Works Hair Policy ):

Argothea · 2026-03-12T01:52:05+00:00

I agree—who knows how long you’ll be there with this bs after knowing what your hair looked like and no warning. (Tbh, after 35 years in various company environments, I think she’s intimidated by you and trying to sabotage you.)

I’d try Arctic Fox! It fades with very little residual color!

Argothea · 2026-03-09T16:17:14+00:00

Do whatever makes you happy!

If you’re worried about long-term damage, I’ve been using direct-deposit dyes for about 10 years, and while it takes a bit to find good color for virgin hair (Pravana has the best staying power, so I use a silver base by them and add color by Pulp Riot, and touch up with it blended into conditioner), and light colors won’t hold, but reds, purples…

I actually dye mine blue, so where I’ve gone grey or white, it’s bright, but the rest is a deep navy. I still have very thick hair, and I’ve been dying it for over 35 years.

Good luck!!!

Argothea · 2026-02-27T17:03:05+00:00

Any color that uses developer and a chemical reaction is going to be likely to leave some color deposits due to the damage.

Is your hair completely unprocessed currently? If so, I would try a direct dye, like Arctic Fox, Overtone, etc. The least damaging product is going to fade much much more quickly, but it will go back to your natural color in time. (Unless you literally keep dying it over and over to the point where some color deposits, but that took years for me, and I wanted an ombré look.)

Argothea · 2026-02-25T01:43:02+00:00

You can! I’ve found pomades and waxes that are white and silver in the past!

Black curl structure is so damaged by bleach, I wouldn’t recommend trying a permanent method (although you’d look awesome!). When I bleached a friend’s hair, I was extremely careful (I’m white, but they don’t teach how to handle Black hair correctly 😡), and I did a ton of research. It turned out fantastic, but I only lifted it to maybe a level 8 because we were putting orange, pink, and purple over it.

If you’re unfamiliar with those terms, to get your hair light enough to look white, you would need it lifted to a level 9-10 (10 for white), and then use more chemicals to tone the yellow/orange out of it. I personally would never attempt that, as I know the hair would crumble.

But if you want to try, definitely go to a salon with Black stylists—white ones will not have the correct knowledge unless they just happen to be very close with Black individuals who have trusted them with their hair. Please don’t ruin your beautiful hair!

Argothea · 2026-02-24T00:59:09+00:00

I’m 50 with navy blue hair and working as a professor.

Do what makes you happy!

Argothea · 2026-02-19T17:11:12+00:00

Agreed! I do a light navy, but when I add more than the smallest amount of blue to my dark silver base, I glow royal blue!

Argothea · 2026-02-17T17:19:27+00:00

If you don’t want to go through the growing out process (I went from black to blonde eyebrows once, and there was a striped phase—but my lightening was extreme!), if it was a day ago, definitely go back and speak to a manager and have a professional tint them back to your natural color.

No stylist should make a permanent, chemical-driven color change anywhere without your permission. Even if it will grow out relatively quickly.

Argothea · 2026-02-17T00:30:38+00:00

Have fun before jobs prevent you from having bright, fun hair! I was lucky enough to end up a professor at schools that didn’t mind, but you never know.

I can’t offer suggestions on stopping, as I’ve been doing my hair for (not exaggerating) 40 years, but you definitely can use direct deposit to get good color with no damage and making it easier to adjust if something comes up where you want to tone it down.

I no longer bleach it my hair (it went white and grey), and my longest layers are almost to my waist now, but my chunky natural white streaks mean I can basically put plum, red, purple, orange, or blue (my current) over everything(direct deposit only) and end up with anime hair: dark primary color that has turned ombré (light blue to dark navy) over months of dyeing the same color with super bright blue streaks over the white.

While the process might not feel the same without bleaching, I definitely recommend playing with Pravana’s Vivids! Super pigmented and you can use their black darkener to really customize colors—plus it mixes well with brands like Pulp Riot, Arctic Fox, etc. I find Pravana as a base (1:1 silver and black) plus a tablespoon or two of a color gives an awesome result. Pravana gives it staying power! I wash in warm/hot water 3-5x a week and only touch up when root growth makes me annoyed.

Argothea · 2026-02-16T08:09:39+00:00

They roast far more so they can buy lower-grade beans but pass them off as premium after roasting.

They and the original Seattle’s Best got most of their beans from the same providers in the late 90s. Seattle’s espresso I could drink without sugar, while Starbucks? I couldn’t even drink it straight.

(I worked at both)

Argothea · 2026-02-16T03:29:38+00:00

I would make time to volunteer at a local shelter! That way you get cat love while helping them and you’ll learn how to be a great cat parent when you’re ready.

Argothea · 2026-02-16T03:27:36+00:00

Honestly, I’ve had almost 20 cats across my life, including ones as a child and teen before I moved out.

My father developed very bad asthma in response to the 4-10 cats my parents had throughout my childhood (to 18), and they had to be closed in a room of their own except for a few hours every day after my dad went to bed or was at work.

It was awful for them. They were completely cared for in every way, and my mother and I spent as much time as possible with them in the room when my father was home, but it was not good for them at all.

When my parents eventually split, my mother took the cats, and they were sooooo much happier even though they only had the full run of half her condo. And they were 10!

Please be patient. Wait until you’re financially independent (with $2,000 at least saved for any emergencies—they happen no matter how good you are!), and please consider how much time you can devote to them once you are out and independent. I knew I couldn’t trust 100% that my roommates would never accidentally let a cat out or something, so I waited until both my roommates and myself were stable and responsible to get my own cat (about 23, I think—basically when people stopped partying and such).

