Jedy

It is high time to address the issue of home hair color. The Clairol out of the box, wandering aimlessly down the grocery store isle not knowing what the heck level tone and multidimensional means, kind of home hair color. The plastic cap crochet hook combo with mix it yourself bleach disaster waiting to happen kind of home hair color. The neon green, blazin' blue, hot red, Barney purple Hot Topic drip down your neck stain your pillow case piss your parents off color in a jar kind of home hair color. Unlike most hairdressers, I have no problem with  home hair coloring, in fact, I love it. It is great for business. It opens up an incredible market for color corrective services but because color corrections are a PITA, I am going to offer some friendly advice on how to successfully color your hair at home.

1.  Color does NOT lift color. In Laymans terms, you cannot make your dark brown colored hair lighter brown by putting light brown color on it. It only damages your hair and makes your dark hair darker.

2.  Color that has an ash base means that the color contains a green base and in theory will neutralize red tones.

3. Haircolor levels are important. Level 10 is a pale blonde and level 1 is a darkest brown. Most people fall somewhere between a level 5 and a level 7. It is best to only veer at the most 2 levels from your natural level.

4. Do yourself a favor, leaving the lightening (bleaching) process to the pros.

5. If you are planning on coloring your virgin (never been colored) hair at home, listen closely...you must start applying your hair on the midstrand only, taking 1/2 in sections, avoiding the base and the ends. Once you have done this you may apply color to the base but first you will want to mix a new batch of color using a lower peroxide volume as to avoid what we call in the industry "hot roots". Once the color has processed for 20 minutes or so, you may apply the remaining color to the ends for the last ten to fifteen minutes of processing.  Are you having fun yet? Now go rinse it in you sink...be sure to do your dishes first.



This reminded me of a night about 14 years ago. It started with a phone call.

We'll call her Jedy.

I had only been out of Cosmetology school for a couple of years and was living the good life, out on my own, living in Lansing, out every weekend. I loved doing color and cuts at home for my friends, we could drink beers and listen to music and have a good 'ol time in the process. Bad idea. One particular Friday night I got a call from Jedy. She said she was in Rite Aide and hair color was on sale!
"Get two boxes" I told her.
She showed up ten minutes later with two boxes of 6RV hair color, a pint of Crown Royal for her and a six pack of Guinness for me.
Stand By Me came on the TV.
I slapped that color on her level 3 virgin hair, wrapped her hair up in a towel and we proceeded to quote every other line of the movie and put back the drinks.
That hour and a half flew by.
"Should we wash this out?" She asked me with her bright red cheeks and gigantic toothy smile.
I looked at the clock. "HOLY CRAP, YEAHHHH! Like 45 minutes ago!"
Best you know that neither Jedy nor I is what anyone may have considered "petite". We headed into my tiny bathroom and she bent her head over into my claw foot tub. I got the water hot and decided the only way to rinse her hair was to straddle her, so there we were, she on her knees, me on her back with one foot on the toilet the other on the floor, both of us convulsing with laughter, hot pink water is splattering everywhere...as I am rinsing her hair I quickly realize that I did not follow one single rule of applying color to virgin hair.  

Her once beautiful, dark brown, naturally curly, long hair was neon fuchsia.

She called me two days later.
"My hairs awesome" she said, "I kinda feel like a rock star...think I'm going to keep it for a while."

What I would do to go back to that night... laughin', drinkin', movie quotin', box colorin' night.

Although I haven't seen her in over ten years, I know I'll miss her forever.