What Does Your Hair Color Mean this Time?
Natural brown, bleach blonde, blue tips, red. You name it. I am no stranger to hair dye. A reflection on how my ever changing hair color symbolizes my stages in life.
Anyone who has known me for a span of a year has seen me with AT LEAST two different hair colors. At 19 with more confidence and sense of who I am I’ve realized that my love for hair color symbolizes the different stages in my life.
As I sat in the chair last week, waiting for the reddish tint to be added my hair stylist asked, “Why do you want to add the red?”
What seemed like somewhat invasive question prompted this crazy trek down my hair history and analyzing why I changed my hair color.
I did some research of “The Psychology of Changing Your Hair Color.”
Tracey Cunningham, Redken Creative Consultant for Color weighed in on the psychological aspects of hair color,
“There are those girls who almost rely on change, and it’s very emotional. When we sit down and say ‘what’s really going on,’ it’s always something, you know,” (Huff Post, 2013).
Putting it into more perspective consider the actions of celebrity Kylie Jenner. In her interview with Teen Vogue, Jenner described her “addiction,” to her changing hair color,
“I’ve just had this addiction to changing my hair,” she spilled on her website in September. “It makes me feel like a new person,” ( Teen Vogue, 2015).
Granted, this does not mean people don’t just change their hair color out of boredom. NYC-based psychologist, Vivian Diller, Ph.D gave insight on this,
“Everyday activities like eating, drinking, working, sports, and shopping can become habit-forming. So it is with hair dyeing. Sometimes, women just want to change their hair color for the sake of it,” (Huff Post, 2013).
Upon learning this I took a look back on my hair color journey.
Classic Side Band Highlight (2010)
I’d like to start off with the fact that I definitely took a webcam picture to show off the new style. Facebook will never let me forget my poor grade school decisions.
By the age of 13 I had already tainted my hair with a nice bleach highlight session.
Remember pulling out a picture of Lizzie McGuire and begging my mother to let me get hair that resembled hers.
Grade school was a time of serious confusion. I had no idea who I was and wanted to be like someone else.
Blonder Hair/Blue Tips (2012)
My mother was less than pleased about this one. I thought this was one of the coolest things ever. At the same time I knew it would infuriate my mother.
This stage represented the serious angst I had during the first few years of high school. I lived for breaking the rules.
I honestly did think the blue tips were really cool. Yes, I did do a little out of spite. But it was a way to express who I was.
I was really into being different and doing what I thought was cool. Not to mention, I was an avid Ke$ha fan at the time.
Ombre (2013).
Hair gone so so wrong. I can only attribute this to a poor life choice.
There is no deep reason other than I wanted to be Selena Gomez.
This is my senior year ego gone so far that it hurts.
Super Blonde (2014–2015).
I really took a liking to the term, “blondes have more fun.”
Summer going into college I wanted to embrace change.
I wanted to come into it with this aura of being fun and flirty. It sounds ridiculous but hair color really does give off vibes!
Quite honestly I wanted to be someone different. It was about creating this whole new look and persona for college.
Embracing the “new” one might say.
Back to the basics (Present Day).
By far my favorite of all my looks. Granted, my hair color will never be it’s original color but this dark brown is the closest it is going to get.
This year I have come into my own. I have found what I am passionate about in terms of my career. Have a deeper understanding of who I am as a woman.
“People don’t usually go dark again. I'm excited for you” -Carmelo, Karma Salon
My hair stylist unknowingly pointing out something that is so significant to this change. The choice back to my natural color was one I made with confidence.
I am confident in the choices that I make. Oddly enough this hairstyle is the first that I haven’t questioned right after fact I changed it.
In no way am I pegging hair color changes as this cry for help when it comes to understanding who we are.
Each color means something different whether it be a deep meaning, bad choice or desire for something new.
At some point I really did love each hair color. I love how they connect all these different stages of life.
