# I need less (hair) color in my life **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 24, 2021, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583 "2021-12-24T08:16:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/21 "2021-12-25T06:21:34Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Wait a sec — is the supervisor’s requirement even legal to make? Why wouldn’t it be legal? Illegal stuff is about discrimination against protected classes. So a “no dark skin” or “no people who need glasses” rule wouldn’t fly. But requiring all employees, regardless of ethnicity, religion, race, or gender, to wear a uniform, keep their hair out of their eyes, not wear make-up, etc. - that’s legal. ---
**Author:** ![Ranch\_Dip](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranch_dip/32/5238_2.png) [@Ranch\_Dip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranch_Dip)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/22 "2021-12-25T06:50:03Z")
Take some time to figure out what you need to do to fix it. If you have color, did you strip it first? They make wash in temporary “real” colors. This would buy you time to figure out how to fix it. Or, as others have suggested, cut it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/23 "2021-12-25T06:51:48Z")
When I needed to remove my dark purple and resume being blond, I used the same steps **Broomstick** suggested: I bleached all the color out, then re-dyed it with a natural color. I did try 2 brands of dye removers and washing with dish detergent, but they didn’t work. Best of luck, and congrats on the new gig. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/24 "2021-12-25T07:41:00Z")
So I tried this stuff called “Color Oops Extra Strength Hair Color Remover” because several people I know says it works miracles. I followed the directions, kept it on the maximum time allowed, shampooed it out several times just like the directions said…and all it did wash make the colors even brighter. Sonofabitch. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/25 "2021-12-25T16:26:10Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > Ask your boss if they’d be OK with you tucking your hair up under a hat? It is my understanding that, due to the nahployment crisis, long-haired freaky people are now encouraged to apply. @Czarcasm, you’re retired, you’ve nobody to impress, and this is clearly not a career job for you. Go to work and let them fire you if that’s what they want. If a boss gets in your face about your hair, laugh at them and go home–nobody’s paying you to take an ass-chewing. They can figure out how to cover your shift. You’re not a little bitch here, don’t be one in the real world. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/26 "2021-12-25T17:55:05Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So I tried this stuff called “Color Oops Extra Strength Hair Color Remover” because several people I know says it works miracles. I followed the directions, kept it on the maximum time allowed, shampooed it out several times just like the directions said…and all it did wash make the colors even brighter. > Sonofabitch. That stuff is advertised as “bleach-free and ammonia-free”. However, those are what you need; it is a three-step process of opening the cuticle, changing the colour, and closing the cuticle: > [@](#): > > Permanent hair color generally contains ammonia and must be mixed with a developer or oxidizing agent in order to permanently change hair color. Ammonia is used in permanent hair color to open the cuticle layer so that the developer and colorants together can penetrate into the cortex. The developer, or oxidizing agent, comes in various volumes. The higher the developer volume, the higher the “lift” will be of a person’s natural hair pigment. Someone with dark hair wishing to achieve two or three shades lighter may need a higher developer whereas someone with lighter hair wishing to achieve darker hair will not need one as high. Timing may vary with permanent hair coloring but is typically 30 minutes or 45 minutes for those wishing to achieve maximum color change. A book I read once upon a time had a figure for by how many % every such treatment decreases the strength of the hair. Too many coloring jobs will leave your hair too fragile and you will have to shave it all off… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/27 "2021-12-25T18:07:36Z")
Must be nice to be independently wealthy. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/28 "2021-12-25T18:15:07Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > > [@Bullitt](#): > > > > Wait a sec — is the supervisor’s requirement even legal to make? > > Why wouldn’t it be legal? Illegal stuff is about discrimination against protected classes. So a “no dark skin” or “no people who need glasses” rule wouldn’t fly. But requiring all employees, regardless of ethnicity, religion, race, or gender, to wear a uniform, keep their hair out of their eyes, not wear make-up, etc. - that’s legal. I think the question is it a company rule or just the supervisor"s additional rule? Can a supervisor demand some employees follow a grooming rule that doesn’t apply to others when it’s a matter of aesthetics only? