Last night, I took the first step in the process of getting ready for Christmas. I tried to do it on Friday night, but it didn't work. Nor did it work Saturday morning. As they say, third times the charm.
Let me explain. In two weeks, I don the Red Suit, first for a photographer, and after that to entertain children. Yes, that's me... the jolly guy with the white beard. Only if I don't take special care, my beard has a little gray in it, and up on top it's as brown as it was 40 years ago. Friday night, I dug out my bleaching kit (equal parts of Quick Blue bleaching powder, and Trionics lift 5. I suspected that something was wrong with my materials (it was from the previous year) when the Trionics was all liquidy, and the Quick Blue was a bit clumpy. I mixed up a batch and did my hair, and it didn't do a thing after 20 minutes. Repeat in the morning, using a NEW bottle of Trionics, but the old powder, and still nothing. Last night, I opened a new tub of Quick Blue to use with the new Trionics and... Bingo. After a twenty minute wait, my hair came out mostly bleached out, and only a little yellowish. Still have a few darker highlights along the neckline, but a second application should finish the job.
I now know that I can toss whatever is left of these materials after the season is over. In January, I normally let my natural hair color come back... which is a little ackward for about a month, since the roots show as dark as the hair grows out, and the remainder of the hair is white. It doesn't matter at all with the beard, since it is almost white by itself. But these are the things that a young Santa Claus has to deal with.
Maybe in another 5 years or so, I won't have to bleach my hair. Here's hoping.
