Embarrassing beauty regrets and how to fix them

We asked Suit Your Look readers for their most embarrassing beauty regrets. From orange tans to wobbly fringes, we’ve all been there! Read on for some eye watering stories as well as life-saving solutions to your biggest beauty blunders.

“I overplucked my eyebrows!”

“When I was a teenager I plucked almost all my eyebrows off and drew them on. My mother threw a fit! Now, 12 years later they’re still pretty thin, but they look OK with a bit of colour on them.”

– Anonymous, Cardiff

brows
Image from NY Times

One of the most common 90’s beauty regrets. We all remember how fashionable it was to have string-thin brows. Fortunately now we can get away with minimal plucking, with bushy-browed celebs such as Cara Delevingne and Ali Michael being idolised for their thick arches.

However, celebs and non-celebs alike, we’re all guilty of an occasional over-pluck. If you’ve been a little tweezer happy – don’t panic! A bit of patience and some nifty tricks will have your eyebrows bright and bushy in no time:

  • Exfoliate your eyebrows gently once or twice a week to stimulate growth.
  • Use a really gentle water-based solution to remove make-up from your brow area, such as Micellar cleansing water.
  • Use a product to stimulate the growth process of the hair, such as RapidBrow Eyebrow Enhancing Serum.
  • Don’t pluck any hairs out for at least three months, even if you don’t like where they are.
  • In the meantime, cheat! I love Wunderbrow – it’s quick, easy and lasts for ages.

“I cut my own fringe… badly.”

beyonce
Image from Dirty Looks

“I was 14 and it was the 90’s. A new trend emerged where girls were having those thin, stringy fringes – the ones that look really greasy! I had a full, thick fringe and was so sick of it that I pinned the outer layer of it up, got the scissors and cut the underneath so half of it looked basically shaved off! It was fine at first, I had a nice thin layer left, but as the short bit underneath started to grow out it stuck up in the air through the outer layer! It was an absolute mess and I looked horrendous for weeks!”

– Emma D, 24, London

Most of us have at some point had a fringe and attempted to cut it ourselves, resulting in a super short or wonky shape. If this is you, do not fear – here are six ways to fix your bad bangs:

  1. Turn your fringe into a sweeping side fringe to hide any uneven cuts. Your hair may take a few days to be trained to stay to the side, but this is definitely quicker than waiting for it to grow out the front. Use hairspray to set.
  2. Embrace the Betty Page look and rock a curled short bang. Get your hairdresser to do the cut and let your tongs to do the rest.
  3. Grab your fringe, twist it round and pin it back in the top of your head for a sleek quiff. If you want more oomph, add a section of your long hair and use a pompadour.
  4. If your fringe isn’t too short, French braid it to the side and pin it underneath the rest of your hair for a chic boho look.
  5. Create a deep side parting, and cover your fringe with your longer hair. If you need to, hold it all in place with a hair grip.
  6. If all the above fails, cover it up with a fake!

“I dyed my own hair, and it’s NOT the colour I expected!”

“I once dyed my blonde hair brown and it went green! Luckily it was Halloween and my friends and family thought it was intentional.”

– Anonymous, Birmingham

My number one recommendation for any hair colour disaster is to go to your hairdresser, however I understand this may not always be convenient. If you’ve managed to turn your hair a nanny shade of grey or a sickly joker green, and your trusted hairdresser is booked up or on holiday – fear not! Here are some quick fixes so that you leave the house without that oversize sun hat.

Green hair

green
Image from Fashionista

If you’re blonde and use a brown dye without enough red pigment, your hair may just turn green. To counteract the green, you need to apply a warm mahogany colour. Avoid dyes that are cool or ashy. No hair dye in the house? No problem – use ketchup! Seriously, it works. Massage the ketchup into your hair and leave for 30 minutes before rinsing.

