the upgrade from washed out blond and green to this striking blue, but looking at these photos I think my issue lies with the cut. Not loving the short hair on me. Yikes.

This length I do quite like though. This was my last appointment with my stylist in Halifax before I left for my initial move to BC. We just put mermaid blue Sparks on the faded colour, no bleach because my hair couldn’t handle any more lightening. I like it.

Now this brilliant blue is one of my all time favs with length and colour. I can’t remember what brand or colour I used (I assume it was Joico Colour Intensity) but I did it myself in Victoria.

Fast forward to last year, and I sadly tried to do my own funky colour at home because I haven’t been loving the stylists in the town I’m in. I bought all legit lightener (Joico babayyy), toner and colours from Mat & Max online. I spent a ton of time making sure I knew exactly what I had to do. It took me 12 hours to do alone. I would not recommend doing it yourself peeps. I don’t have the patience, and as you can maybe tell from my expression, it did not have the desired results. So I ended up having to buy more product and redo it a week later. It was terrible and I know now that I would never bother with it again myself personally. Not worth the trouble I had for the result I got this first time around.

So here I am doing it again LOL. Happy lil camper.

I did manage to get it to lighten out to remove the uneven tones from the first time.

And got better, more vibrant results this time around too.

It faded out nicely but I was done doing it myself.

This time I went to my new stylist in Halifax. She did a gorgeous job giving me some purple and depth.

And finally, this is the last time I did fashion colours. It was with that same lovely stylist in Halifax before I departed again (hair by Morgan Conrad, owner and operator of Lunar Hair Studio). She gave me exactly what I asked for, which was Sapphire and Ocean. Love love LOVE this end result!

TELL ME THAT’S NOT HAIR GOALS!

I went back to brown a few months ago because I had left Halifax, didn’t know when I was going to be returning, and I don’t trust anyone else with my hair at this point to deliver the results I want. I’m totally good with my boring brown right now cause my hair needs a little R&R. I’m sure I’ll get the itch again to switch things up. I do have a little advice for anyone who hasn’t gone with a drastic change before and is thinking of grabbing life by the balls and just doing it.

First, IT TAKES TIME. And I mean that in the most literal sense. It takes several hours for each appointment, so be sure you’re aware of the time you must invest in the appointments. And on the same token, it also takes time to get your desired result. If you have naturally dark hair, and want a super light, vibrant colour, do not be disappointed when it doesn’t happen with your first or second, or even third, appointment. There are a billion blogs about the process and intricacies of this so I’m not gonna pretend I have more than a basic clue and explain. But you just have to go in with an open mind and know that you won’t necessarily get exactly what you have in your head first shot. Be flexible and be open to the process. You can still get some pretty dope do’s along your journey.

Second, it is EXPENSIVE. I’m not throwing this out there as a deterrent. Honestly, until my latest stylist, it was anywhere between $300 and $500 per session. That is a serious financial commitment. It costs money to do it properly, and safely for your hair. Be aware that if you choose something hella vibrant and you’re going to a stylist, it’s gonna be a part of your budget for upkeep. Worth it, but just be warned. Shit ain’t cheap.

Third, if you’re planning on doing it yourself to save money, for the love of god INVEST IN GOOD PRODUCTS. There are oodles of videos and articles out there on how to do it yourself, and what products to use etc. Just don’t skimp out on it. You get exactly what you pay for and it’s worth your time and effort to get the right stuff. When I did it myself last year, it totalled just over $200 for everything for both attempts. Cheaper than a salon visit, but still quite a few pennies. And a whole lot of time. And swearing. And grumpy fucking faces because I ignored my first piece of advice about being open-minded and having no expectations lol.

Fourth, TAKE CARE OF YOUR HAIR. This means using good products outside of the actual dying process. Get good shampoos and conditioners. Invest in an at-home Olaplex treatment if you plan on lightening your hair regardless of where you’re doing it. Get good leave in products. Baby your hair unless you wanna be bald and frizzy and nappy and ratchet. Speaking from personal experience here. It’s worth it to spend a bit on maintaining good hair health. If you don’t have a salon near you, there are plenty of online retailers. I use matandmax.com myself. I don’t have a salon in my town that carries the products I like, and Mat & Max have fast shipping, great sales, and such a wide selection of products. Check em out.

My fifth and final piece of advice, THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN IS YOU HATE IT. And if that turns out to be the case, your natural hair is always there waiting for your return. So just go for it. No risk, no reward right? You won’t know until you try and honestly I have had so much fun over the years with so many different looks and colours. No regrets, I just default back to my natural when my hair (or boredom) tells me it’s time. Life’s more fun in colour 💙