Pennywise , Pride foolish

or

Sometimes saving money on a fixed Income is just not worth it.

A 62 and 364 day old woman attempts to save money by dyeing her own hairs. Ok so it is I, I am talking about.  Saw a ‘real good deal’ in Face Book called e-salon where for an introductory low cost they would custom match your current hair to the new color you picked. The catch was you would automatically be signed up to receive the same color every 30 days. I did not think about that part or that it would cost twice the amount of the first order. I uploaded my picture and put it on my credit card.

 They did not like the type of dye I ordered and called me. ‘You need to order a permanent not a temporary dye color’, said the girl. I had thought if I did not like the color it would wash out. No, they changed that.  Now I thought ‘well maybe this is ok they seem to care about the product.’

Within a week I got a large oblong box. It included the dye, the mix solution, two pairs of plastic gloves, shampoo, conditioner, stain guard to apply to your skin around your face so the color can not get to your skin, a brush, a cape, a timer, a stain remover for your face, and instructions. Whew. I was over whelmed and put it aside for 30 days. I got another box, my credit card was automatically charged. I quickly canceled all future orders.

Two days before my birthday I decided to try it out. I had made an emergency appointment with my regular hairdresser for a cut and color –just in case. I had let my hair go natural which meant all gray and dark. I had just attended a High School reunion and saw myself captured in time in the pictures. At first, I could not find me then I shuddered, time to dye my hair. I hated the natural look.

First I read the instructions again. Gathered the old towel, and paper towels., changed into a strapless sun dress that I did not have to pull over my head. All set, I thought. Note to others –go to the bathroom before you put on the plastic gloves.  I put on the cape over the paper towels around my neck.

I applied the stain guard around my face and neck. I am now ready to take the dye and the solution bottle and mix them together. Both unscrew. But the solution bottle also has a cap? I cannot get it off. I have to get out my pliers and pull it off. Now I am still in my gloves and ready to mix them together. I mix them together, re-screw both bottles and cannot get the cap off again. I still have my gloves on and the fingers are sticky from the Stain Guard. The Pliers and extra paper towels, work.

I shake the color to mix together. It takes a long, long , long shake. I think ‘ this is to light a color, oh well, I will just use it.’ Next, I have to apply the color to my hair, but not rubbing it into my scalp. I remember my old hairdresser using a comb to comb thru my hair with the color on it. No throw away comb in the box or mentioned in the instructions,. I only have my regular comb, so I use it. That was a Big Messy Mistake. Note to others, use a throw away comb. I now have dye all over my good comb. I try to wipe it off with the paper towels, but it is a special layered comb, and I have to wash it. I ended up scrubbing it with a nailbrush, in my plastic gloves in the water.

 I work the color into my hair and set the timer for 30 minutes. But it is a stopwatch timer and so I also set my kitchen timer. Before I do this I put a shower cap over on my hair because I a touching my hair and getting it over everything. Did I mention I wear glasses? Paper towels and water again. One last thing before I take off the darn gloves put the cap back on the bottle and run my colored filled gloves over my eyebrows. 

I work on my computer and the phone rings. I have to answer on speaker, since I have now put the phone on my ears and gotten color over it. I talk a long time, hands free. The timer goes off in the kitchen. I re-read the instructions. ‘Get into the shower it is about to get messy.’ Are you kidding me? I put on the second set of gloves. It has been 59 minutes.

Turn on my shower, take off the gloves to test the temperature, put them back on, undress, get the shampoo and conditioner they sent, fill up the color bottle with water to mix with the color, shake again, notice the color NOW looks like I thought it should all along, get into the shower, start to rinse it off my hair while applying the water and color, (this seems weird). Wash off the color from my eyebrows,, now my eyes are burning, trying not to get anything on my skin, put down the color bottle, eyes closed can not see if it rinses clear but take off gloves, use the shampoo and my hair feels like straw, use the conditioner, feels better. Scrub me and finish in the shower.

I cannot see yet because I forgot to put on the fan and the mirror is fogged, but no color comes off on my towel.

Color seems ok, I guess, but not worth the mess.

My eyes still burn. Going back to the hairdresser.

When did my hair get so thin?