I haven’t always had hair this crazy. I never used to like having my hair dyed but #YOLO came along and I realised that if I didn’t try and do it now, I might regret it when I’m 80 and bald. I know there are always wigs out there that are very convincing but nothing beats having your hair free in the wind and not having to worry about it flying off your head. Besides, nobody likes an oily, sweaty scalp in humid Singapore.
So I took the chance when Jean asked if I wanted to get my hair done at Le Jean Hair & Beauty Salon in exchange for a hair magazine photoshoot. The last time I got it trimmed was probably six months ago anyway. And after 6 hours at the salon, my red-hot pink-purple-blue-green-brown-ash hair was ready.
It took my stylist, Vin, a lot of hard work and deliberation to get this final result. I might have been sitting for 6 hours but he was working non-stop for the same 6 hours, deciding which parts to place the different colours so that I would get the best outcome. Also, imagine my inner happiness when he jokingly lamented that I had a lot of hair, especially since I have bald spots where my baby hair strands are.
He took care not to bleach my scalp, and tediously washed off as much of my previous hair colour (done at home with a DIY kit) as possible, so that the new colour would stay on my hair for a longer period. He also carefully analysed where my hair part should be, what types of dyes to use and how the colours should be applied on.
Apparently, there are dyes out there that really hang on to your strands so hard that you can’t really get them dyed over. There are also permanent dyes that are easily removed so that you can change your hair colour easily when you wish. Yup, I had no idea either.
At the end of my hair makeover session, we all got involved in a little photoshoot for the salon. Here are some behind-the-scenes, to commemorate my first-ever photoshoot of its kind.
Love the teamwork!
Final pictures, courtesy of photographer and hair maven Rovin Wong.
Metallic Gold Bandage Dress: French Connection (available on Nordstrom here)
Photographer: Rovin Wong
All in all, the entire makeover and shoot took me about 8 hours. It was super tiring, which was surprising since I didn’t do much physical activity the whole time. But I guess I can live with this kind of tiredness.
The moral of today’s story? If there’s ever anything you’ve been wanting to do in your life, just go ahead and do it. Life really is short and can end any time you don’t expect it to. If you feel you should be spending more time with your parents, we all know a call just isn’t going to cut it. Go for that sky dive you’ve been afraid but have always wanted to try. Get tickets for the next Tomorrowland. Go backpacking alone in Europe and meet new people along the way. Don’t let the buts stop you.
“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.” Arthur Rubinstein
Live out your unicorn dreams,
Roxanne
