Blue is the new black

Everyone deserves pampering. I love my new hair color — for me ...

I decided in mid-February to have my black hair colored bright blue to mark my birthday March 15 and also to have some fun since I have had the privilege of being an arts + entertainment editor in The Entertainment Capital of the World the last eight years. I mean I wouldn’t color my hair blue if I was, for example, an attorney.

During the last eight years, I have been getting my hair cut by Davone Philavong at Color, a Salon by Michael Boychuck, at Caesars Palace. Philavong and I immediately hit it off because she and I are a rare Asian mix of Laotian and Thai — “my brother from another mother,” as she affectionately calls me — and she enthusiastically supported my bluehair-color decision.

Boychuck is the colorist to the stars. When you walk into Color, there is a large, framed portrait of Paris Hilton. I’ve always wanted to get my hair colored at Color. On March 17, Boychuck and Heather Kratz, in three hours, bleached my black hair, bleached it again, then applied the finishing touches with Goldwell Elumen blue. Unexpected bonus: It smelled like blueberries.

The finished product looked great at Color, but walking to Spago in the nearby Forum Shops afterward, the color was purple/gray and even salt and pepper in certain lighting. I liked the color (and cut by Philavong), but I wanted blue — bright and vibrant blue. Boychuck said to me, “We can make it bluer.” I returned the next day and got my blue — bright and vibrant blue.

Full disclosure: Bleaching is beyond painful, especially to go from black (to orange) to blond. I bleached my hair three times when I lived in Southern California for 12 years before moving here — and it hurt each time, like passing out painful. Adding another color, in this case blue, is no walk in the park, either. No pain, no gain, right?

I became a journalist 20 years ago because I love this profession, not because of the money (because there is none). But Color allows me to feel like a VIP, from complimentary use of valet and sitting in the bright, stylish salon with crystal chandeliers to sipping on Mimosas while getting my hair cut and looking and feeling good after the appointment.

Everyone deserves pampering. I love my new hair color — for me, blue is the new black.

COURTESY Don Chareunsy with newly bright and vibrant blue hair at Color, a Salon by Michael Boychuck, at Caesars Palace on Saturday, March 18, 2017, in Las Vegas.