Colour: Past & Present

I have to admit before I started my journey and wrote about my dread aspirations I left out one thing that is very important to me:

5. To Sucessfully Colour My Locs Red.*


I first tried to achieve red hair back in 2005. Being among the alternative crowd, everyone seemed to want to 'express' themselves but with jet black hair. I thought; 'I've had jet black hair for 15 years already where's my self expression?!'. Then during my weaved days I discovered red highlights. I loved the subtle tonal change and still refer to them when searching for the shade of red I want.

Later in 2006, while giving weaves a rest I still wanted red and bought countless dyes to do the job myself. Back then I knew nothing of double processing or the difference in product quality so I endured several failed attempts until I discovered that the only way to get the colour to show on my dark hair (permed at the time) was to bleach it.

Skipping ahead to 2007-08 I opted to go the "professional" route and paid to have my hair coloured, I was given a beea-u-ti-ful shade of red but only to find that the "professional" had simply used a bottle of temporary crazy colour without my knowledge. Needless to say the results washed out.......in the rain. I tried other salons and endured less than desirable results each time. Finally after loosing a lot of hair in 2009, I haven't coloured my hair anything other than black since.

Here we are in 2012 and two weeks ago I bought:

(click picture to enlarge)

Plum Power P37

And the shade on the right is the one I'm aiming for:

(click picture to enlarge)

Now before I go diving in, I have a plan! I intend to do a loc trial very soon. There are two reasons for this:

1. Shades are quite experimental, I want a specific shade of red which could prove difficult upon my first attempt. I'd like the time to try various brands/shades until I find an ideal combination.
2. If something goes horribly wrong, I'd rather deal with three inches of damage than risk damaging the length I'll have in a year's time.

I intend to be a long term red loc wearer so I've accepted three things:

1. I will have to lighten my hair to get the colour I want.
2. Reds fade quickly so it will require regular up keep.
3. Coloured hair needs constant care and extra moisture to avoid permanent  damage.

After the trial, if I like the results I'll wait to see how my locs develop as before doing anything else as I feel they're currently too delicate to withstand the intensity of a full colouring routine, scrubbing and all.

EXCITED!!!

DREADLOCKS ARE A LIFESTYLE

*This won't be the first time I have bleached and coloured my hair and I have researched my decision thoroughly.

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