Ladies, don't pretend you haven't thought about it. You know you've looked in the mirror and thought of how tired you are of your virgin hair. Or maybe you dye your hair lighter and you want something different for once. There's a trend coming and I know you've seen it. It's the trend of fun, outrageous, bright hair colors.
Here's Demi Lovato pulling pink off quite nicely in US Weekly.
And here's Katy Perry rocking purple hair like nobody's business.
Here are some more looks Katy the Chameleon has mastered.
Don't even get me started on pastel hair... or in other words, hair porn.
There are infinite Pinterest boards and BuzzFeed Lists on this stuff.
When I see pictures like these, I can't help but think of how purple would compliment my skin tone and bring out my eyes more than any shade of brown. Or maybe I'm wrong and it'd be a total disaster. But I'm still sitting here wondering what it'd be like to dye my hair a bright or just unnatural color. And I don't think I'm the only one that wonders things like...
Will I be treated differently? Will people judge me quicker and more harshly? Will I miss out on jobs?
Well here's the good news, there are people out there that have already fearlessly taken the plunge before you and have advice on what dying your hair a bright color is like and what you should know before you get yourself into it. Here are a few things some women at the University of Washington had to say.
Lucy, a freshman, has her hair dyed bright pink since she was a sophomore in high school. She was originally blonde and uses pink dye from the brand Splat, to color her hair.
Q: Why did you decide to dye your hair bright pink?
Lucy: My reason is a bit strange. I was in a pretty abusive relationship in high school. I felt very controlled by my boyfriend. Then one day, I looked in the mirror and asked myself what I'm doing with my life, and I had sort of an epiphany. I was tired of being told what to do or not to do. So I dyed my hair pink and broke up with my boyfriend. After that, I gained a lot of confidence in myself. I started dressing better and I started to get better grades in school.
Q. Did people start treating you differently when you dyed your hair?
Lucy: There was kind of a difference, but not one that I particularly minded. There are people who didn't like it. Superficial people in my life just started avoiding talking to me completely. I could tell that they judged me by how I looked and didn't make an effort to talk to me. It didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Then there were people who were really interested in my hair color. I had people come to me and say how awesome it is and they'd ask me about it. Elderly women come to me and say they wish they had done what I did. Kids love it too.
Q. What were people's initial impressions of you?
Lucy: Honestly, I feel like I've gotten everything under the sun. I've been told that it makes me look fun and down to earth. I've also been told people initially thought I was on drugs, but I've never touched drugs in my life. One time I went to Peru and over there, I got that I looked like a foreign princess.
Q: What else did you notice was different when you dyed your hair?
Lucy: People definitely stare a lot more. I don't think it's even in a bad way. When your hair is as bright as mine, people's eyes are just drawn to you and they focus more on you. So that definitely felt different. But also, the funny thing is, I feel like people open up to me a lot more than they did before I dyed my hair. There might be other factors relating to that but that shift happened right around the time I dyed my hair. They tell me what's on their mind, and what secrets have been getting them down. I really like that though, it makes building friendships easier.
Q: Would you say then that dying your hair didn't make people intimidated by you?
Lucy: I think it takes more than just the hair color to be intimidating. My hair is pink and it brings out the rosiness of my skin tone and I dress pretty girly so I don't think I intimidate anyone. But there are those people that dye their hair dark blue, wear gothic clothing and have chains and tattoos all around them. I think that can be harder to approach but it totally depends on how you choose to carry yourself and how your color accentuates different parts of your appearance. It depends on a lot of things, I think.
Q: What would you tell someone thinking about dying their hair?
Lucy: Do a strip test!! Everyone's hair is different when it reacts to bleach and different dyes. Some dyes stick while other don't and it'll look different when it fades. But it's a worthwhile investment. I won't have pink hair forever but I love having it now.
Hannah, a sophomore, dyed her hair blue to white to blue again and back to dark brown, her original color. She also had something to say about having bright hair.
"I just did it," said Hannah. "Needless to say, my parents were not pleased. My friends who knew me for a long time said that my blue hair made me look like a completely different person. Though they knew me for so long, they said I looked meaner. I have chronic RBF no matter what though... so I think the blue hair just brought more attention to it than before. Regardless, I loved it that's why I dyed it three times."
Q: What's some advice you would give to someone dying their hair?
Hannah: Watch your budget!! Dying your hair is expensive. You have to get it maintained every 6 to 8 weeks depending on how your hair grows. Also tell your mom first, before you just show up in front of her with blue hair. It can be a little shocking before she gets used to it.
Also, you HAVE to deep condition your hair. It is crucial to keeping it soft and at least feeling healthy. Bleached and dyed hair can feel really dry, brittle and gross so make sure to invest in products that have argon oil or other stuff to really moisturize and repair your hair.
Lastly, it's worth the extra money to have your hair done well. Consult with a colorist at a salon. Work with them to bleach and tone your hair so it doesn't melt off and have them help you deep condition if you haven't found the right products yet.
So there you have it. You can use Splat or Manic Panic for semi-permanent dyes to experiment with at home when you're doing your strip test. If you're sure you want you whole head to be pink, purple, blue, grey, white, or green, go ahead and take the plunge. If you want to be bold and have the financial means to do so, it's the new up and coming way people are standing out amongst the crowd.
And remember, it's just hair. It will grow back, regardless if sky blue was a good idea or not.
