Pink Hair Fiasco
April 25, 2007 by Tracee Sioux
Filed under Parenting
Okay, so I have pink hair and I love it.
Often I forget I have it and wonder why people look at me funny. Then I remember and I chuckle and it’s like an internal comedy for me, because otherwise I’m a typical soccer mom.
However, a recent visit to my hairdresser proved a disaster and now I’m walking around with BAD pink hair.
A friend of mine thinks I can pull off pink hair effortlessly. This is untrue, it takes an enormous amount of balls and self-confidence to wear pink hair in East Texas. In New York, where we used to live, most people wouldn’t give me a second glance. But, here it’s another story. I realize that people must get over the pink hair as a sort of hurdle when they interact with me. It takes an enormous amount of faith in the inherent goodness of people to believe they will make the effort to jump the hurdle and deal with me on certain level even though I have pink hair.
This is much easier when I have confidence that my hair is beautiful and cool and just the right amount of rebellious. I had this confidence last week.
But, now my hair looks sloppy. There are several different colors of pink for starters. There is only supposed to be one color for the look I was going for. Now I have cotton candy mixed with pepto bismal mixed with neon mixed with fuscia. Which is also mixed with various colors of blond and brown. And all this color, or any combination thereof, is on one strand of hair. This is not the look I was attempting.
The other issue is that she didn’t actually get to my roots when she colored it. In some places it is a few centimeters of brown and then pink. In some it’s a few centimeters of blond then pink. So, there is an uneven line of all of these colors framing my face when I wear a pony tail, which I do practically every day do to my being blessed with very thick hair that tends to feel like a wool hat in the heat.
So, I should go back to the hairdresser and demand that it be fixed right? You do not know my hairdresser. She is a special brand of hairdresser. Without being uncharitable, let’s just say that I am too afraid to confront her about the sloppy results of my hair and then allow her to apply chemicals to my head. It’s too risky. I don’t think she can take the criticism without becoming angry and I don’t think she has the emotional control to not take her anger out on my hair. I’m afraid if I pursue that course of action, I will just have to shave my head and start over and frankly, I don’t have enough guts, confidence or bravado to pull off bald.
Financially, I’m not in a position to go see someone else for a few weeks and really, in East Texas who is going to have pink hair color in stock if it’s not Halloween?
So, for now it appears that I am stuck with BAD pink hair and will have to fake the confidence it takes to pull it off.
What’s interesting to me though is the fact that The Universe gave me plenty of warning that this would happen. I had an appointment weeks ago and when I showed up she told me she didn’t have the color yet. I was annoyed she didn’t call, but didn’t confront her because as I previously mentioned – I’m scared of making her angry while she applies chemicals to my head. So, I just rescheduled.
Next week. Same exact thing happened again. Didn’t call. Didn’t get the color. I rescheduled.
The next week I called her several times to make sure she was getting it. Apparently, the brand she likes isn’t in stock. I offer to buy it online if she’ll tell me what it is and she acts like my newfangled machines can’t get this brand of hair color. Finally, she’s found a substitute pink color and I’ve lined up yet another babysitter for my appointment.
The night before the appointment my cousin says she would love to color my hair. She’ll go buy the stuff and do both me and my daughter matching pink streaks. But, I’m nervous it won’t look good and I already have the appointment and all. So I blow this opportunity – in retrospect perhaps it was an omen – off.
The whole time I have a nervous feeling about it. I mean, why is she there 12 hours a day and when does she sleep if she’s going to take appointments everyday until 10 pm? The whole time I know the later my appointment, the more likely she’ll be tired and sloppy. People only have so much energy.
All these omens I ignored. Should’ve, would’ve, could’ve.
Now, I’ll have to live with sloppy pink hair until I find someone I trust to fix it and come up with the extra cash to spend on it.
That is pretty funny.
Rebecca,
I hope you’re laughing with me and not at me.
It’s an amusing post.