Gray or blue hair

If you use too much platinum or blue toner on your blonde hair, it could turn a nasty shade of grey or blue. In this case, strip the hair with a shampoo that specifically removes product build up. If you have none, use baby shampoo, baby bath or Head & Shoulders. Shampoo your hair 5-10 times before deep conditioning. If this still doesn’t work, use a warm blonde dye. Look for dyes that use the words honey, warm, caramel etc, and avoid those which describe themselves as cool, ash or platinum.

Orange, red or yellow hair

“Last summer my normally caramel-coloured hair started fading into a yellow brown colour in the sun, so took it upon myself to dye my hair a dark brown. I never usually do home hair dyes but my hairdresser was booked up. After applying the colour and washing it off, I was horrified to see that my hair had turned black with a plum shimmer! My boyfriend said he liked it, but I think he was just trying to make me feel better!”

– Theresa, Bournemouth

I once used a mahogany dye in an effort to obtain a dark  brown with a hint of red. Instead my hair went orange! Not a good look with pale skin! If this has happened to you, you’ll need a blue or purple toned shampoo to counteract the red and correct your colour. If after a couple of washes it’s no better, mix together a little dishwashing detergent with some baking soda and apply like shampoo. Rinse immediately. This should strip out the worst of the colour.

“I used too much bleach and now my hair is falling out!”

“I used to regularly get my hair bleached at Toni and Guy, but it was getting quite expensive so I thought i’d try the local salon. All went well, in fact the hairdresser managed to get my hair even blonder – I was really pleased. However, when I went home I brushed my new do and looked down to see a huge ball of blonde hair had come out on my hairbrush. I ran my fingers through my hair and strands were breaking like they were paper, long hairs just glided out! The bleach had been left on too long and had damaged my hair. It took years of treatments on my newly thin hair to get it back to it’s original thickness.”

– Lorraine, Brighton

I recently stopped bleaching my own hair as it was getting so dry and damaged. As much as we love a snow-white or golden blonde, we cannot deny that bleaching can severely damage hair. If your hair is looking dull, damaged or straggly from using too much bleach, follow these great tips to get it back to it’s natural condition:

  • Cut off the split ends, or they’ll split further up your hair. Even better, chop off as much as you can bear, and start again. It sounds harsh, but it’s the best way to get your hair in better condition, fast.
  • Use a keratin-based shampoo and conditioner to put the protein back into your hair.
  • Condition your hair with a deep restoring treatment once a week. Apply copious amounts of the treatment to towel-dried hair in the evening, wrap the hair in cling film or a shower cap and leave on overnight. Rinse off in the morning, and shampoo and condition as normal.
  • Create a home-made hair mask to use once a week. You can use one or more of the following: olive oil, banana, mayonnaise, eggs, avocado, almond oil, coconut oil.
  • Use a hair serum containing argan oil.
  • Take fish-oil supplements for an omega-three boost to your hair.
  • Lay off the blow-drying, straighteners and tongs. Let your hair air-dry and use moisture-infused products to set in place.

Drunken tattoos

“My most embarrassing beauty regret has to be my tattoo. I had it done in a drunken haze in Benidorm – it’s a cliche picture of a palm tree with the words ‘Benidorm Babe’ emblazoned on my right shoulder. WHY?!”

– Anonymous

If you can’t afford to shell out big bucks for laser treatments then you can always cover your tattoo up. I’ve heard great things about Tattoo Secret Camouflage Kit which boasts water resistance and 12 hour wear. Dermablend’s Leg and Body Cover is also one of the most popular cover-ups around, providing 16-hour coverage in 12 different shades.

For those who aren’t afraid of going under the needle again, there’s always the option of changing or covering up your original design with another. There are many tattoo artists that specialise in cover-ups, and can transform your embarrassing ink into beautiful body artwork.

tattoogary
Image from FiveAA.

Have you had any embarrassing beauty regrets you want to share? Send us a Facebook message and we’ll feature your story on Part 2 of Embarrassing Beauty Regrets and How to Fix them – coming soon.

Evie Garnett

Evie is the Head of Beauty for Suit Your Look, specialising in hair and skin products. She loves nothing better than natural haircare and learning all about the science behind beauty ingredients!

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