IMAGINE a future where you step into a full-size scanner similar to a tanning machine but instead of sun-bedding yourself into a case of skin cancer, your hair is zapped into a luscious new colour.
And you can keep that shade for a day, a week or a lifetime.
Think how easy it would be to update your look or go multi-coloured rainbow crazy for a special party or wedding (you could even match the carpet to the drapes should you desire to do so!).
If such a thing were possible, this article wouldn't be necessary. But as we are not quite there yet, let's discuss the question of how we would choose the right hair colour.
My favourite 'now' colour is silver or bley (blonde/grey). Although silver hair is all the rage among the celebs at the moment, I'm not sure I want to be that fashion forward - or maybe I'm not ready to glimpse that far into the future.
With the technology we have today, I don't require a magic machine to zap my hair .. I have something that is almost as good. My Samsung smartphone.
I'm not a slave to updating my smartphone - I find the feeling of my brain imploding for a week while I learn the new tricks an upgraded phone has to offer can be a bit of a turn-off. And so I am still sporting my trusty S5 (although the S7 is looking devilishly sexy).
To get back on track ... my trusty S5 has just enough space left on it to download a selection of new apps, specifically to preview what I might look like with a change of hair colour. And all without the commitment or cost of actually changing my colour.
Two of the most downloaded apps were shockingly useless - poor user interface, loads of advertising and just generally annoying. But the third was fantastic, and it's called Change Hair and Eye Colour by Make-up tool.
I confess I haven't bothered trying the 'eye colour' function as I have no interest in that feature. However, I have just spent the better part of an hour playing with different hair colours on a picture of myself. Almost every colour under the rainbow is available to preview.
Now, I'm not new to this game - designers and those competent with Photoshop have been doing this for years, but the ease of an app on your phone, a quick pic and an entire colour palette simplifies the process so anyone can have a go.
If you were expecting an information-rich article with loads of tips about which colours to consider for your specific skin tone, natural hair colour, eye colour etc ... then you are out of luck.
This is cheat mode 101 - go straight to the best judge, the one who is going to have to look at it in the mirror every morning. Trust yourself and get the app - it's so much fun.