This week’s “Works For Me Wednesday” is actually a “What Didn’t Work For Me Wednesday”.  Let me tell you, there’s a long list for that topic here in the Runningamuck household. =0)  But I decided to pick something recent.  You know, for the sake of fresh emotions, feelings and realness.  Umm, yeah…

For background, read my previous post.  It’ll explain everything in all it’s horrid details.  For the sake of not repeating myself (because I do that all day long in a loud voice, I don’t want to do it in the written form also), let’s just say, what didn’t work for me was trying to dye my hair back to it’s natural darker color at home while being about 3 weeks overdue for a hair trim.  (clears guilt-ridden, I-Should-Have-Known-Better, gravely frog from throat)

So, to help all you home color stylists learn from my horrifying mistake, here is the correct way to get back to your natural, darker, hair color (as told me by my stylist):

~ Do not touch any hair dye to your head if you are due or overdue for a trim!  Those dried-out, heat-tool devastated, frizzy-end hair tips are a sponge, hear me?, a sponge with that hair dye!  They’ll suck up that dye like a there’s no tomorrow and that creates a new color all of it’s own.  Hint: It won’t be the color that they show on the box and might just be something in the Bermuda grass category.  Go get your hair cut first, no matter how much you know your stylist will harass you over your 3-inch long roots.

~ Since you are trying to go darker, whatever color you put on is going to lighten every time you wash it.  So start two shades darker than the color you’re aiming for.  Yes, it’ll be a shocker but trust me, it’ll lighten up in a few days.  Besides, too dark is still way better than this:

~ While you are buying your hair dye, purchase three of them.  It will take roughly that many times for the color to “stick” and quit lightening up more than your natural color.  If you’re like me, and you purchase them separately, months apart, you’ll forget which color was the one you originally purchased.  So make it easier on your ol melon and just buy them all at one time.  But don’t use them all at once!  Just use one and keep the other two on hand to use as your roots deem necessary. 

My two opposing hair colors, battling out

So folks, PLEASE learn from my mistake.  I have to know that my suffering through Hubby’s merciless teasing and the strange stares I get over my avocado-colored hair has not been for naught…

Meanwhile, I not-so patiently wait for the morning I wake up to see this in the mirror..

Now don’t nit-pick at me and tell me it’s impossible to see that in the mirror since I don’t have mirrors on opposing walls, directly across from each other.  You know what I mean!!  Besides, a green-haired girl can dream.  Her dreams are all she has left to cling to.

For more lessons you can learn from others’ mistakes, head over to Rocks In My Dryer.