Not too long ago I was at the store with my mother and the girls. Mom, can (and does) spend years hours a really long time just looking at…well anything. I’m always ready to go loooong before she is. To relieve my boredom, I started walking down all the aisles. When I got to the hair dye, on a whim, I decided to get myself some…just to add a little pizzazz for the summer.
Mom, who doesn’t really like to shop alone wasn’t far behind me. She scoffed at the color and brand that of coloring that I had chosen. I was quickly ushered over to a different section of the hair dyes. She informed me that I needed to get her brand because I was worth it. (See…advertising does work.) My rebuttal was that my chosen brand was good for your hair as it had natural fruit oils in it. (Like I said about the advertising…). I always thought I got my stubborn gene from my dad, apparently I was wrong as I found myself agreeing to get her brand of colorant.
Then we got down to the choosing the color. My mother didn’t like any of the colors that I was drawn to. It was too big of a change, too red, too blond, too dark, just not quite right… She handed me the same shade that she had always used before she stopped coloring her hair. Mom had a really hard time trying to understand why I didn’t want the same exact shade of hair as my mother! The color she finally decided that I needed was almost the exact same shade as my natural color. She disagreed.
It’s amazing that the conditioning of my youth still remains. Knowing that anything else was futile, I bought the box that Mom had selected for me. Sigh…
Later that evening, I did my hair. Sure enough, it looked almost exactly the same. Perhaps just a hair lighter. The next time I saw Mom, I didn’t say a word. It took her just over four hours (not that I was counting or anything) to notice that something might be different.
Next time I want to play with my color, I’m going shopping by myself…
Edit to add:When Shaun came home I caught him staring at me intently. He finally asked if this was a recent story or something that had happened a long time ago. He hadn’t noticed anything in the two weeks since I had dyed my hair!
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Bit O’ Life
A sunburned and exhausted KT after being picked up from martial art camp.
I know I should recognize the brand that used to use that “because I’m worth it” slogan, but I can’t. Wasn’t Farrah Fawcett in the commercials? Uhm, was it L’Oreal? Somehow they think that because it sounds French it must be better! Oooh lala!
I used to use over the counter dyes to brighten up my mousy brownish-blonde original color. Once I left it on too long and ended up with a bad case of the frazzles and damaged hair. Since then I get “foiled” at the hairdressers. I did some serious damage to my hair!
Your girls coud model, Susan, really they could. They have that fresh, wholesome look and the camera loves them!
if only I could SPELL
DUH
I swear one of these days I’m going to do something really over the top crazy like get a mohawk or multi-colored hair or something. Well, maybe not. But I am thinking of getting rid of the gray. LOL
Cos Im tan in complexion, colors like red and blonde wont suit me. I look good in my natural black or a shade lighter..like a deep brown or something.
Nice pic of KT.
Keshi.
Poor KT!! She does indeed look exhausted.
I, too, have a difficult time going against my mom’s always excellent advice!
Lynne~I don’t play with it tooo much. I haven’t had too much trouble with it…well, except when I tried to turn myself into a skunk. I’ll have to search the blog for that one!
Lynne~ What spelling errors?? ;D
Jay~hmmm…do they still make that Grecian Formula? Remember that?
Keshi~I’m glad you realize that. I see way too many darker skinned people with some really clashing colors.
ArSongbird~Excellent? Um…yeah… LOL I really do adore my mom!!!
I like to try every color that the stylist suggests to me ;p
Color will be looked beautiful if we wear that with confidence.
I think your decision was right, because you are comfortable with natural color.
Poor KT, she does look wrecked!!
Yep, I know how that feels to not be noticed hair wise..years ago, I would get highlights in my blonde hair and I would get it noticed a few weeks later, strange the way it works hey?
I have natural mousy lt brown hair, or as my friends used to call it, ‘dishwater bonde’ oh, isn’t that flattering. I was always trying out different colors, usually at the worst times. Like the night before my senior picture. I got medium brown. It ended up black. So, on my mom’s den wall alongside the senior pictures of her four kids is mine–some strange girl with black hair.
Fast forward years later after deciding it was much better to go lighter than darker (and after a guy on the bowling league said I looked 10 years younger!) my 16 year old son was with me as I was trying to find the right shade of ash blond. He picked out a red color and said “do this color mom that would be way cool.” Well, I had to admit the girl on the box with the short do with the bright red looked very cute. I bought to please my son, and about died when I came out of the shower. I wasn’t meant to be a red-head, even though I have a sister with red hair and therefore assumed I could be one too. Disaster!
I had only 45 minutes to get to an interview. I didn’t get the job! However, my husband didn’t even notice the jerk! Or, thinking back, maybe he decided it was kinder not to say anything!
I stick with ash blonde or champaign beige or a little lighter in the summer. Safe.
Being a hairstylist, I love hearing hair coloring stories. Better to have a shade close to your own this time, than a disaster. Don’t go too dramatic at once. And, don’t go too dark.
I love your stories and your pictures. I’ll have to take a bookshelf shot to add to my blog.
It’s Loreal to the rescue! And the color of the hair coloring product diffiently was not the same color as your (Sue’s) hair. And she was the one that picked out the color and it was not my choice! She is putting out big fibs!
The conditioning my Mom used when I was a kid still works on me too. One night, while out drinking with the boys, I actually started feeling guilty for taking shots. Guilty at 24! I don’t think those things ever go away.
Pretty~I was actually looking for some pizazz. I think I’ll go for green next time!!!
Cazzie~I know I should just say “Hey! Look at my new color!” but I’d rather just be mad at him! LOL
Peace~oh no! You need to decide to play when there’s nothing else going on. No need to be safe all the time
Cheryl~But do you love fixing the messes we non-pros often make???
MOTHER! It was your second choice because I refused to have “medium ash blonde” aka old lady color (sorry Peace) It certainly wasn’t MY choice!!! LOL
Tink~Sadly…it doesn’t. Sigh…
When I come back from the hairdresser, Al always asks me which hair I got cut. Well, when ya like a style, ya stick with it!