covetous creatures

I actually thought I was over pink hair. After sporting a small section for a month or so, I was getting bored. As the remaining rose faded out, I was making plans for aqua blues and mint greens. But the universe was not having it.

First, this tutorial from Behind the Chair hit my inbox, explaining how to use Davines Alchemic Conditioner for redheads to bring bleached hair to a pretty pink ombré. I was interested enough to click through, but quickly forgot the whole thing. That is, until the exact same tip popped up on The Beauty Department a week or two later and a friend passed it along. It was enough to persuade me to pick up a tub of the conditioner, but I was liking my current cool blonde and wasn’t ready to commit.

The final prompt was when another friend mistook favorable photo ambiance for a new hair color and complimented the hue. “You should just dye it,” Gregor added. And that was that.

Last weekend, I went for it. Naturally, I did a test section first. I cannot stress the importance of this. While the BTC tutorial had hair “processing” for 30+ minutes with straight conditioner for varying shades of cotton candy pink, just five minutes turned my hair a deep magenta. One thorough shampoo, however, and the color disappeared entirely.

After a good clarifying wash, I started on the ends, mixing the red conditioner with a bit more than an equal portion of my regular conditioner. As I worked my way to the roots, I added more regular conditioner to the mix, and in the bangs and mohawk section even mixed in a bit of my blonde (purple) conditioner. (The ombré effect was very subtle, despite this.) I let it sit maybe 10 or 15 minutes – I wasn’t really timing.

The result was an absolutely perfect pink. Perfectly saturated, yet perfectly pastel. The color of my dreams. The color that had always seemed near-impossible to obtain. “It looks like your hair should just come out of your head that way,” a hairdresser friend commented (which was exactly how I used to describe my “ideal hair” wig of the same shade – I’ve been wanting this color since 2007).

[ASOS skirt, Forever 21 jacket and top, Jeffrey Campbell shoes from Solestruck, sunglasses from LF, vintage necklace from the Haberdash, Bevel claw ring from Occulter]

I had removed almost any trace of the color by the time I returned to work on Tuesday (although it took a bit of effort and caused my purple shampoo to have a significantly stronger effect than I was prepared for), but my pink hair weekend has the obsession back in full force. I’m already suffering separation anxiety. Having rosy locks brought me an insane satisfaction – enough that I am seriously considering making it a full time thing.

My current debate is whether or not it would be worth bringing it up with my boss at the day job. No comment was ever made when I added a couple streaks, but I think, out of respect, I would need to get permission for something this drastic. On the one hand, the idea of that discussion makes the whole thing seem a little shallow and pointless. On the other, the confidence and happiness it brings me – however shallow – seem to outweigh any negative perceptions. What’s so offensive about pink hair, anyway?

[Side Note: My sister, who helped with this whole process, also tried the conditioner, using it straight on her virgin brown-blonde hair for 20-30 minutes. It turned the lightest of her natural highlights a subtle peachy pink, which was still holding up a week of daily washes later.]

[Addendum: Just caught up on Najeema's post from last week, in which her boss encouraged her to express herself in the way she dressed more frequently because she is noticeably more confident and engaging when she does. Another argument in favor of bringing this up. Even though I'm sure I will chicken out...]