Whenever I see someone walk by with a hair color from the rainbow, I think “dang, they’re really cool!” In high school, I had always wanted to dye my hair but I felt like the atmosphere was very judgmental. As soon as I got to college, I knew it was my chance to have some hair color fun! I had done plenty of research before deciding what color I wanted and how I was going to dye my hair. I decided that bleaching and dying my hair at a salon was more of an investment than I was prepared for. To dip my toes in the water, I wanted low-commitment color that would fade nicely. I landed on rose gold: a warm, reddish pink that would look beautiful with the fall foliage that was beginning to show.
After looking through plenty of different brands and types of dyes, I landed on Overtone. Overtone is a color-depositing conditioner that does not damage hair once it is put on. It seemed too good to be true! They sold the exact hair color that I was looking for and it posed no long-term commitment. No bleaching or damage required. Dying your own hair is a daunting task, to say the least. However, as soon as my order arrived, I was ready to test it out! There are two different rose gold systems that are sold, and I chose the “Rose Gold for Brown Hair” version. I naturally have dark blonde hair, but I stayed on the more colorful side just to be safe.
The conditioner was extremely pigmented when I opened it, which surprised (and scared) me. The mixture also smelled amazing- it smelled like mint! I bought an extra package of gloves before my dye arrived because multiple pairs are usually necessary and I wanted to avoid staining my hands bright pink for a week. I put on the gloves conducted a very scientific strand test before diving all the way in to the new color. I placed conditioner on a small strand of hair to see how it would look, and I liked the way it turned out. I was still pretty nervous for the full plunge, though.
My next move was to section off my hair. When put on all at once, the conditioner is spotty and would leave me with a very messy result. My roommate helped me put on the conditioner because dying your own hair is very difficult! I let the dye sit for about 15 minutes, and my hair was being softened as the pigment settled in. After enough time had passed, I hopped in the shower and washed out the excess dye.
My hair looked amazing! It was a vibrant pink and the conditioner had left it soft and fragrant. I was obsessed! I wore my new hair around for a few days before I shampooed it for the first time. The first wash dulled the pigment down and my hair settled into a soft, warm rose gold. Surprisingly, I liked the fading more than the fresh look! But in the future, I would invest in the complete rose gold care system, including the daily color-depositing shampoo. I fell in love with the color more than I was expecting, and the full care system would mean that the color sticks around a little longer!
This was a really amazing experience. The concept was nerve-wracking; sitting at my desk in my dorm, dying my hair myself. There are plenty of horror stories floating around of dye done wrong. Luckily, I had a very positive outcome with a brand that I’ll be sure to color with in the future.