Haircolor

On Greys

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Do you ever think about how much beauty is simply fighting the inevitable? I’d hardly describe myself as a “go with the flow” sort of person, but at the same time, how exhausting (and expensive) is it to try to swim against the tide in perpetuity? There’s a vast ocean of difference between electing not to participate in a common ritual and giving up on how you present yourself.

I started getting pesky greys before I hit 30. Naturally, they chose to present front and center around my part. So, like any mature, sane, well-adjusted woman – I plucked them on sight. Of course, this means you don’t have a solid idea of how much you have.

Last autumn, I stopped as an experiment.

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Balayage Blues – Wella Color Charm Painting Discontinued

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I’ve had balayage highlights since 2016. When CoVid entered the world, I started DIYing my balayage using a Wella Color Charm Painting clay-based lightener to reduce my exposure to risky environments. Pandemic aside, I found that I enjoyed not being in a salon surrounded by people making bizarre choices while in the shared space.

For example, the last time I was in the chair, a fellow customer seated next to me felt it acceptable and appropriate to loudly Facetime her adult son. It was disruptive, distracting, and disappointing. Many people look forward to and enjoy salon visits for relaxing pampering, and this rude customer ruined that for at least five people.

Anyway, around New Year’s, I tried refreshing my balayage. I succeeded. My Wella Color Charm Painting lightener was evidently on the older (and therefore not as effective) side. I didn’t quite get the lift I expected or hoped for.

That may be a good thing, though. When shopping to refresh my Wella Color Charm Painting stash, I found that Wella discontinued it because, of course, they did.

So that leaves me at a crossroads (again) regarding my balayage:

  • try other lighteners to find one I like
  • resume salon visits
  • stop

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Toning my Highlights with WELLA Color Charm Demi Permanent Hair Color

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Toning my Highlights with WELLA Color Charm Demi Permanent Hair Color

I haven’t found the courage to color my own hair altogether. I am, however, brave enough to undertake smaller, lower-risk color-adjacent jobs myself. Like glossing, toning my highlights is a perfect example of a low-risk, usually professional procedure I’m willing to undertake myself.

Until last July, I hadn’t explored, “proper,” toners or heard of Wella Color Charm Demi Permanent Hair Color. I’m risk averse, so I had been employing purple toning shampoo to tone down brass with this method.

About five months after my last balayage appointment, I decided to take a stab at toning my highlights properly. After several hours of research, I decided to try toning my highlights with the Wella Color Charm Demi Permanent Hair Color line.

Note: I am not a licensed hair professional; I have not gone to beauty school! I’m a STEM professional and like reading and learning for fun. Although I feel comfortable making these decisions for myself, I recommend you do your homework before taking the plunge into DIY chemical treatments.

Fortunately, Wella Color Charm Demi Permanent Hair Color and other Wella products aren’t all pro-only and any ol’ person can buy from Sally Beauty or Amazon.

Selecting the Correct Toner Shade

First, assess your toning goal. My goal was to cool down the brassiness/warmth that my balayage highlights had accumulated over time. Depending on your hair, you might seek something with neutral or cool/ash tones to achieve this goal.

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What I Didn’t Buy in 2020

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What I didn't buy in 2020

Last year posed changes for nearly everyone, and for me, that meant there was a lot I didn’t buy in 2020. If you escaped unscathed, good on you. Since this blog is largely about beauty, we’ll keep it in the realm of changes in that regard:

  • Although we all should have been wearing masks when out, if you were not able to work from home, you wore one more than most.
  • If your employment situation changed, perhaps you didn’t have to leave home at all or be on camera.
  • If you transitioned to working from home, you might have found yourself on camera more than you have before.

I’m in the third camp, though I was required to report to the office periodically. All of these things represent, in one way or another, a likely change in your grooming processes: if you have a mask on all day, maybe you’re skipping foundation to avoid, “maskne.” You’re almost certainly skipping lipstick. If you’re on camera, you might be fighting looking pallid and exhausted/sick/etc.

I’ve advocated, for those WFH, to try to continue getting ready – even if not identically – to maintain a routine. It’s good for your mental health! My routine has changed considerably – which has altered my buying habits.

Here’s what I didn’t buy in 2020:

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IGK Mixed Feelings Leave-In Blonde Toning Drops

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IGK Mixed Feelings Leave-In Blonde Toning Drops
IGK Mixed Feelings Leave-In Blonde Toning Drops, $29

If you’re blonde or have highlights, you’re probably no stranger to the concept of toning your hair. Whether you dabble in DIY toning like I do or leave it strictly to a professional, the battle of the brass is never far away. Last year, I came across IGK Mixed Feelings Leave-In Blonde Toning Drops ($29 at Sephora). In spite of previously talking smack about other products of IGK’s, I immediately bought them.

What Is It?

The of concentrated purple toning product that you can add to your hair during styling. You can apply the drops to your hair directly or cocktail them with a product. I usually use once a week and add mine to a leave-in conditioner or to my L’Oreal Thermal Balm or to Super Skinny when I’m heat styling.

This diminutive bottle contains one ounce which seems like a tragically small amount. It isn’t, though; using a bottom-button dropper like my Clarins facial tanner, a single drop does a lot more than you’d think. For my long hair, I usually go with 3-4 drops each time I use it. On a given day, it takes the edge off the brass/warmth – and it smells great.

Wow Your Colorist

I brought them along with me to the first balayage appointment I had after I bought them. When chatting with my colorist about them, she was blown away.. She had never seen them before! We ended up talking about them for a solid ten minutes, and she wouldn’t let me leave without writing down the product name.

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Clairol Jazzing – Hair Gloss / Hair Glaze Update

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Clairol Jazzing Hair Gloss Hair Glaze

Several years ago, I shared a tutorial on how I perform a DIY hair gloss or hair glaze treatment at home. This is one of the blog’s most-popular posts – which is great, but also sad because the damn Clairol Colorgloss Radiance line upon which it was based got discontinued.

I need to create an emoji for how this makes me feel.

Anyway, since the discontinuation, finding an alternative wound up on the back-burner for me. When I started to come up for air, I decided to give another Clariol product a try.

Enter Clairol Jazzing

This time, I went with a single-step (no mixing! no mess!) product that comes in a convenient dispenser bottle. No ratios, no mixer bottles, no matching developer. Clairol Jazzing is under $7 a bottle at Sally Beauty.

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