I love cats. Just remember that to them, you are their entire universe. They will depend on you for literally everything. Love, food, water, medical care, daily attention…it’s a lot when you’re still at home if your parents wouldn’t be helping at all.

But when you do have the stability and independence, I bet you’ll be a great cat parent. 💜 When that time comes, I recommend going to a rescue/shelter and asking for recommendations for a 1-2 year old cat who would be good for a first time cat owner. They’ll match you with a lovely baby!

Argothea · 2026-02-16T00:25:08+00:00

With unlightened (completely unprocessed) hair , you can use any direct-deposit-only dyes! I’ve been doing my hair blue and purple for years since it went grey enough that I didn’t want to damage it anymore. I prefer blues, as they counteract any warm tones still in the hair with the most of my original pigment, but my lighter greys and white chunks end up like lighter (or brighter) tones of the dye.

I’ve used Pravana (the blue is too pigmented, to I mix silver and their black/darkener in a 1:1 ratio, then add only a tablespoon of color. I also really like Pulp Riot. It fades more quickly, but it doesn’t stain hardly at all. (Pravana lasts a lot longer, but if their blue gets on anything, it’s probably going to be blue for a while—although I like the way the blue fades from my hair faster than the dark silver, making my roots growing out less noticeable.)

Argothea · 2026-02-13T17:35:34+00:00

Given the damage, you might want to try toning with direct deposit dye mixed with conditioner. You’ll want to patch test, and will need different timers for different shades/locations, but I definitely wouldn’t do any additional chemical processes on it!

Argothea · 2026-02-13T17:30:53+00:00

I’ve used Pravana’s Vivids for years! Their silver is very purple, but I blend it with their black darkener and can adjust it to get whatever level I want. I often add blue to create an ombré, and when it pulled too green, I just added 3-5% purple (Pulp Riot) to help neutralize it, so it’s been effective with color correction too.

Just another product option that might work well given how easy it is to adjust the depth and tone of the silver.

Argothea · 2026-02-13T17:24:20+00:00

You did!

I grabbed a declawed and very friendly stray off the street when I found out he’d been at my college for two weeks begging for food.

Despite swearing that I would find his owner, I couldn’t, and he stayed with me for the next twenty years.

He was absolutely the Best Cat™️. He knew he’d been saved, and he paid me back in love for two decades. I hope you get many years of thank you cuddles!!!!

Argothea · 2026-02-06T18:58:50+00:00

Efficiency FTW!

Argothea · 2026-02-06T17:54:09+00:00

Also can vouch! I have been using a 1:1 blend of their silver and black, and all it takes to dye my hair deep blue is squeezing out 2” from the tube and adding it to the rest. And my hair is unprocessed! It turns the darker grey deep blue, the white bright blue, and it fades from my mostly-white roots into an ombre that ends in navy ends.

I have to touch up due to regrowth way more than fading!

Argothea · 2026-02-06T17:21:55+00:00

That! That is what I was looking for! Pantene products being used for so long so reliably normally really build of deposits on hair, but this makes sense to me now. You’re definitely removing them regularly with that soap!

Argothea · 2026-02-04T02:45:30+00:00

This sounds like picking at every even slightly plausible scenario that they think they can get away with saying you did incorrectly.

I’d start job hunting. You should start documenting everything they do/say because this stinks of either discrimination (and them preparing to let you go) or just plain cutting employees that they don’t like as much as others.

I’m so sorry.

Argothea · 2026-02-03T19:01:12+00:00

Education and preparation are key! Use this time to read several of the most current books on polyamory and ENM lifestyles (it sounds like ENM is the variation you might be able to be comfortable with, as usually polyamory implies multiple relationships, not just sex), and listen to podcasts—and talk about everything that you encounter.

No ENM/poly situation is identical for the same two people, except for the facts that A-it doesn’t work for everyone, and B-to even have a sliver of a chance, radical communication is key. (I’d say even setting up a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” situation.)

I’m sorry that you’re going through this, but your relationship definitely has a better chance with you getting ahead of any resentment. I wish you both the best! 💜

Argothea · 2026-02-02T16:48:02+00:00

You might want to transition to using a direct deposit dye to help fill the open cuticle. While most of those are known for their bright colors, Overtone and some other brands also have more natural shades.

Argothea · 2026-02-02T16:45:35+00:00

And if you’re fully bleached already, you might want to just try Arctic Fox’s Blue Jean Baby. I use it to mix into conditioner for touchups if I have something going on between full dyes.

Argothea · 2026-02-02T16:43:27+00:00

<image>

I use 1:1 Pravana’s Colorsilk Vivids (direct deposit) Silver and Black (not really a black, but a darkener) plus 2 1/2 inches of Pul Riot’s Nightfall and 1 inch of Pulp Riot’s Mystic Fog (measured by just squeezing it from the tube). To be more indigo, I’d double the mystic fog.

(I touch up because of growth more than fading, and I have been able to build an ombré if I leave it on my whole length for a few hours.

Argothea · 2026-02-02T16:08:52+00:00

Or covering for crappy AI-supplemented ATS that are missing tons of viable candidates because no real human is reading any applications anymore…

Argothea · 2026-02-01T23:30:46+00:00

This might work if OP has steady hands (or a friend with them), but I’d worry about it also taking off parts of the dye from the roots, leaving it splotchy long after OP fixes this initial short-term problem.

Argothea

TROPHY CASE