Adventures in color...

So, after giving it some thought, I decided to go back to my original hair color. I called Tina to get some advice and was a little nervous after hearing all she had to say. When I first got to the salon, my stylist tried to convince me to go darker, then get highlights; as I really didn't want dark brown hair with pink highlights, I chose to take the longer route to color correction.

Round 1 - bleach, stint under hairdryer (burnt my scalp due to heat, not bleach), and first trip to sink - hair was now orange and red. Round 2 - different bleach, stint under steamer, second trip to sink - hair was now bright orange and yellow (think Carrot top or girl in 5th element). Round 3 - two different hair dyes, more time under hair dryer and third trip to sink - hair was now mostly brown, with some underlying orange-ish strands. Round 4 - more hair dye and bleach for highlights, fourth trip to sink - I didn't see hair at this point, but the stylist seemed quite concerned and had to consult with another stylist regarding the color of the highlights. Round 5 - still at sink, toner applied to hair - hair is now a few shades darker than my natural with highlights. Round 6 - haircut, blow dry, more haircut, flat iron, more hair cut. Total time - 8 hours.
In the end, it's only a little darker than my natural shade and I think after a little time I can get it back to normal. I loved the red and would go back to it in a heartbeat, but it's a lot to maintain and I'm trying to make life simpler.