I was 15, and my mom let me get some black highlights in my hair. I loved them. I was a goth kid but NO ONE knew about it… I went to an all white high school. Meanwhile the bleach used to remove the “highlights” took out a good big chunk of my hair, and the hair that remained was orange underneath the dyed black color. Suddenly I had this “mullet” looking thing with big chunks of black and long orange strands in the back of my head. So I did what any teen does in a crisis and decided to DYE THE REST OF MY HAIR BLACK. This turned my hair into a hodgepodge of colors that looked like Halloween candy corn. My mom freaked out and took me to get it fixed, but it was too damaged at that point and they had to cut it all off.

• What was the first time you used temporary hair color?
• What happened when you used it too much or on someone else?
• Tell us your story!

What is your experience with temporary hair color?

I’ve never been the type of person who jumps in with both feet, but sometimes I make mistakes. One time, I went to see a friend’s band play at a local bar and decided it would be fun to dye my hair with temporary color. It was a beautiful copper-red color that lasted for days—or so I thought! The next morning when I woke up and looked in the mirror, my eyes almost popped out of my head: there was bright orange hair growing out of every single follicle on my head.

I suppose if any good came of this experience it was discovering that even though permanent hair dyes are harsh chemicals and may cause some damage if used excessively or improperly (which is true), temporary dyes can also cause problems (but they’re easier to wash out). If you’re planning on trying this yourself or just want more information about what happens when people do dumb things with their temporary colors, then read on!