My hairdresser Shaina is a great person who not only does amazing hair but also has one of those witty personalities. She posted this awhile back:
I will say right off that I don’t do anything hair altering (especially related to hair color) by myself. The whole looking in the mirror and having it be backwards thing is enough to keep me from even attempting updos.
I used to do my own box hair color but I knew it wasn’t as good as what Shaina would do. So I finally gave up and left it to the pros. Now I have people emailing me asking who is doing my hair.
This cartoon struck me a certain, specific way because it can relate to a bunch of different kinds of businesses.
What is ombre hair you may ask? Well it’s all the rage on Pinterest. Here are some pictures to show you:
So you get the idea, it’s one hair color grading into another hair color gradually and on purpose. Now you know!
Here’s the kit Shaina’s cartoon joke probably refers to:
Now if you are expecting to look like you’ve just stepped off the runway after spending a couple hours with plastic gloves in your bathroom, you are going to be disappointed.
And this is what we call in the business ‘managing expectations’. This is what I used to do when I did my own hair color and what you need to do when you attempt something yourself that you ought really to hire a professional to do.
Managing Expectations: It will be cheaper but it will take you longer.
It is cheaper to dye your own hair but by the time you set up, do it, and clean up you are talking double the time you would have spent at the salon. But it will be cheaper.
It’s ok if cheaper is important. Just realize you are prioritizing cheaper above quicker.
Managing Expectations: You are not going to get professional results.
If you think you can learn anyone’s job well in 2-3 hours (or even 10 hours) of internet searching, you are delusional.
If you think you can do a better job than someone with years of experience, you are delusional.
Embrace that you are not a professional. You might not be able to execute certain things. It might not look exactly like you expected. It’s ok.
Managing Expectations: You will get functional (and possibly even ok to good) results.
At the end of two hours, will your hair be different colors with this kit? Yes.
‘Results’ are a relative term. Whether you pay my gal Shaina or get your own ombre highlighting kit, you will technically have ombre hair at the end of both processes. But if you put the pictures of each result side by side, they will look different. When that matters to you is when you should pay for a pro. When it doesn’t, keep doing it yourself.
It’s best to know a pro you can call, should you decide to try something yourself in case you decide you can’t live with the results. But heading into a DIY process with some managed expectations is a good way to go into a project, whether it’s coloring your own hair or making your own website.
In the meantime, I’m going to let Shaina keep making me fabulous. Because I clearly can’t handle it.