hair talk

I have partnered with Herbal Essences to discuss life changes and how our hair reflects these changes more than we might realize...

Before I moved to New York, I needed a change. I looked in the mirror at my always-wavy, always-the-same ends and pondered...what will make me more New York? More fashion? I was going to fashion school, after all, and wanted to stand out. I had worn my hair the same way basically for 4 years straight. In my young, teen years I would straighten my hair (which is why I forever have dead ends), but that was about it. Either straight or natural.

So, with that, I ran to a salon in my home town and demanded that they dye my hair platinum blond. I swear I sat in that chair for 6 hours as they applied and re-applied and bleached. They also chopped inches off, on top of it all. I was so set on change that I didn't even care. Alas, the birth of my platinum blond hair which I sported all around the city my first year there. In case you don't remember, yes, here is a picture. 

Yupp, that blond. And I honestly loved it. At the time I thought it strangely fit my aesthetic, plus I loved all the compliments and questions since I had never had much to say about my hair in the first place. It was different for me...until my dark hair started growing back in. Once that happened, I immediately dyed my hair back to all-one color out of frustration--chocolate brown. That was probably the worst hair decision I've ever made. I cringe looking back on those photos and frequently ask Adam how he found me attractive with that hair. But hey, we all need to go through that, right? Bad decisions with our hair basically marks our adolescence. 

Now, looking back at that year, I realized I made all of those changes because I wasn't really comfortable with myself. I wanted to fit in and thought that dying my hair a crazy color would make me look 'cool' and be that New York City chick with light hair. And though I don't regret doing it, it is funny to see that my hair now is back to where it used to be in high school. Always-wavy, always-the-same, dirty blond hair that I never do much with. But I love it. And the amount of compliments I get on my natural hair outweigh the amount of compliments I got with my platinum hair, which I didn't realize until I grew my hair back. It's the longest it's ever been (and healthiest, most likely thanks to my Herbal Essences duo). But seriously, I find that by being natural, I felt happiest and most complete with myself. Always air-drying and rolling out of bed was always my routine, and I enjoy sticking with it.

Ironically, with my long, natural hair, opposite of really 'chic', I've never felt more comfortable in New York. I know all of the streets, I am comfortable with being alone without friends in a coffee shop, or just walking aimlessly. It's so funny to think of how something as simple and physical as hair can reflect our mental well-being, and I really love to write about this because I feel like it's true in so many aspects of life; whether it is through clothes, makeup, hair. Though my platinum blond hair symbolized new beginnings, it was better that I stayed true to my roots after all. Take the time to look through old photos and see how your style has changed and what it has reflected. And maybe let me know...what hair change do you regret the most?

Below is a video created by Herbal Essences, Changes, which discusses the topic of hair styling choices reflecting this change that I just discussed but in a way better and beautifully artistic way...

Now, since I'm feeling quite Parisian...what about french-inspired bangs?

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