Hindsight - The Great Educator

There are a couple of pieces of advice I can offer and I think all the ladies should take heed. These may come in handy at some stage in your life...

1. When dying your hair and viewing the chart that shows what your final colour will be, take into account the numbers of colours that you currently have in your hair and then look at the chart again.


2. When your boyfriend picks the hair colour, regardless of how many good fashion suggestions he may have made for you in the past, ignore him. He is still just a man and this is your hair we're talking about, WOMAN!

Let me give you some context...
So a couple of weeks ago on a rainy Sunday afternoon, we ducked into Starbucks (Ugh! I know! but there aren't many other options in Southampton on a rainy Sunday). Anyway, while sitting there with hot chocolate and frappacino, he says to me
"You'd look nice with that colour in your hair", pointing to random young chick at the other side of Starbucks
"Meh!" I thought. I haven't really felt the urge to change my hair colour again recently and defintely nothing as dramatic as a nice shiny red. (More advice: go with your first instinct on this one - HE IS DELUDED!)

So it was still raining when we left Starbucks and Boots is just next door. In we ducked (we're good at ducking now - we could just buy a bloody umbrella!). In the hair dye sections he's looking at bottles and I'm picking some up and trying to get his opinion. Half way through this scenario, he forgets why we're here and asks me what I'M looking for. (You see another sign not to follow through, but did I get the cosmic hint? OH NO!)

We pick a Feria colour - I can't even remember the name. And it sits in the bathroom for 2 weeks. Part of the "I'm not sure I want to change my hair colour now" thing. But on Sunday, not one to waste money on something as frivolous as hair dye, I did the deed....

To describe this will be hard, you won't get the full effect. But if you think for one second I'm insane enough to put pictures here, think again. (I have also learned that with hair this colour I can now no longer question ANYONE'S sanity!)

I had previously dyed my hair with L'Oreal Colour Experte. One colour plus the highlights. But this was four months ago and I had two inches of naturally brown roots showing. So I have three different shades of red in my hair.

Now I say red and I know you're thinking, a nice copper colour, maybe a hint of auburn. Oh no. At my roots is a deep shade of cherry red - looks like it might be a nice colour. Where the hair colour was reminiscent of the previous dye I can only describe this as traffic light red!. Yes, I am serious, I could literally, at this moment, stop traffic.

The reaction from people (including total strangers I passed on the way to work) was total shock. It's crazier than anything I've done before. And I have now learned:

• Not to listen to Jamie for advice on hair colour (Jamie has also learned this and has offered to provide me with a sane hair dye in recompense)


• I think I'm too old to do crazy things with my hair and need to take Jamie's offer

When thinking about a change in hair colour, ladies, remember me.
And no, I'm not putting up pictures.