Hair is a huge part of people’s identity and how they choose to express themselves. In my short nineteen years of life, I have had my fair share of hair-dos – some that never need to be repeated again. So, learn from my mistakes and have a laugh along the way.
(^actually, I just used a teasing comb…with a few secrets)
- The Natural Gal
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(^when someone asks if we are related…seriously?!)
As a little girl, I had golden blonde hair (and front bangs) if that gives you a terrifying mental picture. It didn’t help that my two older sisters also had the same do, and we looked like triplets. But, when the three of us were together it was pretty darn cute.
As I got older my hair darkened into an ashy blonde, light brown, sometimes strawberry blonde melange. Really it depends on the season.
- The Turquoise Stripe
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(^me posting on my crush’s ASKfm page everyday…)
This wasn’t a full-on hair colour, nor did it last after just one shower but it definitely needed to be on here. This is foreshadowing my ‘Blonde Moment’ but basically I was convinced I was the next Aquamarine and needed turquoise stripes in my dirty blonde, basically brown hair. So I forced my mom to check multiple Walmarts until I found the critical ingredient – Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid. I sat with a section of my hair soaking in this Kool-Aid for an undisclosed amount of time only for it to look like a piece of seaweed was stuck in my hair – kinda a beachy vibe right?
I CLEARLY missed the note in small font on whatever Pinterest post I was getting my instructions from that said Kool-Aid will only show up on bleached hair. But all was good because after a thorough cleanse in the shower I was back and better than ever. I even had some leftover Kool-Aid that I didn’t use so that was nice, I guess.
- The Bleach Disaster
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(^me to myself while dunking my hair in the lake to relieve the burning every 10-15 minutes…)
I was still into that beachy summer girl vibe and thought that if I had lighter hair people would stop confusing me for a vampire and start to think I lived full time in California. So for a week straight I sprayed Hydrogen Peroxide, yes …BLEACH, a little lake water and some lemon juice onto my hair. I honestly don’t know how my scalp survived this trauma because what was I thinking.
I remember quickly glancing in the mirror a few times at my grandparents’ cottage and thinking I was almost there, just a few more coats. But when my sisters came to pick me up at the end of the week they SCREAMED. My hair was bleached a very interesting (to put it nicely) shade of yellow. My scalp was red and burning and I was happy as could be, for now.
But of course my hair grew out and I had uber dark roots and then bleached hair which was really blowing my Cali-girl cover.
- The Blonde Moment
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(^me when I felt the tin foil and bleach heating up and literally COOKING my hair…)
I guess you could have labelled me as a VSCO girl before VSCO girls were even a thing. I pretended I lived in Hawaii – I put lemon juice in my hair religiously, I wore sea turtle necklaces and I owned more bathing suits than any Southern Ontario girl should ever. Every outing was an Instagrammable moment and I was forever working on my tan.
It was a “long live summer” kinda vibe.
So after recovering from the bleach I decided why not let a professional bleach my hair. I got balayage multiple times to keep that sunkissed look going throughout the cold winter months where sunlight is a foreign concept.
- The Brown Episode
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(^me every morning…)
After finally reaching the perfect platinum blonde I, or rather multiple stylists, had worked so hard to achieve, it was time to go to university. Within a few weeks of school, I noticed my hair was turning green and felt like hay. As the weeks went on and the stress of school set in my hair got worse and was falling out. I knew I had to get it fixed, it was so embarrassing.
SO, I went all the way back to my home city and told my hairdresser to just get me as close to natural as she could. Which meant I had to cover up the blonde with brown hair dye. It definitely started out darker than I hoped but after a few weeks it faded into a chocolate brown.
- The Fading Fiasco
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(^what I should have been doing TBH…)
But of course, the brown dye was only semi-permanent and started to fade. Because why would anything hair-related every turn out right for me?
So I just let it fade. Why? Because I’m a university student and the only ‘treat yo self’ action I get to do is at the grocery store when I buy the chips that aren’t on sale.
- The Natural Gal Pt. 2
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I went for a long-overdue haircut (we’re talking years) and decided that I might as well cut it all off. I wasn’t going to leave an inch or two of my previously dyed hair so I told my hairdresser to take off anything that was dyed. I am now left with my natural hair and am NEVER dying it again. At least not until I am starting to go grey or having an identity crisis, so probably next week to be honest.
But it’s been quite an adventure with my hair. I’ve debated shaving it all off, dying it lavender, getting extensions – you name it! I guess all these hair decisions and regrets show I’m indecisive and impulsive – yikes! You could also so I’m adventurous and willing to try new things, so that’s a positive.
So, cut it off, put it up, curl it, dye it – do whatever! As long as YOU are happy.
Be bold Warriors and trying something new!