Deep Roots

This is a beauty tale that goes back many years...About 3 weeks after Christopher my colorist, has done all of his magic, I notice that the color fades away around my hairline and at the temples. I have the had the same Roux medium brown touch up stick for well over 10 years. It will no doubt, out live me. These sticks do an OK, temporary job of restoring color (note; I will not say covering grey). I was however, yearning for something more permanent.

One day, while strolling the one single aisle in CVS devoted to Men, past the razors and to the left of the Kiwi shoe polish, I notice a little product called, Just for Men; Beards and Moustaches. It was a thunderbolt moment...here was a perfectly packaged, brainless, method of restoring color in 5 minutes. A little brush, a plastic tray, and two little tubes of color and activator (that can be resealed for future use). Naturally since it is, "Just for Men", they have created a quick and dirty foolproof product. I am riveted. Why, oh why, has someone not created this for women's between coloring touch ups? Back in those days, I figured it could only be a conspiracy to keep us slaves to our colorists and Lady Clairol.

I immediately purchase it and can't wait to give it a test run. It is completely idiot proof to apply. I wait 10 minutes, (because if 5 is good 10 will be better), hop in, shampoo and condition my hair. The result??? Incredible! All of the color has been seamlessly restored. I am fit to be tied that this is, "Just For Men"...how ridiculous...I want a girly version, not one with Paul Bunyon on the box...

In the meantime, because I am a girl's girl, I am sharing my new found secret with friends, relatives and clients, who all try it and love it. (Christopher is not as thrilled that I and many of our mutual clients are now treading on his tresses, but he takes it stride and never complains). Ironically, I find out that a friend works in Marketing for the company who manufacturers JFM. I tell her my tale of Not Just for Men, and that it is being well received by females, to see if they will consider marketing this for women...remarkably, no interest! (I did however, get a mailbox full of free product). Talk about missed opportunities!!!

Fast forward, 7 years later, when Clairol takes the beauty market by storm, with a female version of JFM called Clairol Root Kit. Naturally, I take credit for this products inception and enormous success...(now if I could only get the royalties). It is pretty spectacular and can definitely stretch the time in between colorings by several weeks. A year or so later, I get a call from my sister Loren, who reports that in her opinion, Root Kit has been upstaged my Revlon's Root Perfect. "How so?", I ask. "It is less expensive and the dispenser glides on your head out of a sponge tipped little bottle. I just did my whole head...not one drip". Ummmm, this sounds promising. It is harder to find, and when I see it marked, "clearance" at Target, my heart skips a beat that it is already biting the dust, so I buy 3 boxes. Root Perfect is perfect...it is even more effective for doing an easy, full head touch up and it bought me 3 weeks of time between colorings. The only downside is that all the product must be used or thrown out with one application, but at $2.99 a box who cares?

So girls, (and I guess guys), there you have it. Lots of options for "restoring color", and if you have to know someone at Clairol, ask them to call me to at least say, "thanks"...this one was my baby...

xox,
Dd