It’s that regrettable time of year again for me. Something so small and minor that I wish I could change, unfortunately, it is a part of me. It is my identity. Normally beginning at the start of April and finishing up in May I will undergo a full transformation. Now, I don’t mean to hyperbolize here but this change is catastrophic and dangerous. Ha! Just a joke here. But all jokes aside, my hair changes from a reddish brown color to a full fireball of orange as a result of its exposure to sunlight.

It started around my sophomore year in high school when I first observed my hair change color. I still can’t pinpoint if this summer can infamously be commemorated as the first time I experienced this change, or if in previous summers my hair only changed very slightly and wasn’t noticeable enough to consider a tragedy. However early I began to start experiencing this hair color change, that summer going into my sophomore year hit me like a train.

At first, I didn’t really know what to do. It took about a week to go from a deep brown to a blend of mahogany and red. I was in awe of how quickly this transformation took place. I wasn’t even outside for that long during the day! Yes it was hot and the sun was beating down on my head, but this quick turnaround was too much for me to fathom.

I felt embarrassed and ashamed of the way I suddenly looked.

I began wearing hats to cover my head. I even considered dyeing it back to its normal shade of brown. But then I stopped for a second and thought, this is natural, this is me.

I suddenly had a resurgence of love for my hair. I was no longer afraid to go out in public with my ginger colored hair. I realized that it’s a part of me and who I am. I stopped wearing hats when I went out and even brought up the apparent change that had taken place. I came to grips with the fact that it’s just hair. It doesn’t define me. I won’t lose friends over it. It won’t change me.

Now I don't mean to sound cliché here. I realize it is just hair that we are talking about here. But I really think that there is an important lesson that can be learned here, something that goes beyond the way you look and feel.

Ultimately, something as small and as simple as your hair changing color can really tell you a lot about the real person you are. Whether it is from natural causes or an artificial color, an aesthetic appeal is simply just an aesthetic appeal. It must be noted and reminded if needed that it does not define you, it is just an added component of who you are.