According to a study done in 2008, 75% of women in America dye their hair. I’ve seen men dye their hair as well, but women generally seem to want to do more with their hair. It certainly is fun to walk around with a new color on your head. Sadly, the struggle is still very real. Here are 6 things people who dye their hair can relate to.

1. The Typos

Okay maybe this just applies to me, but it happens so much it deserves an honorable mention. I can never remember to say “I’m dyeing [my hair]” or “I’m planning to dye tomorrow.” Almost invariably I say “dying” and “die.” I’ve concerned so many friends with this on accident.

2. The Mess

If you do your hair yourself, it can be quite messy. Back home, I would have to go to our backyard (which was a literal national forest by the way) when dyeing my hair, so I wouldn’t get any dye on the floor or furniture. Now that I live in a dorm, it’s just gotten worse. I have to always be on my toes for fear of getting dye on something.

3. The Cost

Alternatively, you can get your hair done professionally. But that is nowhere near cheap. According to an online poll, consumers pay about $100 per month to maintain their dyed hair. That’s quite a lot.

4. The BLEACH

Okay, you natural blondes, you have it easier here. But for those of us with darker hair, you often have to bleach it first if you want the color to pop, or even just to show up at all. Not only is bleaching your hair low-key painful, it damages your hair so badly. But for a lot of people, it’s worth it. (Also, pro-tip. It’s really really hard to bleach henna out of your hair. Just be aware of that if you’re considering henna).

5. Henna

Everyone is afraid of henna and for good reason. Not all henna companies list their full ingredients on the box, so some can contain chemicals. And while henna won’t react with any future chemical dyes or bleach, those chemicals might. If you’re going to dye your hair with henna (like yours truly), make sure you find a brand that specifically says it doesn’t have extra chemicals (even though that will lessen your color choices a tad). The bright side of henna, however, is it’s beautiful and natural red color. I’m naturally a dark blonde, so it’s not as vibrant as it could be. But it still shows up quite nicely.

6. The Comments

Again, maybe this just happens to me ‘cause I’m super forgetful. But whenever someone refers to me as a redhead, I get super confused. It takes me a few seconds to remember, “ah yes. My hair is red.” Because I chose a natural color, I don’t really get a lot of mean comments or looks. (Except from one person. They also question my right to vote. It’s great). But I know that those of y’all who go for brighter and more neon colors do get that sometimes. I wish I could go neon, but like I said, henna is really hard to bleach out.

I’m sure I missed some more, but whatever the struggles may be, we still choose to dye our hair. We like the confidence it gives us. We’re willing to go through the pain and cost if we get an awesome head of hair. We know it’s not for everyone, but hey! At least it’s for us!