As I sit down to write this article, all I have been thinking about is what I’m going to do next for my new hair. While I have naturally black hair, it has been many years since my hair was consistently black for a long period of time. My consensus as to why I can’t keep a hair color? Partly because I have always liked experimenting with new things, and my hair color has always been something creative for me to partake in.
Perhaps looking at myself in the mirror and feeling a change within me is just purely exciting. As a result of these feelings, my past hair colors have been a various range of blonde/brunette balayage, a multitude of shades of pink and purple, and the occasional blue.
My current Pinterest board labeled “hair” is filled with various colors, styles, and shapes of cuts that I am particularly interested in. The only hard decision is exacting what it is I want to do next.
While I know it’s pretty uncommon for parents to let their children dye their hair, I’ve been lucky enough to have had the freedom from my parents to dye my hair since I was in fourth grade. Different hair lengths and cuts were always something my sisters and I had the freedom to try out. Even today, I still feel the same excitement from “unveiling” my new hair—the same feeling I had when I first dyed the tips of my hair pink. Dying my hair has always been a way to feel more confident as well as to change up my style.
Though, statistically speaking, GenX has partaken in various hair colors more in comparison to other generations in the past. A recent poll of 2,000 women ages 42-57 revealed that half (49%) have spent between two to six years dying their hair a different color than what they were born with. It seems that men have also been increasingly dying their hair, perhaps pointing to a cultural shift that’s been a long time in the making—one that celebrates cosmetic creativity.
While I like to think of myself as an original, seeing Kendall Jenner’s orange hair definitely swayed my interest in partaking in the same trend. I, too, pondered the thought of bangs after looking through Dakota Johnson’s interviews on Youtube. I also love the fact that different hairstyles can completely change a celebrity’s red-carpet look. Whether it’s a wig or a completely new hair color, it’s evident that hair has so much creative potential in fashion. These celebrity looks are always fun to scroll through, as I take inspiration from them and get excited for the next hairstyle to come.
In that, I will continue to dye my hair as long as it will sustain itself. I will mention though that this strenuous amount of dye has given my hair a “hay” consistency. But with the right products to moisturize and care for your hair, there should be no problem.
However, that is not to say one’s natural hair color isn’t as beautiful as the rest. It is equally important to practice self-love and care for the amazing hair textures and colors you were born with. Many different influencers specialize in reinventing beauty in natural hair as well. Rather, experimenting with hair color is more a creative endeavor that I, alongside many others, love to partake in.