Home Dye Experiment

In an last-minute effort to save money and time, I thought it would be a good idea to try out a do-it-yourself home hair coloring kit. (See above, No ammonia, I went with Shade 3).  Like most ideas that come to me on a whim, this experiment managed to effectively waste a large amount of time while also causing wreaking havoc throughout my bathroom, kitchen and on my hands.

Allow me to explain, I am always up to save a pretty penny, and even more valuable to me than saving a buck, is the chance to save TIME.  Time is money right? So I figured - how hard could it be to simply dye my own hair, touch up the roots, from a dye-in-a-box? Women have been home dye-ing for years...
I bought a box of Loreal Hair Dye, and crossed my fingers the mixture I shook up matched my strands.
While removing the items from the box, I frantically searched for the gloves which Loreal promised were included within.  Applicator bottle, check.  Solution, check.  After-dye conditioner, check.  Gloves, no where to be found.  I stared at the instructions, including the promised contents, and shook the box feverishly to no avail.  So I turned the house upside down looking for a glove.  Ah ha! I found a black, work out glove which belongs to my beloved.  I thought, it's black, this should work.

I started the process, and began to realize that I couldn't see the back of my head, and my arms contorted around as I tried to minimize the splatter.  A few drops landed on my shoulders, then the sink, and by the time my head was coated, I had streaks of Darkest Brown all over the white wood trim of our sink and counter.  While I was processing, I began to make Mac n Cheese, and took the black glove off.  I had stains all over my fingers! Ugh. Can I save the glove? Then, the thought occurred to me - my dish washing rubber gloves! Why didn't I think of that sooner? So I strapped my pink rubber gloves on to finish the job up.  After I had cooked for about 20 minutes, I left the Mac n Cheese on the stove and got in the shower to rinse out the dye and see what damage I had done.  Luckily, I had the fortune of knowing to put some kind of barrier around my hairline and neck, (I used Vaseline) which kept the skin stains at bay.

After a LONG shower, and lots of rinsing, I towel dried and was rather impressed.  True, my bathroom may have looked like a paint can exploded inside, and my dinner was now cool and thoroughly pasted to the stainless steel pan, but I had roots no more!

I have to say, after a few rounds of practice, I have a feeling I will be skipping the salon for budget saving purposes and learning to perfect my technique at home!