But then, when I hit 30, I began to notice grey hairs, which is slightly traumatic but of course, not the end of the world. At first I could pull the grey hairs out, but really, who has time to single-handedly pull every single grey strand of hair out of their scalp? And what about the urban myth that two will grow back in its place? I don’t want to be the guinea pig to test that theory! Finally, I had to admit that it was time to go back to colouring my hair.
But I also was not ready to commit to $100+ hair appointments to get my hair coloured the same shade as my natural colour, nor was I ready to deal with roots and touchups every six weeks if the shade wasn’t exact. Then, a friend suggested Clairol Natural Instincts. At first I was skeptical: what if I chose the wrong shade? What about roots? What if I couldn’t cover all my hair myself (i was out of practice!).
But Christopher Martin, Clairol Consulting Colourist, walked me through the entire process of choosing the right shade, and how to apply it so that it looked natural.
Clairol Natural Instincts is 100% ammonia-free and is infused with antioxidants and vitamins C and E, so not only is it nourishing for your hair, but it’s non-permenant, so it slowly fades in 28 washes (or six to eight weeks). Plus, unlike some brands, which only feature a dozen shades (making it difficult to choose a shade that’s exactly the same as your natural colour), Natural Instincts comes in 38 shades, which means it’s almost impossible not to choose the exact shade to match your hair colour.
Because I already have red undertones in my hair, Chris suggested the Brass-Free shades of Natural Instincts, which allows your own highlights to shine through, without causing your hair to turn an unwanted brassy shade. In the end, I chose 5C: Medium Brown and picked up two boxes, just to make sure I had enough colour to cover my long hair.
My final concern was that applying one solid colour to my head would create a helmut-head appearance. For this, Chris gave me the best tip ever. After applying the colour to the roots, you separate your hair into small chunks. Then, you apply the colour to alternating sections of hair as your work your way around your head. This way, the uncoloured strands become the natural highlights.
The end result was better than I could ever hoped for. And the best part is that now that I know the perfect shade for me, I can re-colour my hair whenever I need to, no appointment required.
Shopping info: Clairol Natural Instincts, $11.49, at drugstores.
