If you were anything like me in your tween years, then you probably spent many a night staring at your mousy, normal-colored hair in the bathroom mirror with your eyes squinted. That's why I'm well versed when it comes to things we used to color our hair with in middle school circa the late '90s and early '00s — I just about tried them all.
That tween period in junior high kicks most girls into their beauty experimentation stages, during which things like frosted pink lipstick and butterfly hair clips seem like a good idea. The crazier the colors on our eyelids and the more unnatural shades on our hair, the better.
I blame things like Justice and Lizzie McGuire when it came to my own obsession, but I can't stand here and not admit it was hella fun while it lasted. Even if your parents wouldn't let you out of the house if you came downstairs with acid green tips, there were work-arounds to messing with your hair.
You could have used things like sidewalk chalk and Kool-Aid juice, not to mention the old lemon-in-the-hair trick when you went outside to tan. Then there were more options for those who were prepared to facing their parents' wrath, like glitter spray and highlight wands. And we're about to go through them all: Below are 11 things you used to color your hair with in middle school.
1. Jerome Russell B Wild Temporary Hair Color Spray
B Wild Color Spray, Bengal Blue, $6, amazon.com
If you wanted to give your parents heart attacks and play out your rebel tendencies, than the B Wild Color Spray was just the thing to get from the drugstore. It came in acidic shades, letting you dabble in blue, pink, purple, and green streaks that would surely make people turn their heads in homeroom.
2. Jerome Russell Hair & Body Glitter
Jerome Russell Glitter Spray Multi, $6, amazon.com
An absolute necessity during school dances, a bottle of this could just about be found in every girl's glittery purse. The beauty of this was that you could turn your hair into a disco ball and then — if you kept spraying — give your arms and puff-bra-cleavage the same treatment.
3. John Frieda Color Treatments
John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Visibly Brighter, $9, target.com
This was for the kids with strict parents — ahem, like me. During a time when my mom wouldn't let me dye my hair jet black like I wanted, I'd buy rounds of these hair darkening tints, with the hopes that I'd get my mousy brown to a darker shade. I can't really vouch as to whether it did much, but I enjoyed getting one up on my mom with this drugstore find.
4. Lemons
Tropical Fresh Lemons, target.com
When I think back to days tanning in my back yard, all I can recall is my boombox with the latest Backstreet Boys song playing, tanning oil, and a bag of lemons that would give me natural and warm highlights. Who needs to go to the salon when you have citrus handy?
5. Art Store Pastels
Loew-Cornell Chalk Pastels 24Pk, $6.50, joann.com
If you couldn't find a shade in a spray bottle that you liked, a great alternative back in the day (and now) was to go to an art store and buy a box of pastels. You'd have Avril Lavigne-inspired hair tips in no time.
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6. L'Oréal Highlights Kit
Glam Lights Brush-On Glam Highlights Kit, $8.40, walmart.com
I still remember the first time I heard of the highlight brush: I gathered up all the money in my piggy bank that was earmarked for Nutter Butters and instead went to go buy a kit box. What I ended up with was more a leopard-spots-on-my-head look rather than pretty highlights, but that was just because of my overzealous hand.
7. Kool-Aid
Kool-Aid Jammers Cherry Juice Drinks 10 ct, $2, target.com
It's kind of creepy to think that the same stuff you gulped down by the gallon could dye your hair a cherry red, but here we are.
8. Coffee
Folgers Classic Roast Ground Coffee 30.5oz, $7, target.com
If you wanted to bring out the brown hues in your hair (and didn't want to give John Frieda any of your allowance money) the way to go was to rinse your hair with heavily brewed coffee. It made for a messy shower time, but at least you smelled heavenly.
9 Hot Huez Chalk
Hot Huez Temporary Hair Chalk-Set of 4 Colors, $8.50, amazon.com
There was something so satisfying about clamping your hair in the little disk and then seeing mermaid shades come out as you pulled downward. This was the ultimate tween girl beauty product.
10. Hair Extensions
Creative Kids Hair Extensions Kit, $42, amazon.com
If you didn't want to deal with the commitment of rocking bright streaks for a couple of days (especially since the stage where it's mostly faded looks slightly tragic), colored hair extensions were a great work around. All you had to do was clip them in and feel sassy for a day, and then clip them off and go back to your history homework.
11. Sun In Spray
Sun-In Spray-In Hair Lightener, $7.50, amazon.com
This was more of a status symbol than anything: All the big sisters and cool babysitters would usually have a bottle with them at the beach, so you wanted one, too. The verdict is still out as to whether it worked any better than actual lemons, but you sure felt cool wedging it in the sand and then flopping back on your towel with your Discman in your ears.
Whether you dyed your hair with L'Oréal or were more of an all-natural, Kool-Aid dabbler, it's fun to look back at how our hair dyeing obsessions began.
Images: Courtesy Brands