That sucks. I have bright pink hair & I did it myself. It’s pretty easy to do, you need to have bleached hair, then apply the dye evenly (Special effects or La Riche Directions is good), wrap your hair in clingfilm & then a towel, heat and leave for 30 minutes.
I love how people react to my hair, little kids love it!
Alex, I would love to see what your hair looks like. I would be too scared to do my whole head in pink. But, yeah kids totally come up to me and say, “I love your pink hair. It’s so pretty!”
Tracee–
I’m so bummed for you that you had pink hair you LIKED and then had it ruined… of course it’s only hair, blah, blah… you’ll get it fixed, of course, but I REALLY hope you get a new hairdresser! Someone you can love and trust with all the chemicals, any time of day! They can be hard to find, but worth their weight in gold. I’m hoping to have some pink highlighting done this Friday. We’ll see how it goes! Best to you!
Well, I’ve had the pink highlights for about a year now. I love it when it’s not screwed up. I’m so freaking fabulous that I’ve seen no less than 10 women in East Texas with pink highlights since this weekend. Hello! I’m such a trend setter! I’m thinking I’ll order the color off the Internet and pull it through the cap myself or with the help of a friend. I think the cap will keep it OFF the other blond so it won’t bleed. It needs to be kept up way more often than I can afford professionally. I hope yours looks fabulous too – I’m sure it will!
Tracee
Hi Tracee, I too am a mom of 2 kids (one teenager who is always messing with color) and I added bright pink to my blonde hair. I’m in MA, and I get a ton of sideways looks and soooo many comments (not all good). In fact, I’m SHOCKED that so many people just cannot keep their opinions to themselves! I just say “there was no age limit on the box”. (the most common comment is that maybe I am too old for pink) I’m almost ready to throw in the towel and maybe wash over the pink with a brown for my husband’s sake. I just wanted to say it gave me comfort to read your post.
Ally,
No one around here dares say much too much. That’s how I know they hate it. The upkeep was too much for me. Every six weeks I was having to figure out something to do with my hair. Then they stopped selling the pink I used. It was backordered on the internet even. So, no pink hair for me anymore. I kind of miss it.
But, as I start to run in more “legitimate” circles, like coaching soccer or giving my opinion about things on the news I think I’ll go more grown-up and conservative. Of course, I’ll want a little something edgy in it, like a red light or something to catch the eye.
But, Boy did I love having pink hair! Don’t feel bad if you throw in the towel. Just because you had pink hair doesn’t mean you have to be permanently married to the decision.
Tracee
hey i’m from miami… i’m rocking blonde hair with cotton candy pink and fuchia pink… it looks bad ass. i also carry extensions in my hair… i do hair as well.. you need to find yourself another hair stylist who is up to beat with funkyness. go to your local sally’s find manic panic and take it to them thats the brand it called you don’t need to mix it in with any developers and they got tons of cool colors. if you want blonde hair with pink tell then to use high lifting color on you and also to do highlights that way your color actually comes out. if you have any questions contact me. mademoiselle13@aol.com
pink isn’t all that bad… i wear pink often. they give me too much trouble about it i say “oh, so finding a cure for cancer isn’t YOUR cup of tea i see”.
lmfao! (then i feel bad and make a crap donation, sorry i am not that rich to make $$’s count in charity
)
(no i’m not a kid anymore, ain’t seen kid years in 20 years or more.. woah!)
I currently have hot pink hair dyed with special effects atomic pink. My hair is a dark brown and bleached with volume 30 or 40 to take out the silly brown color first. The dye works like a charm.
See for yourself:
http://pinkitalics.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/gotta-love-a-pink-haired-woman/
I live in NYC, so I get a mixture of indifference, adoration, and repulsion. I consider it my self-expression and call myself a natural pink-head. (I think my stylist has a hunch though…
) I’ve had it redone 4 or more times now and I plan to continue.
Good luck to you and all the other natural pinks who posted!
Cheers!
