The queen of color fades to ash

MANILA, Philippines - There are women who change their boyfriends as often as they change their minds. Luckily for Ryan Vergara of Everywhere We Shoot, to say that his wife, Garovs, is the type to change her hair color instead would be an understatement. Over the course of roughly 10 years, she’s dyed it about 20 times, but to those keeping score, it may seem like a lot more. “I use semi-permanent hair dyes, so the color fades every day to look like I change it a lot,” Garovs explains. “I started coloring in 2004 when I discovered hair color and bleaching products in Hortaleza in Cubao. Bleach powder was P70, oxidizing lotion was P90 and hair color was P40. Back then, I had no idea that bleach, especially cheap ones, could severely damage your hair. I did it myself, it hurt my scalp, but when my hair turned pale blonde after one application of bleach, I forgot about the pain. Of course, since I did it myself, it was uneven: some streaks were brown and orange. Then I colored it neon pink!”

Like a woman unable to resist the urge to cut her hair while outgrowing a pixie cut, since then, Garovs just couldn’t go for long without coloring her hair. According to her, black and white are the most difficult colors to maintain because she “always gets the urge to color after a week.” Case in point: “In 2009 I got tired of my damaged hair from DIY bleaching, so I decided to cut off all my bleached hair and grow out my soft, natural hair. When my hair grew out, I wanted it colored again.” Though she rarely stuck to her natural hair color, she did, however, play favorites with her dyes. “I like blue tones, especially when it fades into a light, cool gray. I think I repeat it almost every year after a warm color.”

After nearly a decade of going from neon pink to electric blue, what’s a color-obsessed girl to do? In Garovs’ case, she decided that it was high time to go back to not-so-basic black — a suprisingly unsurprising choice, considering that she’s pretty much explored the entire color spectrum already. “I’ve been coloring with candy colors for so long that I realized that black is the new ‘colored hair’ for me!” she says, laughing. “I’m planning to stick to simple hair color this year: black, silver and gray.” And with that, it looks like her hair will live to survive another year.

In living color

How is Garovs Vergara’s hair not deader than dead after a decade of dyeing and bleaching? It’s all about finding the balance between natural and chemical.

1. Know your limits. “Since 2010, I learned to not bleach until the roots because of the pain and because black roots grow out after a few days. I bleached only twice last 2013. Also, I don’t wash my hair one day before bleaching.” (The scalp’s natural oils protect it from the harsh chemicals present in bleaching products. —Ed.)

2. Go to a pro. “After a some hits and misses with some salons, I’ve only had Lourd Ramos of Creations Salon bleach my hair since 2010. In Creations, they use a new Davines line on my hair that has natural ingredients and no ammonia. Although it still stung a bit on the second application, my bleached hair stayed strong and healthy.”

3. Steer clear of shady colorists — they lurk even in fancy salons. “I went to a salon and asked if they could dye my hair ash blonde without using bleach and the stylist said he could do it. But he still used bleach without telling me and I was so upset because it was my first time to go to an expensive salon for coloring and I got tricked!” (Hint: The salon’s name rhymes with “torment.” —Ed.)

4. Go natural whenever possible. “For color, I now only use Manic Panic, which (uses) vegan and ammonia-free semi-permanent hair dyes. Manic Panic makes my hair shine and using hydrating sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners help big time. I  use shampoos and conditioners from brands like Jason and Nature’s Gate, which you can get from Healthy Options. Sometimes I use Human Nature from Rustan’s Supermarket.” Manic Panic is available at Facebook.com/RainbowHead.