Every summer around the August long weekend, I have the same challenge. After a month in the bush, my supposedly brown hair goes “greyange” – grey orange for those of you who haven’t witnessed it. While I am a very happy Northern Ontario cottager or camper as we say up here and will not blink if my pedicure chips – all part of island life – I cannot accept the unflattering shade my hair turns. I have tried everything, UV protectants, wearing a hat as often as I can, using blue-toned anti-brass shampoos – but something about the combination of my fine curly hair and lake swimming prevents any products from stopping the fade.

My husband Jens, who normally thinks I can do no wrong on the style and looks front, is even bothered by it. So much so that before we left for the summer he took matters into his own hands without even telling me and asked his hair stylist what could be done to bridge the gap from Canada Day until Labour Day and the return to civilization. She suggested L’Oreal’s Excellence Creme Triple Care Colour and showed him how to section hair to apply it evenly. On our long drive up, he casually mentioned his idea of being my colourist, and that he’d let me know when it was time – I usually panic at the first sign of orange. On the August long weekend, he sent me off in the boat to the nearest town to pick up my kit. 

Why did I trust my husky, Mr-Fix-It husband with this task, you ask? Well funnily enough, it is his very handyman-ness that made me feel he was up for the challenge. Building decks, docks and fixing all the parts of our camp that have taken a beating over the winter takes a level of patience and skill I don’t have. Plus, in his desk-job life he is an economist and very detail-oriented – and he was raised by three hair-obsessed sisters in the 1980s.

True to his perfectionist form, once it was time, Jens opened the box and was concerned about the L’Oreal kit not having a proper colour brush to paint the dye on with, so I reached out to my Bay Women Power Hour exercise group, and within 30 minutes my neighbour Celesta appeared on her paddle board with a bowl and a brush. (The L’Oreal one is designed so you can do it yourself with a plastic comb-like dispenser that screws on top of the bottle). He also rejected those far too large, even for him, plastic gloves, although regretted it and put them on later when he saw the stains on his hands. We set up outside on the deck with a glass of wine for me, popped a Spotify hair-salon playlist on for him, and he set to work. 

After a few mishaps like colour splotches on my forehead, forgetting to put on the gloves, and my aluminum foil strips being blown all over the deck by the wind, I was ready for the post-shampoo reveal. The kit comes with an after-colour caring shampoo infused with hydrating hyaluronic acid which my poor parched hair badly needed and a deep conditioning mask. I hopped in the outdoor shower – no romantic Out of Africa style Redford/Streep hairwashing for us  – and after towel-drying my hair in the wind I was ready for my home hair-dye debut. All traces of orange were gone, the colour wasn’t too dark or too red (I used Light Golden Brown), and I didn’t even have that post-colour Lego-head hairline  – even if my stylist later pointed out he missed a few greys at my temples.) Plus, I can look at myself in the mirror (and on Zoom calls) again!