The Pain that comes with Vanity

It all started with me arriving at the salon at 12pm and my regular stylist and good friend passing me the colour options. I should have gotten the hint when he kept suggesting darker colours but silly OLD me had to pick one of the 5 most “light” colours. I should have known something was going to be weird when he gave me a worried look and said let’s see how far we get to that colour. Did I stop to wonder what he meant?? NO I just happliy sit back and watch them start slapping on the first treatment of bleach.

After the 1st bleach (looks OK), 2nd bleaching (still not much pain) and 3rd bleaching with me half closing my eyes in pain. robingoh said I look like Queen Amadella.

There were 4 bleachings … with each being more painful than the last. By the 3rd bleaching I had to close my eyes and just concentrate on letting the pain wash over me … through my body … not feel it on my head. Never had I imagined such searing pain could be inflicted … and over 5 hours!!! I sat in the chair enduring each bleaching of 30 to 40 minutes to be followed by a massage to work the bleach in thoroughly and a rinse.

After the 3rd bleach … almost there … can still smile.

After the 3rd time, my stylist asked if I wanted to go for a cigarette and i screamed bloody yes!! He then told me how many people drop out after the 1st or 2nd bleaching as the pain just gets too much. Others tear for the entire duration and yet others turn a pale white. He was wondering how much pain I could take to get to the colour I wanted.

So he tells me the last one ain’t gonna be as bad as the 3rd one and I BELEIVE him. The moment I lay down with my head in the shampoo basin, I get a funny feeling in my stomach. On comes the bleach / dye and BAM comes the pain. I thought it was supposed to be less but it sure felt like the same or more. I couldn’t take the pain lying down flat and had to curl up while trying to have my head partially in the shampoo basin.

My stylist explained that the pain is a burning searing pain so if I stood under an aircon vent it might be better. NOW he tells me. He moves me under one by the sink and I stay there till the last round of bleaching / dying is done. It actually feels better … better enough for me to waltz back to my seat feeling “big” and flip through a magazine till its done. Thankfully …. I only had 5mins to go when I walked away from the aircon vent cause the pain that came back was amazing.

Wash, rinse, treatment conditioner, rinse, more treatment conditioner, rinse, treatment mousse and gentle patting dry of the hair and wat I see in the mirror almost makes it worth it. (Almost for now coz I’m vain and shallow so I may change my mind and say all the pain was worth it after I see the reactions I get from friends and strangers.)

The new look … trasnformed into the blonde I’ve wanted to be.

Anyway …. I now have a whole new respect for dark haired people with blonde hair. Would I do it again … no …. I think. We’ll see … I’ll make sure to pop in pain killers before I think about it again.