Better Red Than Dead

West Berlin, 1981. Sitting at a cafe on the Kurfurstendamm, waiting for a dead drop. The hours drag on; you've sipped several cups of coffee and have moved on to mineral water. Soon you'll switch back to coffee as the afternoon sun ebbs away. It was the same yesterday. Except yesterday, your hair was a different color. You were wearing a no-nonsense trenchcoat and reading Der Spiegel with a briefcase tucked between your leg and the table. Glasses, a wristwatch, nice shoes. An executive, perhaps.

Today you're dressed in a studded leather jacket over a shirt that appears to have been chemically damaged in an acid attack - but that's just the style now - and Soviet-issue Army boots that look like pig leather, but they're made from kirza. Fake. Like your hair, which due to the temporary hair color spray you applied this morning, is bright red now. You probably shouldn't call attention to yourself, but it completes the disguise and looks good on you. Punk is in, and anyway, you're unrecognizable from yesterday, which is the point.

The delivery is always the same - a nonsense scatter of numbers and letters, penned on the back of a receipt, left at the table by the waiter. The waiter was always the same, too; brown hair, nondescript, unremarkable. No temporary hair color for him; he needs to blend. You haven't seen him today. He wasn't there yesterday, either. You hope the same thing isn't in store for you, a sudden disappearance, there one day and gone the next. You watch the passersby, a kaleidoscopic riot of colors and sounds, the thrumming beat of the city. Maybe there's an assassin out there waiting for you, too. You have your orders, though. Failure is not an option.

A voice sounds next to your ear, and at the same time, you feel the unmistakable press of the barrel of a gun between your shoulder blades. "Get up," the voice says. A fountain of adrenaline shoots through you. It's just a few steps from the cafe to an alley, and then it'll be easy to make you disappear. You can't afford to be taken.

You've got a weapon, a knife, hidden in your Soviet Army boot. It's too far away; you'll never make the grab before he shoots you. Your flailing hand hits against a solid object in your jacket pocket. It's the can of red temporary spray-on color you left there by accident. Specially formulated to vividly color whatever you spray it on, you remember the label claiming. You press the nozzle and spray blindly behind you, turning to face your incapacitated attacker as you feel a jolt of recognition. It's the waiter, that nondescript cog in the wheel. He's a double agent, a would-be killer, caught with a can of temporary hair dye that comes in a range of great colors for a low price and can wash out with one shampoo. Sorry, bad guys - the forces of freedom have won another day.

Are we saying a can of temporary hair color helped to win the Cold War? Maybe. We could tell you for sure, but then we'd probably have to end you. Why don't you just focus on fashion instead? Switch up your look or just hide from the assassins of a foreign government with a temporary red hair spray that won't damage your hair or your cover story. Three ounces of liquid magic that instantly transform you into someone else really should cost more than it does. Buy it in bulk to have on hand for all of your special occasions or just keep a bottle stashed away for the times when you're feeling sassy and want a change.


You don't have to color or highlight your hair permanently for a dramatic alteration of your look. This temporary color comes off as easily as it goes on. Spray your hair just as you would with a traditional hair spray to color your whole head in one vivid shade. You won't be left with helmet hair, either; your hair will feel natural and you can still style it as you like before applying a final touch-up coat. Your spray will last until you're ready to wash your hair, remaining vivid as you dance the night away.

When you're done, wash your hair as you normally would with your favorite shampoo to remove the color completely from your hair. This product is water based and removes easily with soap. You'll then be ready to apply a new color or just get back to your ordinary hair styling routine.

You can also use your red hair spray to color a few streaks of your hair for a more subtle effect that will blend with your natural hair color, or use it as a focal point to make elements of your hairstyle really pop. Holding the nozzle just a few inches from your hair concentrates the spray and pinpoints the area you want to highlight with deep, rich color. You can even mix several different shades for an eye-catching rainbow effect all over your head. Whether you highlight one streak or decide to color your whole head, the coverage is rich and lasting.

Temporary color spray is perfect for a range of different events, from raves to Halloween costumes to those days when you feel down and need a little lift with a change of hair color. The list of possibilities is endless. Celebrate St. Valentine's Day with a heart-colored hairdo, create a scene at a party or make it the final touch of vibrant color to your anime cosplay outfit. It's the details that count when it comes to putting together a look, so let your creativity run wild. You can also use it to color your skin for a dramatic embellishment that doesn't require a costume. With so many options for costume fun or escaping detection by enemy forces, you might just want to keep an array of temporary color choices around.