How to Get Cool Hair Without Destroying Everything

So, I dyed my hair pink! Except that it sometimes looks purple, depending on the lighting. But that's okay, I like it regardless.

I used this:

via

...because I was already at Ulta, and Splat: Rebellious Colors is what they had. It came with a bleach kit, which I didn't use because the last time I used bleach it was on my college roommate, and it ruined the texture of her hair. And also because I didn't want neon pink hair.

It said on the back of the box that if you used the dye over unbleached hair, it would just tint it, and that sounded good to me. Now, I've done many a home dye job in my time, but using this stuff has some different results than other dyes I've used. I figured I'd share in case anyone else wants to do a crazy color job.

Tips on Using Splat Hair Dye

• It says on the box to make sure your hair rinses clear every time you shampoo it. Despite my hair being short, it took like 15 minutes to rinse clear the first time; normally it takes my hair less time than that (even when I had longer hair), so I was starting to get worried (and bored). When I shampooed it again the next day, it continued to run pink. Since then, I've been conditioning every day and doing a cold water rinse right before turning off the shower, which seems to have reduced the leakage.

• This stuff stains everything. If it gets on your scalp or ears or face, it will not come off. The box says to use Vaseline to prevent staining your ears and whatnot, but har har I thought "I've done this before, I don't need to do that" and I was WRONG. With other dyes you can swipe the color off your ears/forehead with a damp towel once you're done applying the dye; with Splat, waiting that long was too late. It's been four days and I still have huge splotches of pink dye all over my scalp and ears.

• The box says to make sure your hair is 100% dry before getting dressed or going to bed. I have not noticed any pink stains on my pillow (I shower in the mornings, so my hair is always dry at bedtime), but I've still been wearing dark-colored tops this week because I'm terrified of staining my clothes. Since I live on the surface of the sun I've also been afraid of getting sweaty, because I don't know if sweat activates that leaking-color thing like having wet hair does. (So far, sweat has not caused any leaking color, though admittedly I try to run from the car to the house as quickly as possible and have not done any strenuous workouts.)

• The color fades pretty fast, even though the box says it should last a minimum of three to four weeks. I've read that for lasting color, a second application may be necessary.

Overall, this was fun and I like the results (even with the fading, the subtle pink is pretty), but once it fades out entirely, I doubt I'll do it again. I think worrying about staining probably out-weighs the fun of having a cool hair color.

Would you dye your hair a fun color?