ACK!

I got the bright idea that I wanted to try being blonde.

Now keep in mind my normal hair color is an icky mouse brown, which is why I have been coloring it reddish/auburn for the past umpteen years. (I started coloring it before I ever started getting grey in it.)

So...what do I do? Do I go to a salon? Hell no. This DIY chick, who rarely hits a salon more than four or five times a year anyway, says how freaking hard can this be? I mean hell, Lindsey Lohan is a blonde and she's got the IQ of an overripe kumquat.

It's harder than it looks, apparently. I started trying going up the scale in terms of "blonde" colors. I wanted something like an ashy blonde, not a platinum blonde. Well, those colors only served to bring out natural reds in my hair, not blonde.

That led to me getting a color stripping kit and a blonde kit yesterday.

Which led to something BFF swore wasn't orange, just sort of apricot/peachy.

F**K!

I was in tears. And the salon I use when I use one was already closed for the day. Then hubby comes home and said, "OMG, what did you do?" Which led to normally sweet BFF whacking him on the arm and yelling at him, "DUDE, you NEVER say something like that to your wife about her hair!"

And it also led to me crying more.

I had to go to band rehearsal (yeah, that got me some looks although everyone politely said they thought it looked great). On the way home I stopped to get new hair color (black was looking pretty good) and found an "anti-brass" treatment by Loreal (the same color brand I use). So I tried it and well, it did take out the peachy/apricot/gold tones. Now it's...kind of strawberry blonde.

So I guess the deep red and black colors I'd picked up can remain unused...for now. I scared the crap out of myself in the bathroom mirror this morning. Nothing like screaming at your own reflection when you haven't had your first cup of coffee yet because you don't recognize yourself.

And add to that my eyebrows are, of course, dark brown. Not sure if I like the way that looks. One option is wait until roots start showing, use a blonde kit again (this result was from the color stripper THEN using the blonde kit) and see what it looks like on my undyed roots. Fortunately, as a writer, I work from home and don't have to face an office or store full of people.

Then again, I do have quite a few scarves and hats...