Last week, Diana decided to try out some subtle hair highlighting. Being a natural redhead, it probably wouldn't surprise you that she's always been hesitant about doing any kind of color treatment, but she wanted to try it. It's very subtle, and if you look at the photos I posted on Facebook from our weekend mini-break, you might not even be able to tell. But what's funny is that she said she'd like to try making it a little more obvious.
That's what happens. Hair coloring is a little like heroin. You try it, then you don't want to stop. I bought a friend a day at the salon as a gift a few years ago, and she's been going ever since. I colored my hair on a fairly regular basis for about ten years. I liked it being lighter. Then I met Diana, and I got lazy, and I stopped. Well, that, and putting chemicals in my already thinning hair didn't seem like a good idea. But I kinda miss doing it. (No, I'm not sitting here singing, "I Feel Pretty." Bite me.)
If you really think about it, the addictive quality comes from the fact that few things can alter your appearance as drastically, and temporarily, as hair color. I suppose you can change clothes, but they're not an integral part of your body. (Yes, I'm aware that hair is dead.) Other physical alterations are trickier. Tattoos are permanent. Body piercing can be temporary, but at the cost of a small Asian man pushing a 16-gauge needle through your nipple. Hair coloring can make you feel and look different, quickly, without the commitment.
There used to be a lot of negative perceptions around hair color for a lot of people, even 20 years ago. I think that's because it was primarily associated with white trash women bleaching their hair with uneven and ugly roots. Hair coloring technology and technique has come a long way in that time, to the extent that darker roots can actually be a component to a stylish look, if done right, with the right cut. Highlighting often involves more than one color. You can do various unnatural shades or red and it's OK. People still aren't digging on blue or purple, but to me even that can look great on the right person.
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