To this day I have yet to regret a single one of my impulsive decisions. And that's truly saying something because my life is pretty much a string of spur of the moment choices.
I don't know what made me decide to dye my hair this past week. My straight, extremely dark brown hair. My virgin hair - no treatments, no chemicals, I hardly ever use heat on it. But there I was, at 1 PM on a weekday, a hairdresser cape around my neck, swiveling back and forth in my chair as I waited for the colorist.
You would think that someone dying their hair for the first time would start off slow. Maybe they would choose some subtle highlights to enrich their natural color. Something that would make their hair feel new but familiar.
I guess I'm just reckless.
"As light as we can go in one sitting." That's what I asked for when my colorist was trying to discern the exact shade of ombre I wanted. "You got it." She was 100% on-board, and her excitement encouraged me.
I'll be honest: while I was sitting there for four hours with bleach and foils being applied and adjusted, I really got nervous. Suddenly my mother's warnings of, "You have such a beautiful natural color! Never dye it," were echoing in my head.
Did I really screw up? My hair was definitely coming out that brassy orange color that's synonymous with a home dye-job gone wrong. Why do I do these things to myself, who lets me make my own decisions? Clearly, I do not have the emotional stability to think through anything I do.
As soon as the hairdresser finished drying my hair and turned me around to face the mirror, every ounce of regret disappeared. I was absolutely completely obsessed with the blonde hair that now gradually melted into my dark roots.
It somehow looked natural and completely foreign all at once. There was a mental disconnect between the reflection and the understanding that that was my actual hair.
Horror stories of bad dye-jobs or post-transformation regret turn off a lot of girls - especially dark-haired girls - from messing with color. If you want to dye your hair, remember this: nothing is really permanent. Hair grows, can be cut, can be dyed over, and definitely can be fixed.
Maybe it's not a great idea to give in to impulses so easily, but sometimes it's worth it. If you overthink every decision, nothing ever changes. Sometimes you need to stop waiting for the right choice and just take the plunge.
It's just a new hair color, but for me, it's a reminder that change isn't bad. In fact, it can be exactly what you need. New hair isn't just a reason to take more selfies. It's confidence, excitement, and new energy. My newly lightened locks don't solve all of my problems, but they definitely make me feel better in the moment.
So now that I'm a (half) blonde, let me settle the age-old debate: blondes don't have any more fun than the rest of the world. But girls who do crazy things to their hair and aren't afraid to switch it up? They're living their best life.
