So, I’ve got an appointment with the lovely and talented (and way pregnant) Miss Natalie at the Cedar Hill Aveda on Saturday afternoon, to refresh the funky streaks we added to my hair and then refreshed last time. Because my hair is naturally dark, and because funky colors show up better on light hair anyway, it’s a multi-step process that involves bleaching the strands out to nearly white, then doing my usual bittersweet chocolate all-over color, wash, rinse, dry, *then* the funky streaks go in, repeat wash, rinse, dry.

I have a lot of hair. It’s not particularly long – it has a natural set point of somewhere between the top and bottom of the back of my bra, and anyway, it’s so heavy, I couldn’t take it if it were longer. This process takes about three hours. I get a lot of reading done. Or napping. We’ve found that the best way to do the funky color is just to have me recline over the sink – and since Aveda’s rinse chairs fold out flat, I get to nap and/or groove on the music while it sinks into my hair. They even bring me a blanket from the massage room. Consider it a special form of multi-tasking.

Anyway, Aveda no longer makes funky colors because while they ARE animal-product free, they’re not 100% organic. So Miss Natalie and I cut a deal: I would bring in color from a brand she recommended, and she’ll discount her service. I’m cool with this.

The brand she recommended is “Special Effects” and I ordered mine from Amphigory, a one-stop shop for all your goth beauty needs. I’m not actually all that goth, except inside, but I just love the funky hair colors.

Here is the direct link to their hair dye page. If you click the names of the colors, below the swatches, you can see the effects of the colors on Real People. I couldn’t decide which red or pink I wanted, so I ordered Devilish, Cherry Bomb, and Atomic Pink. Bear in mind, I’m not doing my whole head with this stuff – just streaks.

And on that note, my coffee is ready, and it’s time for work.