Starting With Messy Roots Again
Okay so my dark roots were showing big time after six weeks, looked like some weird halo situation. Grabbed my stuff from Sally Beauty: red foils bowl, brush, that plastic cap with holes, and the red dye. Pro tip? Splurge on that salon-brand color stuff cause drugstore reds fade like crazy.
The Foil Wrestling Match
Sectioned my damp hair like in those YouTube tutorials – top, sides, back. Used the end of a comb to poke strands through the stupid plastic cap holes. Seriously took forever, dropped three foils on the floor, almost gave up. Mixed the dye 1:1 with 20vol developer in my little bowl, smelled like chemical warfare.
Slathered that red goop on each strand hanging through the cap holes with my brush. Had to keep shaking my hand cause my wrist got tired. Looked insane with all these red-tipped foils sticking up like alien antennas.
Waiting Game Drama
Set my phone timer for 35 mins but peeked every five minutes like a psycho. Heat makes it process faster so I sat under my hood dryer. Sweat was dripping down my neck, started worrying the dye would run. Peeked at 30 mins – color looked crazy bright so I panicked and rinsed early.
Cold Water Torture & Glossing Trick
Stuck my head under freezing cold water (shivering like crazy) for ten minutes until the water ran clear. Used sulfate-free red shampoo – smells like candy, lathers like crap. Now here’s the magic part: mixed my conditioner with leftover dye, slopped it on for five minutes as a gloss. Color got crazy vibrant after this step.
Results? Been two weeks and my reds still pop like day one. Even my hairdresser cousin asked what salon I went to. Key stuff I learned:
- Plastic cap method sucks but works
- Cold rinse is non-negotiable
- Dye + conditioner gloss = game changer
- Salon dyes worth the extra $10
Don’t think I’ll ever pay $200 for foils again. My bathroom’s stained pink though.