Go Woo!

Want to shock your friends? Don't bother shaving yourself a mohawk, just do some semi-permanent dye damage to your head instead.

Now you can buy traffic-stopping hair colors in Beijing and show off your wild side with shades like flamingo pink, popsicle blue, and lime green that will eventually wash out. A decent selection of happy hues can be acquired at Rong Rong Beauty Supplies in the Wudaokou Hotel in the northwest university Haidian district.

Caveat emptor (buyer beware): these Mainland-manufactured hair dyes range in quality and application volume, and the directions come only in Chinese.

If you can't read Chinese, it's a good idea to get a local friend to translate before going crazy with the stuff. Chinese dyes are cheaper than anything you'd get abroad at RMB10-30 a bottle.

If your hair is brown or black, lighten it first with hair bleach so that the dye will stick. Then, just smooth in the color evenly by using a wide-toothed comb, wait half-an-hour and rinse. Remember to use gloves and to protect your clothing and any surface around you, like the bathroom sink, from drippings. By wiping some baby oil or Vaseline on your skin, especially around your hairline and ears, you'll avoid the embarrassment of walking around with day-glo splotches all day. It's also a good idea to test the product on a small patch of your skin/scalp first and check for allergic reactions.

The dye should last from three weeks to two months depending on how light your hair was when you applied it and the darkness of the coloring.

Chemically-treated hair, whether it's a perm or naturally dark hair that was colored dark brown or black, will absorb the dye faster and retain it longer than virgin hair. Have fun, be creative, and be prepared for even more stares than usual!

Rong Rong Beauty Supplies
(50 meters south of Wudaokou Hotel, Haidian district)
Tel: 1370-120-7885/1360-137-0655