Here’s the thing nobody tells you about Color Oops: it works, but it strips your soul. It’s like winning a game of Monopoly but losing all your friends in the process. My hair was a weird, brassy shade that looked intentional only if your name was Punkie.
I had to walk into the wedding with a hairstyle that was 50% bun and 50% prayer. I wore a lot of hairspray and a very forgiving smile. My aunt asked if I got “one of those new designer highlights.” I said yes, and then I cried in the bathroom.
Color Oops Before And After - Coloring
The Silver Lining (And the Purple Shampoo)
Eventually, I bought a bottle of purple shampoo so strong it could double as a cleaning agent. I used it every single day. Slowly, the orange faded into a sort of ashy beige. It wasn’t my natural color, but it wasn’t a traffic cone either. I learned to love the “mushroom blonde” look.
Now, six months later, my hair is almost back to normal. It’s still a little bit dramatic when it rains, but we’ve made peace. If you are thinking about using Color Oops, just know this: it will ruin your hair for a good three weeks. But it also teaches you that bad hair is temporary, and that there is always, always a hat.
So go ahead, give in to the impulse. Use the remover. Just be ready to rock a very crunchy ponytail for a while. And invest in a good, greasy hair mask. Your hair will hate you, but eventually, it’ll forgive you. And if nothing else, you’ll have a hilarious story to tell at parties. “Remember that time I looked like a Cheeto? Yeah. That was Color Oops.”
