I had never done anything daring with my hair until this summer. While I would consider myself a risk-taker, I am incredibly risk averse when it comes to my hair. A bad haircut can take months to grow out, and your hair is something you have to wear everyday. Even people with the best hair are no strangers to bad hair days, so why compound the likelihood of hair tragedies?
I always ask for the same thing at the salon: long layers, slightly angled in the front, only a couple inches off the length. I had side bangs in middle school when Laguna Beach was big and everyone wanted to look like LC. That was the most adventurous I got. Sometimes I part my hair in the middle, à la the Kardashians. But generally, I play it safe.
When the ombré trend came out, I knew it was something I’d have to make a fast decision about. Trends are difficult, because you want to adopt them at the right time. Being an early adopter is the only appropriate stance to take when it comes to fads. Anything later than early will guarantee that you won’t feel cutting edge but trite and regretting that your hair feather won’t come out for another month. There are those who can rise above the discomfort that accompanies being labeled a follower, but it pains me when I read Cosmopolitan’s “Hot or Not” or Harper Bazaar’s “In and Out” lists and find myself on the offending side.
With ombré being a hair trend (I needed it to grow out before I was over it), I had a very short consideration period. I didn’t think; I decided to go for it.
The actual process took over four hours. My head was weighed down with pounds of chemicals, saran wrapand aluminum foil. It was a wholly nauseating experience, and I felt sick to my stomach from the fumes the entire time. I had no idea that it would be such an ordeal, and I would not do it again. Not only that, but once it was done, I was not pleased. In about a month I would love it, but at the time, I was suffering from dyer’s remorse. It was not hold-back-the-tears bad, but it was far from the excited-to-show-everyone-my-new-hair that I wanted. It wasn’t what I had expected or hoped for,and I had even shown her a picture.
Cut to one haircut and four months later. I now love the ombré—it looks better than Khloe’s but not as good as Jessica Biel’s. I’ve had several mishaps with people thinking I “went blonde,” and I did not hesitate to correct them. There were people who insisted on calling it “hombre”. It was perfect for summer, and I got used to it remarkably quickly. Though I am looking forward to going back to my regular hair, I’m glad I tried something different.
If you want to try a trend, and there’s a possibility it could go awry, choose one that is easily reversible (read: does not involve hair). If you still really want to go for it, do a cost benefit analysis: how long will a bad execution affect your day-to-day life? I support don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness—but not when it comes to my hair.