Omfg i am so pissed off lol
anywayssss i started dyeing my hair black in the middle of last year and ive always had random thoughts of pink hair and um yeah and then i said i would dedicate the whole of the holidays bleaching my hair and making it perfect and bright pink and not damaged it took friggin long and costed alot…. yeshh and so when school was like starting and stuff yeah like i saw my ‘friends’ and they were like omg and so was half the school and when the class started my teacher was like holy f**k omg omfg and then i got sent to the place and i got sent home and so i dyed it black again because there was no choice
i just feel awful and everything i ever do is useless and……. yeah
I’m so depressed jeez!!!!123
yeah – you can’t get away with pink hair if you have teachers, principals or bosses. I could only do it because I work from home.
“yeah – you can’t get away with pink hair if you have teachers, principals or bosses.”
Where do people get this stuff? I work in both retail and Civil Service with hot pink hair and tattoos. I represent the state. Personality accounts for a lot more than hair. Or maybe it’s because I live in the Northeast and I take that for granted?
But yeah, cool post. I feel for you, I really do! I’ve had similar catastrophes.
hey!
i have pink hair! it rocks! so im a teenager and all my friends love it. i know actully that people treat you differently by the way you look but i didnt think this different! its AWESOME!
LoveYall,
Lola
my hair is pink, different levels of it each time i dye… i’m an old woman.
remember, BLEACH BLEACH AND BLEACH! but do take time between bleachings and use lots of pantene shampoo and conditioner.
sometime’s it’s HOT pink, flamingo pink is my fav! flamingo pink (manic panic) is excellent.. but you must bleach the living fecal material out of your hair until it’s almost white OR white… it’s a great pink… next would be cotton candy but that’s even more delicate…. you really REALLY much get rid of all existing hair color… manic panis WILL stick.. if you damage your hair and put it in your hair when it’s damp and once it starts drying up, HOT air it with a blow dryer and then just relax for a couple of hours.. hell sit in the sun and tan… let that sun get into the hair to.. then just dip your head into warm water.. swish it around gently t hen towel dry and let the hair get dirty for 3 or 4 days.. then wash as usual…
i forgot to add… ADD the coloring immidately after you wash the bleach out of your hair… like RIGHT AFTER! that’s important.. if not the hair will start reparing itself with the oil distribution and soon that coat of oil will really deteriorate the effect.
manic panic is good.. special effects is good.. RAW is really strong… also pantene conditioner is a great mix for colors if you want lighter tones. 
also i had damaged my hair so badly.. and the colors stay in so well.. (white hair fades excellently.. shades are amazing each washing.) that the next time i blasted my hair with bleach… after i washed it out i realized i still had some manic panic left in my ends.. and was like.. and interesting effect… but hair can only take so much punishment.
love the pink, i was beginning to think i really was too old..people in ga, look at me like i’m an alien. I lived in wilmington, nc for years, no one would have made much of it…living in the boondocks does stifle one a bit..had to change up much to the dismay of most of our church elders
I plan on dying my current red streaks pink this evening. I use Manic Panic products and adore them. A tub of the regular dye lasts me a month, and it’s only $7! It bugs me how people freak out over pink hair; it’s just hair. I have a couple tattoos and a couple piercings as well, and I’ve had no problems finding a good job. My employer, and co-workers, can’t wait to see what color my hair will be, or what jewelry I’ll have in my piercings. I realize I’m very lucky, but it still boggles my mind how people can’t look past hair color. Anyway, I feel for you. I used to be terrified of doing anything to my hair, but now I figure I can always go back to my natural color (black) to cover up any mistakes. And hats are a great thing as well. Good luck!
I just dyed my hair black & hot pink, & i reallly like it! I just am kinda feelin like I am too old…. Im 29. How old is too old for pink hair???
I went pink again – after a winter haitus – and used the Manic Panic Cotton Candy and I don’t like it. It doesn’t show up very well and I bleached to almost white and left it on for an hour. Disappointed.
