I have been dyeing my hair since I was 18, and I had to practically beg my mom to let me make the jump growing up.

Growing up, I have always hated my natural black hair. I would constantly see models and Instagram influencers having "perfect" bodies and coincidentally never really saw anyone else that looked like me.

As a brown, medium-sized, acne-prone girl in the Midwest, I would have done anything to look like anyone but myself.

This resulted in multiple hair dye attempts. I've had burgundy hair, caramel highlights, totally brunette, you name it.

Last week, I was getting ready to dye my hair for back-to-school, and I decided I was going to dye my hair lighter. No particular reason, but it's what I began to start associating my attractiveness with.

It wasn't until I washed the dye out of my hair and to my horror realized that my hair had turned jet black that I had a second thought about why I was dying my hair in the first place.

Seeing my hair jet black instead of light brown shocked me.

It was like I was seeing my older-younger self but with the confidence and maturity of who I am today. It was shocking but also really surreal.

Though I didn't even consider going back to my natural color, I couldn't feel more confident and beautiful now than ever.

It's almost like the universe itself gave me its own stamp of approval in regards to my journey of self-love, and this was one final step in owning it.

So here I am, still brown, jet black hair, and still medium-sized. But what's changed? Everything.

I am confident, content, and ready to change the world.

And, it's all thanks to a failed box dye job.