Snooker Goths

*** DISCLAIMER: This post is in no way sponsored by Headshot or any affiliates. The product used was bought with my own money and all opinions are my own. ***

Despite taking a nasty fall yesterday and injuring most of my left-hand side, I was DETERMINED to get to my hairdressing appointment today. Look at this mess:

I waited for a fortnight from booking to appointment, which is nothing in the broader context, but I wasn’t about to give up my slot. With aching arm and thigh, I was chauffeured to my regular salon (that’s Salon Eleven to you), where the Roots from Hell were tamed with bleaching, and the rest of my hair was trimmed so it no longer resembled a particularly frizzy haystack.

So, what next? Orange is my go-to colour these days and I’m likely to stick with it for a while now (why is it that the last colour you try is always your favourite?). I’d been using Crazy Color in ‘Orange’ (duh) for about nine months prior, but I found it faded quite quickly, although a lot of dyes tend to do that on my hair. Therefore, the search for a new dye happened, and I came across a European company called Headshots, whose dyes recently became available on my favourite bright hair dye website, Beeunique. Most bright dye ranges have an orange shade, and when I saw theirs was called ‘Captain Carrot’, it was a must-have. The brand is vegan and does not test on animals, which is even better.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The dye is fairly costly, at £9 a bottle plus extra shipping costs – I think I paid about £12.70 in all, but that was still cheaper than paying to get it imported from Europe. You get a decent amount in the bottle – 150ml, to be exact – which is quite a lot more than other semi-permanents. The packaging is more practical than a lot of dyes – it has a screw-top lid so you can pour the dye easily into a tint bowl (or over your head if you’re brave). It’s quite runny, about the same consistency as Crazy Color, perhaps a little runnier. I was worried it wasn’t going to do a good job of covering my hair because of that. The dye has no smell at all, which is actually quite a refreshing change from chemical smells.

TIME TO DYE
My fears about the dye being too runny were allayed when I applied it – it covered really well and was actually easier to use than thicker dyes. As with some other dyes I’ve used, a little really does go a long way with this one – I ended up having to pour some of the dye back in the bottle as I only used about 3/5ths of it in the end. It coats well, and emulsifies quickly and evenly. It also cleans off skin and surfaces easily, which is a bonus, especially in this house! I left the dye on for about two hours (recommended time is between 15-30 minutes, but we all know that isn’t happening with my barnet), combed through and rinsed off.

RINSE, DRY, POSE
The dye took a little while to rinse off (as compared to Crazy Color’s seemingly instantaneous dispatch), and didn’t leave my hair feeling absolutely wonderful, so I whacked on a bit of conditioner and rinsed again – much better. I used my combined comby-straighty-drying thing to dry off, and then had a look… WOAH. BRIGHT. My roots are practically neon! To be honest, I don’t usually go THAT bright and was quite shocked initially, but the more I looked, the more I liked. (As you could see in the above photo, my roots had been bleached practically white, which made the colour all the brighter.) The colour took evenly all over, which I am thrilled about.

OVERALL VERDICT
Mega-impressed with this product. Dyeing went like a dream, and I love the colour – it might be a bit bright for the supermarket, but seeing as we have a “be yourself” policy, and I’m associated with bright-as-f**k hair, I guess it will be okay! The one niggle I have is how dry my hair felt after the initial rinse, but this happens with quite a few dyes, and it’s nothing conditioner can’t fix. I love the new colour – I just hope it lasts! I will update in a few washes’ time and let you know whether it has lasting power.

FINAL MARKS
Colour: 9/10
Coverage: 10/10
Smell: N/A
Value for money: 8/10
Cleanup: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
Would I use again?: I am already planning on buying up their entire supply.