Magenta Mania: How to Lose a Hair Colour in 8 Days*
If you are somewhat aware of who I am, you’ll probably know that I’m not exactly one for astute fashion choices.
Most of the time I’m dressed like I eat pizza and sing about friendship & hating my hometown for a living. My appearance isn’t something I’ve ever set much stock in – at least, clothing-wise. My hair, however, is a much different story. See, my hair has been my pride and joy for many years. Every change I make to it is a calculated risk. These small, minor risks began when I ombréd my hair when I was 17, keeping it for two years. After this, deeming my hair to be too unhealthy, I chopped my hair up to shoulder level length in my first year at UCC – at the time, it was the shortest I had cut it in 5 years. At the end of 2nd Year, I dip dyed it again. A month ago, this dip dye got extended to cover my fringe and most of the front of my hair. I did these things because I knew that they would suit me: my hair was light enough before I made it blonde, short hair was a look I rocked for several years, and so on and so forth.However, the most stupid decision I ever made was dyeing my hair pink.
I don’t know what came over me. I mean, I guess it was an impulse decision. After all, this Halloween was my first Halloween in several years that I wasn’t working; I wasn’t not going to put full effort into my costume. And buying what I thought was a one-wash magenta hair dye from Moonshine in town was much cheaper than investing in a pink wig. And come on, Jessie from Team Rocket is an awesome idea for an outfit, and we all know it… but the next day it was clear it was going to be a decision I would regret – I adored my blonde ombréd hair and the fact that I couldn’t get the pink out after one wash made me quite upset. That, and considering that I have some serious commitments coming up, I needed the pink out - and fast. So I’m going to tell you how I did it. *I’ll warn you: this saga of the Magenta Removal is still ongoing. At the time of writing, my hair is still a strange, slightly coral, colour – and that’s after a week of me destroying my hair with various products every day. The things I’ve done have not been a perfect method, and my hair is in dire need of several deep conditionings, but I did it. Consider this your warning.Day 1: A regular showerI mean, the shower water was pink, as I had only put in the dye the day before, but it didn’t do much to fade out the colour. After all, hair dye is meant to resist regular showers for quite a while.This was also the day that I began to research how to get rid of it online. I found a few solutions, ran to the shop, and began the real onslaught the next day.Day 2: Baking Soda and Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
You know how anti-dandruff shampoo makes your hair feel all squeaky after use? Apparently it’s a heavier formula, which helps to get temporary dye out your hair. According to the internet, adding baking soda, a natural acid, to the shampoo also helps. This got a decent bit of dye out, and instead of a deep magenta my hair was now a much lighter pink, and deemed acceptable for the Yule Ball. However, I wasn’t best pleased with it; it was time for another onslaught.Day 3: Washing-Up LiquidI got this tip from a girl I was delivering a training session to. For this attack I did exactly what it says on the tin: I wet my hair, added lots of Fairy Liquid to it, made myself a hat out of cling-film and left it in for an hour before washing it out. The amount of pink that left my hair after this was immensely satisfying: you could see the brown of my hair again, and even some of the faint bits of blonde. However, my hair needed a lot of conditioner after this abuse, so I wouldn’t recommend leaving it in for anything more than an hour.
Day 4: Baking Soda and Anti-Dandruff Shampoo… againSame method as before. Didn’t get much out, but got some out all the same. My hair was now a very pale baby pink after 4 days, which is exceptional considering that most temporary dyes last something stupid like 28 washes. However, I still wasn’t satisfied, and I still didn’t like it, despite the numerous compliments. Time for a more intense method.Day 6: Washing Detergent and Anti-Dandruff Shampoo.
I gave my hair a day off to aid its recovery -and no, you read that correctly; I actually used washing powder. This stuff worked best by-far. You could see where I had missed bits while washing it. It was incredible, and faded it out to the coral colour I’m rocking today. A quick search online told me that this stuff could fade permanent black to blonde after a couple of washes if you wanted it to. I think I struck gold with it – a few more washes and the pink will be nothing more than a horrible memory. Days 7 and 8: Ariel Detergent and Anti-Dandruff
I mean, the pink is still in my locks, but it’s gone this very strange orange-y colour, which I guess means that I’m nearly there with getting it out. I’m optimistic that I can get the rest out if I continue the same way from here on. Just to reiterate: Warning! You will need to slather your hair in Aussie’s 3 Minute Miracle after every wash. At least you’ll smell nice, I guess?So that’s it; that’s my epic saga. Let this be a lesson to us all: go and invest in a wig if you only want a one-night colour, or prepare to pay the price for weeks...