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Last year I was intrigued by this story written by Fair Lady's beauty ed, Kelli Clifton. A self-confessed hair colour addict, jumping from unicorn pink to mermaid tail green, she's done it all!
And more recently I've been swooning over local fashion girl Crystal Kasper's drastic hair change:
From the fabulousness...
To this utter, utter dopeness...
But is it always a happy transition? And what encourages one to take the leap?
We asked 3 women to tell us about their experience with hair colour change:
Carmen
"I dyed my hair purple back in 2016 and it was so much fun. I wanted to do something drastic. I had just gone through a bad break up and wasn’t feeling myself and was a bit bored with my hair. Plus my best friend kept encouraging me to do it since she’s got bright blue hair.
"So I decided to take the leap and turn my dark brown hair into a lovely shade of purple. It was AWESOME. It took some getting used to though because I was still surprised every time I looked in the mirror.
"So I went to the hairdresser and had them dye my hair completely blonde – also another interesting experience – and then went home and dyed it purple with a powdered dye I that was recommended to me by my best friend. The result was amazing and I loved the attention I got.
"Upkeep was a bit of a mission though because it washed out so I had to reapply the powder and conditioner mixture at least once every 3 weeks. I eventually dyed my hair back after about 7 months and significant regrowth, but it was so much fun having purple hair. I have no regrets and using a powdered dye instead of a peroxide based dye really saved my hair a lot. I recommend having a crazy hair colour at least once in your life."
Natasha
From chemically processed hair, with the use of crème relaxers, to a short tightly coiled blonde mini do:
Now...
"The decision that lead me to the big-chop was simply driven by me wanting change (I kind of get bored easily). This change involved cutting my chemically processed hair and to explore my natural hair.
"Not only was this based on being ‘liberated’ of chemicals and the occasional burns I experience on my scalp because of the crème relaxer; the shelves in the hair care aisles were all of a sudden filled with a variety of products that can love and maintain my natural 4c kinky hair.
"This was truly fascinating and I needed to nurture my hair from the roots. For the longest time the shelves didn’t cater for my coils."
Going blonde...
The good
1. I’ve gained authority over my hair: I’ve got options now, from hair custards for my specific hair type, to olive oil and shea-butter infused shampoos. Who would’ve thought?
2. Trial and error days are gone! I’m more confident in how my hair grows now.
3. My hair can breathe! A simple wash and air dry is all I need, and I’m ready to tackle my day.
4. I can explore with colour… cautiously though.
5. Water is my bestie now: Water on my relaxed hair was a no-go zone. Now water can actually bring my hair back to life when it’s dry and it actually helps absorb products better.
Image: Giphy
The bad
1. I sometimes feel and look like a boy… lol. I guess I’m still getting used to having short hair.
2. My hair now needs extra TLC.
3. Good quality hair products are quite pricey. A defining hair gelée or custard can easily go up to R299.
4. Maintaining natural hair is a lot of work. From detangling knots to deciding which protective hairstyle is suitable for your hair texture; while staying clear of anything that will compromise your edges (hair around the hairline).
Marisa
The peach pink hair trend was real in 2015. Instagram was flooded with images of street style queens effortlessly rocking this beloved hue.
So, never having tried a colour I opted to give this one a go. And I still regret it to this day.
My already beige blonde hair had to be completely bleached in order for the colour to work/pop.
I had to then keep my hair bleached after the pink faded to minimise the stark contrast between the bleached blonde and my more natural dark blonde hair.
After 'maintaining' this ultra blonde look for a few months a piece of my hair just broke off one day. Snapped like a twig.
I was like...
Image: Giphy
It took my hair so long to heal from the damage of the peroxide. It was uneven for YEARS. Not months. Now finally my tresses are on their way to recovery. It meant lots of TLC and minimal highlights.
So the moral of my story is not to ever believe that a trend is necessarily for everyone. My hair couldn't take it, at least now there are products like Olaplex that can prevent such severe damage; but indulging my thirst for a pop of pink (that only really lasted a few weeks before fading) was SO not worth it.
Be sure to ask your hairdresser about the pros and cons of a colour treatment on your specific hair type before taking a blind leap like I did.
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