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/29 "2021-12-25T18:28:14Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > tucking your hair up under a hat This was my first thought. Or wear a wig while you’re at work, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/30 "2021-12-25T18:29:29Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Must be nice to be independently wealthy I agree. If I ever get in that neighborhood I’ll let you know. But there are plenty of places that don’t care about your hair (which is an outward display of who you are), and won’t stress you about it and this gig already sounds like a soul grinder. Life’s too short to sacrifice your dignity, and it saddens me when it happens. But I shouldn’t lay my values on others. I guess cut it off. Or check a local vet and see if they need help in the kennels. At least the clientele are better. Best of luck (no snark smiley). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/31 "2021-12-25T18:30:48Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@jaycat](#): > > > > tucking your hair up under a hat > > This was my first thought. Or wear a wig while you’re at work, maybe? Might be a problem: > [@Czarcasm](#): > > Take a look at my avatar- **My hair is now twice as long** and in alternating hues of blue and green, ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/32 "2021-12-25T18:32:48Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Can a supervisor demand some employees follow a grooming rule that doesn’t apply to others when it’s a matter of aesthetics only? Good question - I am not an attorney so I can’t say for sure, but I would guess that a supervisor can demand pretty much whatever they want. Of course, if they demand things that are utterly ridiculous - “you must stand on this square and say the alphabet backwards every morning while hopping on one foot!” - then the supervisor is likely to get fired. But if they have rules that can be plausibly linked to job performance/company impression on customers, I’d be surprised if anyone in power would care as long as the work was getting done. And grooming rules plausibly relate to job performance, unless they are truly stupid like “you have to wear buttons with yellow stripes on Thursdays.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/33 "2021-12-25T18:33:59Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Might be a problem: > > > [@Czarcasm](#): > > > > Take a look at my avatar- **My hair is now twice as long** and in alternating hues of blue and green, You just need a big enough hat/wig. Something like what The Cat In The Hat or Chef Boyardee wears. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/34 "2021-12-25T19:14:42Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > And then go in and ask him why. I’m sure he’ll conclude that our OP is a fine upstanding young man. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/35 "2021-12-25T19:24:06Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > > > And then go in and ask him why. > > I’m sure he’ll conclude that our OP is a fine upstanding young man. Who is the “him/he” you are talking about? I assume the supervisor in question is female: > [@Czarcasm](#): > > a supervisor that doesn’t allow “unnatural” hair color in **her** employees (bolding mine) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/36 "2021-12-25T19:30:45Z")
There’s a good chance that any permanent drugstore brown hair dye will cover up the other colors, at least enough to pass muster. You can certainly try bleaching it out first with a peroxide-based product , but that stuff is pretty rough on your hair (and if you leave it in too long, your hair will break off - ask me how I know). ---
**Author:** ![Sine\_Nomine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sine_nomine/32/513_2.png) [@Sine\_Nomine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sine_Nomine)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/37 "2021-12-25T19:47:00Z")
They’re just being silly and quoting the song “Signs,” where a similar hair-hiding escapade occurs. 🙂 (I don’t recommends the OP calling the supervisor “some kind of sinner!”) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/38 "2021-12-25T20:27:20Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > > > And then go in and ask him why. > > I’m sure he’ll conclude that our OP is a fine upstanding young man. Yeah, I think he’ll do. mmm ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/39 "2021-12-25T20:29:01Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oeT5otk2R1g/hqdefault.jpg "Five Man Electric Band - Signs with Lyrics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeT5otk2R1g) ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583/40 "2021-12-26T15:28:15Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > @Czarcasm, you’re retired, you’ve nobody to impress, and this is clearly not a career job for you. Go to work and let them fire you if that’s what they want. If a boss gets in your face about your hair, laugh at them and go home–nobody’s paying you to take an ass-chewing. They can figure out how to cover your shift. You’re not a little bitch here, don’t be one in the real world. You must lead a very sheltered life. Age discrimination is a very real thing, **even though** it is illegal. Between the fact that somebody’s the OP’s age is physically unable to do certain jobs, and adding in the fact that a lot of places are deeply unwilling to hire somebody the OP’s age, this particular mathematical equation comes up to the fact that it just isn’t very easy for such a person to find a job. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-less-hair-color-in-my-life/956583.md?page=3)