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As you may or may not know, I am a professional hairstylist (retired). The result of working in that profession for over a decade means I have changed my hair MANY...MANY...MANY times! I have had my hair everything between rainbow pastel to platinum blonde, the darkest brown you can be before black to mustard yellow. This is just a small sample of my colors over the years:
But one color I have yet to concur myself...GINGER! Ive always wanted to be a ginger. I had perfected the color on clients time and time again. I would tell them, "next time you see me, we will have the same color!" And then I would chicken out. Never actually committing.
So, the other day, my husband and I were doing what DILF's do, (dual income no kids lol) we were running errands in the middle of the week - dropping off books at half-price, going on a Sam's run, eating food court pizza, and on our last stop, we swung by Armstrong McCall...for those not in the beauty industry, it's a beauty supply for professionals! (much like CosmoProf if you're familiar)
My husband needed a refill on his shampoo and conditioner - while he went to the mens product isle, I went searing for a new me.
Right there on isle three, I stood flipping through swatches of color. My intention was to either go back to very dark chocolate brown, or lighten my hair and be more blonde - much like the Nikki I have been for the last 10 years on and off. I recognize her the most, she is my safe space. When I am feeling bad about myself, or I have a major life function - like getting married, or graduating from college, I go blonde. I've always said it was my true form. But standing there deciding between a toner or a 3N, I saw it. A small curled swatch of a dark, but gorgeous copper. She almost took my breath away. How have I never seen this swatch before? I have looked through this book a thousand times, colored hundreds of heads of hair with similar color, but never THIS formula. Charlton came over to meet me and was equally mesmerized by the swatch. Something about this color was different than any other copper I had ever seen, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I grabbed the tube and headed to the check out.
The next day, I was alone at home - trying to put off washing the dishes beckoning from the sink - and I decided, today is the day I go copper! I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet, some gloves from my salon stash (I closed my salon in November that I have owned for the last 4 years, but still have plenty of supplies on hand!), developer from under the sink and went to work.
Parting my hair into four sections and squeezing the bright orange color out of the tube, I almost panicked and stopped...what if I don't like it? What if I'm not meant to have copper hair and that's why Ive put it off all of these years. Before I knew it, I was painting the color on my roots...too late to turn back now. This particular color only takes 10-15 minutes to process - so I didn't have much time to rethink my decision. The smell of the chemicals took me back into my salon so quickly, it was the first time since I left that I felt the tiniest twinge of...well, missing hair! I LOVE doing hair, which is funny because people ask me all of the time why I don't do it anymore if I love it so much. My answer is always the same. I love doing hair, just usually not the person attached to it! I actually was really lucky, I have a handful of amazing clients that I love and that have loved me back for years, and if they are reading this, they are one of them! I'm not flashing my new career in front of the others. By the time I came out of my thoughts the Alexa in the next room was signaling to me that my 15 minutes were up. Time for the moment of truth.
I went to the bathroom and didn't even look in the mirror before I got in the shower and watched the bright orange water run down my legs and pool up on the floor. I was equal parts giddy and terrified. No time wasted, I towel dried it then opened my eyes - they were already filled with tears. I LOVED IT! Who is this girl and why has she been hiding behind blonde locks for years and years? Who told her she couldn't be a fearsome ginger with striking blue eyes and freckles for days.
When I tell you I RAN to dry it and get a photo to show on my instagram so quickly! I almost forgot to text my mom and sister first! Turns out, everyone else loves it too and is in agreement that THIS is my true form! At least for now - I am a stylist at heart anyway!
And now I am going to do the thing that hairstylist don't do and Im going to share my formula with you because well - simple fact is, you can't come to me to fix it if you mess it up! LOL!!
My starting level was a 6N on the roots and a 8G on the ends (this is for reference if you want to show your stylist). I used Igora Color 10 from Schwarzkopf in shade 5-7 with 20 volume for 15 minutes (I find it processes more full color at 15 instead of 10 so ignore the box!). You can find my MUST HAVE tools and color on this post, however, legally I'm going to state that I told you not to color your own hair and if it turns out bad, I had nothing to do with it! I also can't guarantee that color products purchased from Amazon are legit since they technically need a license to be purchased - so don't sue me! lol Click here to shop.
So if you have ever had a shade of hair you've always wanted but were too scared to try - take my advice and JUST FUCKIN' DO IT! You never know, you might find your true self in those locks!
