This Is What Happened When I Stopped Dying My Hair
I took a journey to the dark side and I liked it.
I went cold turkey and stopped dying my hair eighteen months ago.
Tow-headed as a child, my hair darkened after I hit puberty. Like many women I fought back against nature. On my 16th birthday, I dyed my nondescript auburn locks a shade of honey blonde.
And just like that, I had set in motion a cycle of monthly salon visits that continued unabated for decades.
Bottle blonde is a major commitment.
Over the years I have been ash blonde, beige blonde, strawberry blonde and platinum. When I left the salon I’d look great, but after a few weeks I’d soon be running back to my stylist as regrowth appeared.
After 20 years of bleaching, my hair was not only fried, I had no idea what my natural color was anymore. Would people even recognize me if I wasn’t blonde?
I was tired of hair-induced angst — the madness had to stop!
With steely resolve, I let nature take its course.
A darker story.
As of today, I have eight inches of natural hair untouched by bleach. My virgin hair is darkish and falls to my ears. Ten inches of bright…
