0 Curl up and dye

My hair and I are constantly in battle. One minute it's wavy and soft, then in the blink of an eye it's scraggly and greasy. Sometimes my fringe will be obedient, but usually it curls off in mad directions. I shan't even speak of the colour.

(Actually, I will.)

My hair has been several colours now, from fairly tame beige-blonde and dark brown to deepest black and firetruck red. For some months I had bubblegum pink flashes hidden in the sides of my bob cut (which I enjoyed) and once had long, side parted, purplish hair with blond highlights (which I really did not).

Now, I want something so different from what I usually have. For starters, no fringe. My fringe has been a stalwart part of my hairstyle for nearly ten years now - side, full, shaped, it has always been there to hide behind. However I was gifted several great vintage hairstyle books for my birthday, and something became quickly apparent - long hair that can fake a fringe is more versatile than an actual fringe.

I'm on a quest to completely change my look, to refine it and make sure that even if I'm dressed for comfort I keep my style, and I think the best way to do this is set a goal. Mine is a future date with BLEACH London. They are home to some of the most in-demand stylists in the fashion world, and Pixie Geldof appears to live there.

My particular favourites are the grungy yet soft dye jobs, involving pastels and pink.

I like that the look could change depending on what you wear - prim and proper with work clothes, or ruffled and undone for a night out.

Even though I'm avoiding a fringe, I absolutely love this style. I reckon a similar effect could be achieved with coloured slices side and front, rolled into a quiff type fringe. (I think I hate the word quiff.)

Subtler style, yet still very effective and a bit haunting.

These highlights are brilliant, and would look lovely mixed into fishtail braids or plaits.

I've had my eye on this one for a while. Most of my decorating and design is dedicated to red; my bedroom has victorian library red walls, my favourite lipstick is a dark, fiery colour, and most of my clothes revolve around varieties of rouge. So naturally I want blue hair. Still warm, not too dark and not too bright, dark roots melting into blonde, then gradiating from light to dark at the tips.

Is that too much to ask?

Before I book, I need to save money, and before the money I need a price. For just the virgin bleach and toner it works out at £170, however I want to check about what condition my hair should be in, and if the gradiating colour is extra. The overall cost isn't really an issue considering how much I must have spent on hair colours that weren't really perfect, but I need to know how much to write on my money tin.