Paris and Britney's Roots

Pardon me for asking, but have you noticed that, like the rest of us, fake blonde stars can't keep up with those nasty dark roots either? I am always amazed to see platinum starlets with a black streak on the top of their head. One would think that with all their money, they could stay on top of their dye-jobs.
Recently, I came across the unglamorous pictures of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears getting a touch-up. It got me thinking about how much women spend at the hairdressers, especially if the stylist talked them into coloring their hair. Because what anti-rust protection does for a car dealer, coloring does for a salon. It jacks up the price. In the case of hair coloring, it sometimes triples the price of the haircut. And every three months. you have to go back for a touch-up, otherwise you look like a skunk.
My own venture into hair coloring started innocently enough. I have naturally light hair, but I have to admit that the golden blonde color of my youth has been replaced by a duller light brown. So when my stylist suggested a few soft blonde high-lights to frame my face, I readily agreed. Before I knew it, I was in the hands of the salon color specialist who proceeded to smear foul smelling goop into my hair and wrapping various strands of hair into what looked like Reynold's wrap.
The result was wonderful, the price, however, was a shocker. The $60 haircut had increased to $180. In addition, I now had to give the colorist a tip too. That first dye job set me back $210. But those blonder streaks made my hair look so sun-kissed. I was delighted. For my money. I got lots of compliments. I told myself that I am worth it.
Trouble started a few weeks later. My hair grew. And with it, a dark line appeared on the top of my head. I could not see that streak myself at first. My daughter detected it first when I innocently bent my head down to tie my shoes. " You know you have roots" she said. I was mortified. I immediatelly became self conscious and was sure that when people looked at me, they where staring directly at them. Off I went to the hairdresser again, paying another fortune for the touch-up and starting to feel like a sucker.
I kept this madness up for two years. My hair became progressively blonder, the payments kept on increasing. Then, there was a unique chance to get off this hamster wheel. My hairdresser moved. I was free to start a new relationship. I made an appointment at a chic little place in my neighborhood run by a young laid-back stylist. He cut my hair beautifully and did not mention the darker roots at all. I paid $ 60. I figure that if he did not mind my natural color growing in, than maybe I should let it grow back. So, I am going natural. That is until my hair turns gray of course. Then I may have to reconsider.