A Fresh Coat of Pink

As a stubborn DIY-er (do-it-yourself-er?!), I couldn’t help but feel a bit like a sellout when I plopped down on a salon chair last Friday. Don’t get me wrong, though— I love salons and have no qualms with submitting myself to the skilled hands of professionals. It’s just that if I can do it myself while saving a few bucks and a stressful trip out of my apartment, I will. But things have been a bit hectic lately, leaving me with no time to properly bleach and re-do my hair. On top of that, Special Effects hair dye has been hard to come by, at least in the colors I want (practically everything is out of stock everywhere!).

So when I got an email from Kira inviting me to try out Benefits Style Salon, I couldn’t say YES! quickly enough. My hair has been such a mess with half an inch of re-growth and streaks and patches of peach/orange peeking through the faded cotton candy pink (which I achieved quickly by scrubbing out the highlighter Cherry Bomb pink with crushed vitamin C tablets mixed with shampoo). I needed help and I needed it fast lol.

Benefits Style Salon is located on the second floor of Eastwood Citywalk’s Fashion Square Building; it’s right by the outdoor escalators, making it hard to miss. I was greeted by the friendly Ko sisters (Robina owns and manages Azta while Benefits is Rose Ann’s baby) and after briefly considering my hair options, I was led to a salon chair. Originally, I wanted a full head of blue but they were out that day and only had pink and purple. Purple does not suit me at all (at least the Burgundy Wine I tried last year) so I opted for a fresh coat of pink. While there are still a number of colors I want to try, I can’t deny that I’ve been enjoying the pink hair!

Photos of the process!

I adore this shade but it’s a mess!

Bleaching my roots.

I didn’t keep track of how long the bleach was left on my roots but I eyeballed it at around twenty to thirty minutes (judging by how long they left it in, I’d say they used 6% or 9% developer. Less damage that way, too). I’m a bit glad they didn’t speed up the process by putting on a heat cap. Bleaching itself stings enough (though I am already used to it so I really don’t mind) and the added heat only makes it more uncomfortable. I passed the time catching up on my reading. Rusty, my stylist, commented that I must have finished my book. He was right!

Sometimes, I miss being blonde.

NEON!

This is the brightest my hair has been AND I LOVE IT. Here’s a photo with Krissy who got a full head of red on unbleached black hair that day!

Photo snagged from Krissy!

Here are more photos I took today. It’s still as bright as it was last Friday!

Rates for a full head of color begin at PHP1700 but you get a pretty sweet discount until March 31st!

Head over to the Benefits Style Salon Facebook page to inquire about their other services.

PS: Ask for Rusty!