I have salmon pink hair. This is a professional opinion.
Not all of my hair is salmon pink. No the roots are ‘grisly grey’ and the ends are ‘indeterminable dark’. Various shades live in between, salmon pink being at one end of the spectrum.
Having turned to home dying some months ago, I had been feeling rather smug with my efforts and the amount of cash saved. I decided that if I was going to have dyed hair then it might as well looked dyed and so I went from a sort of auburn to morello cherry red. I was quite pleased with the results. In retrospect I became a touch over-confident and decided to swap to light copper (as if it were that easy). The results ‘may’ not have been as perfect as I hoped. I blamed it on the brand and swapped back to my old brand but another shade. By this time I was beginning to lose track of the whole colour thing. If I’d had to write my hair colour on a form I’d struggle with a description and probably opt Eyes; green. Hair; disaster.
It’s winter and it’s good to wear a hat, a lot.
I decide to take professional advice. When a hairdresser tells you “some” of your hair is salmon pink and some of it is so dark it is “unflattering…… with all due respect, at your age you wanna go lighter”. It is time to sit up and listen. Then they tell you an anecdote about their mother and hair colour and age, in which most of the anecdote is lost because it’s all you can do to stop yourself slumping forwards and prevent your forehead from hitting the mirror, then slowly sliding down until you are face down on the glass shelf…..Because their mother is only a couple of years older than you.
Thankfully, I wasn’t removed from the salon by Age Concern.
I agree, my hair is over processed. The only answer is professional intervention. Salmon pink hair suits no one except possibly a hairy salmon.
It is a long process to sort my hair out at one point I have completely orange hair. A sort of Vivienne Westwood rocks Queen Elizabeth I vibe. Marmalade orange. This is ‘stripped’ hair. Eventually I have a new colour.
I have the hair of Carol Vorderman. Not previously an icon I had considered for myself, my maths is very poor, we have nothing in common, so I thought. I’m not entirely happy. I was thinking more Claudia Winkleman or Davina McCall. I’m starting to realise other people see me as old.
What makes you feel old?
ooo now I am noticing that my hair when dyed was once red is goinging more and more pinky/ ginger – I have worn the stuff into the ground I think!
Of course you do know now that you’ll be called ‘the hairy salmon’ forever more. A bit like Dave Lee Travis, aka the hairy cornflake – only without the beard…
My kids make me feel old – I had a text from my 16 year old to inform me that she has had her nipple pierced the other night – THAT makes me feel about 80 :/
Oooooh nipple piercing *winces* but did make me smile. Much love, the hairy salmon.
When having my nails done before Christmas, I mentioned that my husband had taken the kids to see the pantomime. “Oh, who’s in that this year?” asked the 20 something whippersnapper doing my nails. “Keith Chegwin”, I replied. She looked at me blankly, and said “Oh. I don’t know who that is”.
Your comment did make me laugh out loud – but thinking about it maybe not knowing who Keith Chegwin is – is perhaps a blessing?
I thought salmon pink was in ala Helen Mirran. No?
Helen Mirran cool but in her 60’s!
You are definitely not old, and anyway Pink is in, look at Helen Mirren and she’s about three times your age, surely?!? Em 🙂
thank you and she probably is!
I’ve met you! You are not old nor do you look old! Helen Mirren has pink hair so you’re in good company!
thank you very much, however I think Helen’s was by design rather than accident!
With Helen Mirren your in good company, my kids make me feel old, chasing round after them all the time!
Children who rise too early make me feel old!
Am over here for a much belated good catch up. You could carry anything off my dear! I am lucky not to have had to dye my hair until recently and have not had the nerve to do it at home, having seen my friends’ efforts! You have confirmed my choice! What makes me feel old is scrolling so far down when date of birth is required on any form. It always gives me physical pain!
Oh my gosh!!!! yes! I know that feeling.
You are very very lucky, definitely don’t DIY dye, enjoy some time out at the hairdressers!
Erm, photo please?? Pink?? You’re hair is not pink!! Show me!
God, now I’m writing classic grammatical spelling errors! Must be the shock…
I have been berated for not supplying photos but I am too chicken!
Great post – self die – well all the grey ends, which cover most of the hair around my face. I’ve totally forgotten the time I didn’t have greys – that was a long time ago – that must mean I am old!
No your are not old – some women go prematurely grey in their 20’s – you must be in your 20’s!
There is a granny who brings her grandchildren to a class I take my kids to who has the oddest hair I’ve ever seen. She has a normal short granny cut, mostly grey but she has dyed clumps of it bright pillarbox red, its like she was going for some sort of leopard print hair!
I am fascinated now – I wonder what her thinking is behind the red clumps!
I love the image of the hairy salmon!
I hate ageing and am not taking it well. I’ve had similar colour problems only my daughter told me I was going orange.
I know the feeling – I am very envious of those who don’t have to dye. Seems so unfair.
Orange – could be auburn?? Russet by another name?
I cannot believe you wrote this whole post about colouring your hair and omitted to post a photo. There are conventions in blogging you know that we try to uphold.
I am a blogging convention fail. I very nearly did! I couldn’t bring myself to share. The old hair is awful and I am still adjusting to the new hair.
I CANNOT believe that you have posted this with no photo! That said, Gemma, I relate and empathise and sympathise and aquasize. I really do. I have been dealing with the grey since the ripe old age of 14. Over half a lifetime later I am still battling nature and often, OFTEN have mutlicoloured hair and not in the good ‘oh I love your lowlights/highlights’ way. Hairdressers can keep their honest opinions about my hair… rant, rave, slather…
I know – imagine not posting photos of a big hair disaster on the internet!
The problem with hair dye – it looks so good on the box but never as good on the head.
this has had me howling and I think it really is a trip to the hairdressers that makes me feel old as I still insist on going somewhere ‘trendy’ which clearly I’m not anymore and all I talk about with the 20 something male hair dresser is my kids and I see him staring off into the distance probably wanting to bludgeon himself with his own scissors……
Yes! me too – I feel I have to go somewhere trendy! as if that will some how rub off on me 🙁
I don’t see you as old. And I like your hair. So there.
Thank you. X
I’m with Midlife Single Mum on this one 🙂
And I recently decided to dye a stripe of colour in my auburn hair. It started as red, next it will be blue. In between it’s sort of caramel-like. It’s fun! But I worry about looking a bit mid-life crisis… :s
Salmon pink sounds nice!
I know I should have posted a photo – I just couldn’t face it.
An ever changing stripe sounds interesting. I wouldn’t mind a stripe of grey – maybe I could live with that?
Ditto what Molly said. Salmon pink colored hair is the epitome of youngness. I’m just sure of it!
Cheers! If you say so – it must be! thank you ;0
I had stripey hair a few years ago. Counting back, it was actually 12 years ago and that makes me feel old because that time of my life feels like only yesterday.
I’d coloured my hair a bright red but after a few months, decided to go back to blonde. Various home attempts led to a orange and yellow striped look via a grey/green tinge. It was horrid, really horrid. A hairdresser cut out the orange bits, because there was less orange than yellow. My hair was yellow for a long time. Eventually I had to go through colour correction treatment, which involved stripping the hair of all its colour and starting again. I went back to brunette. Now I am brunette with streaks of grey and have my grey seen to by a professional every 7-weeks 🙂
Blimey, I love that you decided to go from bright red to blonde and to DIY.
I can’t imagine having to go to a hairdresser in that situation and say sort it out!
I want to stick with brunette and now with professional support – it’s the only way!
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