Wednesday 1 October 2014

Going Blue for Dysautonomia Awareness Month

So there I was sitting in a chair at my local hairdressers having a long overdue chop and I had a thought. And, as usual, my brain filter was turned off as I turned to my hairdresser, Jayde, and asked,

So how would you go about dying my hair blue?

Mr Grumpy was with me, and he went with his trademark

Whatever, go for it 

And so plans were made, blue dye was picked out and an appointment booked in, before I could have a,

Are you really sure about this, Michelle? moment

(Who even knew there was such a thing as vegan hair dyes? 
I do like where it says "Tested on celebrities, not animals.")

Of course I didn't ask the big questions like,

How long will it take?, or

How much will it cost?

Who needs details?

That was a few weeks ago. And yesterday I found myself sitting in a chair as Rockabilly Blue was applied to my locks. So how does one go about going blue? Well it's a rather long process. It worked out as 7hrs over two days, with a few days in between where I learnt that I am not a blond.

Of course it was a rough morning the day I'd booked in. My body wouldn't have it any other way. I may even have lain on my bed curled up in a miserable ball of pain and nausea, with my phone in one hand and salon's card in my other on the verge of cancelling. But as luck would have it I was a slurring mess thanks to low blood pressure, and couldn't speak to call. So instead, I sucked down my vomit. Medicated myself with the odd extra tablet or three. Peeled myself off the tiles of my bathroom. And by the time Mr Grumpy came home I was ready, to pour my well-medicated body into the car and head in.

I may have been a little worse for wear while I was there. I may have been having a lot of trouble coordinating my leg muscles, but I made it through without a face plant. So a win really.

And four hours later I had gone from a brunette to a blond.



(Flash backs to last years abysmal tequila sunrise home dye incident)
 (And then I was blond)

A weekend of being blond told me that blond and I are not friends. We tolerated each other in the short term, but I was glad to see the back of it.

More toning was undertaken last night. And then colouring. And three hours later I was electric Rockabilly Blue!

I think we were all a bit exhausted by that time. Lovely Jayde stayed late, as did one of the other stylists, Erin, to help with the application.






 (The lovely Jayde from Elva's who made my blue happen. I was a wee bit tired by this point)

Today I may be a little worse for wear. I may even have communed with the carpet in the lounge. I most definitely have taken a day to write this rather simple post thanks to a lack of hand eye coordination and a big dose of the vague. But I threw a dress on over my unshowered, bed-blarghed body. Whipped on some lippy and ran some styling goop through my hair and voile! It looked pretty groovy.



 (And of course I was photobombed)

Huge thanks to Jayde who didn't think I was a complete loon when I wanted to go blue and put in the hard yards to get it done. And to Erin who helped out with a lot of the applications, and Jo who also helped out with the long multi-stage process. Go Elva's Hairdressing, who made this possible and supported my Dysautonomia awareness activities. And most of all a big Thank You for making it fun. It's really nice to go somewhere where the staff know you're unwell but don't make a fuss and just simply check if you need another drink or a rest. A balance very few places get right.

So Dysautonomia Awareness Month, I'm ready. Bring it on! (Well after I've had a nanna nap and recovered a little.)

Tomorrow I'll start sharing the Examining Dysautonomia through the Arts project. So many amazing talented folk in the community. I can't wait to share all the submissions with everyone.

Michelle

Remember to head on over here to donate to my Clicking My Heels For Dysautonomia, raising money for the Greg Page Fund for Orthostatic Intolerance and Dysautonomia research, at The Baker IDI. Thanks to the generosity of many we've already raised over $2,600, keep donating and hopefully we can reach $10,000.







9 comments:

  1. You look beautiful in blue! My favourite shot is the one where you have a blue helmet on. Gorge! It really is a fantastic blue, so vivid!!

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    1. I rather like my blue helmet too. It's come up rather fabulous. xx

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  2. You look amazing! I am in awe of what you do to raise awareness.

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    1. Thanks Carly. It helps that it's my passion. Not just for me but for all those who struggle to even get a diagnosis and the knowledge that there is no cure. For many this is as good as it gets and for others it gets worse. I figure if I'm unlikely to get a cure for my version, the least I can do with my life is try and improve things for others xx

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  3. Such an awesome colour! What would be more helpful, a link to your blog (and the campaign) or a Liebster award (I got one recently, a funny idea, makes you do work!). Open to your suggestions.

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    1. Thanks so much Cate. A link to the fundraising and blog would be fabulous. Still struggling for awareness here in Oz and without awareness there is no funding for research. Really appreciate your support. xx

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  4. You look beautiful! I love the blue! My Mr. Grumpy may let me do it, but with me being a natural blonde and having naturally curly hair, it would suck up that blue and would be my luck that it'd stay there forever!!! LOL!! Love to the girls who were so kind and patient with you at the salon. <3 Please get some rest! Brightest Blessings!!~*

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    1. Thanks Catherine. My Mr Grumpy goes with the flow of everything I want to do. He's pretty easy going like that. I'm thinking I may go the vibrant purple on the card after this month. Though I must admit I rather like the blue xx

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  5. All I can say is I LOVE IT! It is so cool Michelle xx

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All who are lovely enough to comment should be showered with cup cakes, glitter and macarons. I promise to use my spoon bending mind powers to try and get that happening for all who are lovely enough to share their words. Those who go the extra step to share posts should really get a free unicorn. Or at least the gift of finding the shortest and quickest line at the supermarket on a regular basis. xx

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