My hair has been styled the same pretty much my entire life. I stuck with a safe hairstyle of long, medium brown hair. I’ve experimented with shorter hair enough times to know I prefer a slightly longer length. Cutting my hair never caused me much stress because I knew it would grow out pretty quickly.
However, dying my hair is a whole different story. I’ve always been nervous to pay so much money (for those of you that don’t know, hair dying can get super pricey) only to end up hating the end result. The thought of damaging my hair was also very stressful for me because my hair has always existed as a sort of “security blanket”. Other hair dying fears of mine stem from a not-so-great coloring story.
The first time I changed my hair was when I added some pink streaks in it for a few months. I liked them a lot but made the fatal mistake of making them purple next. The purple faded to blue and then that blue faded to green, which ultimately stained my hair.
I then decided to jump on the balayage trend and wanted to get some blonde towards the bottom of my hair. The result was a crazy highlighted head of hair that I absolutely hated. Now don’t get me wrong, the highlights were done well, but they just weren’t what I asked for. I immediately got it dyed back to dark, which eventually faded at my ends to a somewhat ombréd tone. I was stuck with that hair for two years. I liked it enough but mainly kept it because I was scared to change my hair ever again.
Flash forward to two years later, and finally most of the blonde got cut out of my hair and I had a decision to make. The blonde ends looked awkward and I needed to either retouch them by adding more blonde or dye my whole head. I was torn for months because, as I stated before, I’m very indecisive when it comes to my hair. My decision was made when I saw a tweet that said, “Girls, don’t bleach your hair”. I saw this as a sign from the universe and opted for the normal dye job.
I have always been envious of redheads and decided to add more red into my hair while still staying a brunette. I changed hair salons in those two years and my new hairstylist was amazing; she blended the perfect color. It’s a little darker and a little redder than my natural shade and couldn’t be happier.
I was definitely scared to face my hair fear, but I’m so glad I did. Sometimes it’s best to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. I’m obsessed with my new color and proud that I was finally able to make a change. You don’t have to do something drastic like changing your hair, but it’s important to try out new things in order to push yourself and your own personal boundaries. You will probably thank yourself for being brave and learn new things about yourself in the process.