When orange is the new red

Being in Brazil for the past 6 months has taught me a lot about dropping expectations and going with the flow. In Brazil hardly anything happens as planned. In fact, things notoriously do NOT go according to plan.

Despite loving change and the unknown, I usually don't change hairdresser very easily. In fact, I might even travel a very long distance to go to a hairdresser I know. But three days ago I decided to get a red highlight at a hairdressers in Brazil. What could possibly go wrong?

Before the dyeing started, I agreed to four highlights instead of one and as the dyeing started I made sure to show photos pointing out the exact colour of red I wanted. The hairdresser assured me it would look exactly like the photo.

At several points I pointed out that he hadn't done the roots, and also that the colour looked suspiciously orange. He assured me it was normal. At the washing basin, he covered my head with a towel and lead me to the mirror. What is saw was an orange rainbow, not four deep red highlights.

Being Brazil, the hairdresser assured me that this was because my hair was wet, and that when it was dry, it would be the exact colour I wanted. Of course, it stayed orange. Then he assured me that in 3 days it would definitely be the right colour, which of course it isn't. As a final argument, he quickly added that I couldn't compare Brazil to Europe, because all products here are low quality anyway.

In the end, I'm started to like my multi-orange-shaded hair. It's not what I expected, but looking on the bright side (which it certainly is), it's fun and quirky. Like I said, it helps to drop expectations in Brazil. Go with the flow and be prepared for surprises.