Getting back to my hair…
and its unhappy condition
My dark brown hair has been through many lifetimes. I started with hair that my mom called “chestnut brown.” Fairly straight, maybe with a slight bend as it gets long. The styles have come and gone. Long, short, asymmetrical, bob, bangs, side bangs, layers, blunt, straight, permed. I could go on, but you get the idea.
The colors have also come and gone. Since the chestnut days, I’ve been blonde (always highlights), black (short-lived), red (frequently), occasionally pink, and now it’s back to blonde highlights again. It has gone from glossy, healthy and thick to its current state – dull, dry and thin. (The only part of my body that has gotten thin!) I’m lucky it’s not gone totally gray, but there are more strands all the time. Still, not enough to warrant an all-over color.
But the lighter the blonde highlights, the worse the condition, which makes sense, because bleaching all the pigment out cannot possibly be good. And the last time I saw my hairstylist, who is sweet and talented, there was a mistake. We can call it a misunderstanding, but either way, I wasn’t happy with the result.
This was not a new hairstylist for me. Over the last year, I’ve seen her a few times, for both cut and color. She did some amazing bob-style haircuts, the first time to cut out layers that I never wanted (which were done by someone else), and the last time to shape it so it was only slightly longer in front. This was a subtle shape, and lots of people complimented me on it. Some I didn’t even know, including a woman who was standing behind me in line at Marshall’s.
“Beautiful haircut, did you go into the city for it?” she asked. I said it was local, in Danbury. “Can I ask how much you paid?” came next. I hesitated, and she guessed, nodding, “Over $60, right?”
I guess that was her threshold for a cut, and I get it. Haircuts can be pricey, but a good one can last three months, so as a breakdown, that’s how I justify it.
The problem as I was sitting in the chair after the foils, as the stylist did the blow dry, was the color. It looked somewhere between a dark blonde and a light drab brown, which was completely pointless.
I asked her, “Is this what you intended the color to look like?” And she understood without my saying much more, that this was not what I wanted, probably not what she wanted, and worse, it was not a flattering color for me. We handled it diplomatically. She said it would lighten up after a few washes, but I hesitated. This was not a cheap service, especially since her prices had just gone up. I’m not even comfortable telling you how much this visit cost.
So we agreed I would go back in a couple of days, and she removed the color, and after that, my hair became straw. And now I think maybe I should have lived with the drab color, but it’s too late now.
So that’s where the Olaplex treatment at Pure Bliss Salon came in. It was a nice way to end my month-long getaway to Delaware, and I thought, my feet (see earlier blogs) got better, maybe my hair will too. The hairstylist called it the four-in-one product, a salon-only treatment, and since Olaplex has been on the market since 2014, and its cult status can be seen all over social media, it was a go.
After the treatment, my hair looked silky and felt smooth, and the $65 (included shampoo, blow dry and styling) seemed worth it. The service had been very relaxing, and Covid protocols followed. So I left feeling good, with a small bottle of the original Olaplex Hair Perfector No. 3 to try at home; it’s about $30 everywhere. Sephora has an 8.5 ounce “limited edition” (read holiday) bottle for $56, and 20% off that for “beauty insiders.”
According to the post in the above link from glamourmagazine UK, Olaplex “is a system that permanently rebuilds damaged disulphide bonds in your hair that are broken during the chemical process. . . allows you to rebuild the strength, structure and integrity of your hair.”
Over the last month, I’ve used it at least twice a week. Put on damp hair, comb through, leave it on at least 10 minutes, then rinse, wash and condition. Can it stay on too long? I slept with it on overnight once, and it seemed fine. Results not much different from the shorter application, though. The product, a liquid, not cream, seems to go along way. I still have maybe 2 or 3 treatments left in the bottle.
My hair, while not sleek and gorgeous, has improved. It’s softer, less dry, basically not so fragile. My hair and I are on a journey to wellness. (Everyone is on some kind of journey these days; this is mine. A small thing maybe, but Covid has made the small things important.)
The change doesn’t show in a photo. Maybe it’s too subtle for the camera. I will try to do a representative pix next time. But at least two friends have commented on how good my hair is looking, without knowing about the Olaplex. So Olaplex shampoo, conditioner and oil are in my future, and who knows what else? There’s a plethora of Olaplex products now.
I can’t end without talking about what has made the single biggest difference in my hair over the last year and instantly. It’s the Revlon One-Step Volumizer hair dryer that’s both dryer and brush, so easy you can dry your hair with one hand. It is, as people say, a game changer. Since my hair is thin these days, it takes five minutes to style it, but I start only after my hair has halfway air dried. If you’re looking for a holiday gift, this is it. Amy, my daughter, gave it to me for my birthday back in March.
So the real question I am faced with now. I need a haircut and color; do I go back to the same stylist? I think her haircuts can’t be beat, but I don’t trust her with the color thing. . . I cancelled my December appointment. I have been thinking of trying a semi-permanent color like Natural Instincts at home, and just going to her for a cut.. why do these things have to get so complicated? What would you do?
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