Unabashedly girly post.
Because I am frugal -- okay, fine, I'm cheap -- I usually color my own hair.
Now, when I was a dark ash blonde this wasn't a big thing because you can't really screw up dark ash blonde. If dark ash blonde was a food, it'd be a bowl of honey nut cheerios -- a little more going for it than regular cheerios but, bottom line, it's a breakfast cereal and any moron can add milk.
When I went red, things got a little more interesting. Depending on time left on, condition of my hair, and the phazes of the moon for all I know, I've gotten strawberry blonde, the ginger I was actually aiming for, and brilliant copper with burgundy undertones all from the same boxed shade. Not all at the same time, of course.
But I have a business thing coming up and about an inch of root showing and I decided that maybe this time I should, perhaps, have a professional deal with it. Not that brilliant copper with burgundy undertones would be a problem, more that if it was going to happen I'd rather it happened on purpose. In my very small town, there's one hairdresser you go to if you want something a little funky -- she currently has lime green hair with dark blue undertones and it looks amazing. So I told her I wanted it to look natural but punched up. Sort of a coppery auburn.
OMG, I LOVE MY HAIR! It shimmers copper in sunlight! It's short enough and layered enough that it's own weight doesn't flatten it (I have really fine hair) but it's long enough I can still put it up.
That's all. I just needed to tell someone...