If you get the “hot hot pink” from manic panic, it will look on your hair, the way cotton candy looks in the jar.
I went pink today and now my hair’s sort of luminous, and for awhile I kept second guessing my decision, especially in the conservative Asian society I live in, until I happened across this entry of yours and now I know I’m not the only one with ‘balls of steel’, so to speak. Haha. Cheers!
Tracee,
I have brown and red hair, like brown on the top and then about half way down it fades into red. And I am always getting looks from little kids being OMGG!!!! And then tugging on their mums to tell that they want hair like mine haha. It’s so cute
.
And as far as finding dye I know how you feel! It’s so hard to find the right color. All I have to say it that if you are looking for BRIGHT colors go to Hot Topic they are in most malls. Thats where I get my red and I love them, a couple of them know my name I’m in there so often. But if you don’t have them then whatever you are doing go with that haha.
Anybob I’ve seen at least 10 people at my high school who have my hair now. It’s funny to think that anyone else would want bright red hair haha. But I’m so glad that there are people like you out there who have the confidence to go agaist the current and put something bright into their life
You kids must be so proud 
–Shannon
Help! I put pink highlights in my daughter’s hair last night, and now she’s mad because it didn’t turn out the way she wanted… How do I get it out? She’s light blonde, and we used the Punky Flamingo pink. I know it is supposed to wash out after 5-40 washes, but she washed it 6 times last night with no noticeable effect.
go to a beauty supply store and buy 20volume peroxide and a pack of basic white bleach powder, put in non metal bowl use 2ounces of the peroxide, it should look a little thinner than mayo. put it on her hair and time for 3-5 minutes more will bleach her hair and cause damage. i have done this several times, usually pulls it all out
Hi i’m 26,mother of two kids, i live in mexico, here, the people is just not ready for my very pink short hair, my husband love it, and my kids too… but people stares…. a lot!
but i really love it.. and as i think when people stares… I refuse to be normal!
I have had pink hair for a few months now, I dyed it blue and hated it, and now I know pink is my color. I dye it every week to keep it vibrant, and I use manic panic. It costs me almost 15 dollars for a tub of it, and I can dye my hair twice with one tub, so it only costs me 30 dollars a month.
When I dye it, I put it in my hair, put it in a pony tail, blow dry it to really set the color and help it stay longer, and then wrap my head in a grocery bag and then a bandana. Then I sleep with the color in and wash it out in the morning. It really makes the color vibrant! And the wierd thing is that usually when I wash the color out after dying it that there is a ton of dye that is in the tub, but when I leave it in over night, there is almost no dye that comes out, like it all stayed in my hair. Also, when I took the bag and bandanna off my hair, I touched it and it didnt stain my hand at all, even though my hair was wet from all the moisture of being wrapped in a plastic bag. AND when I washed my hair out, it was super soft, even though I had bleached it twice right before the dye was put in, to get the blue out. It was like the manic panic deep conditioned it, and made it not feel damaged at all, like I thought it would surely be.
I love manic panic, I work in fast food, have 17 piercings and 4 tattoos, AND pink hair, and everybody loves my hair and teases me about it lol.
I simply want hot pink streaks. Unfortunatly where I work only allows “natural” hair colors. So instead I went blond, nothing unusual about that, but you see very few blonde haired black people in ND. Of course caught hell for it at work, but blonde IS a natural hair color LOL. Then I shaved it all off, that also caused a stir bc theres a rule against “outlandish hair styles”, but again men shave their hair off so why couldn’t I? Now my hair is natural in all its curly afro glory Ha Ha Ha. Just need to figure out how to get away with pink streaks. Considering dying it then just wearing a wig to work. If they can’t see it, it doesn’t count in my world. Then when i’m off I can be me.
I really liked your blog! It would be soooo helpful to me if you could find it in your heart to write an article about human hair extensions, Indian hair in particular.