Prowl Magazine: Dying hair as a form of self-expression
Bri Isaacs was filling up her gas tank when she heard a crash — someone had rammed his car into a bank because he was staring at her bold, blue hair.
People of all ages, including Isaacs, dye their hair vibrant colors as a way to express themselves.
“I feel like I have different personalities with different hair colors,” said the senior sociology major. “With blue I kind of feel like I’m a little more edgy and I like the weird attention that I get from it.”
Isaacs said she tried to dye her hair blue on her own, but it didn’t turn out the way she had imagined. She then asked her friend, who’s a professional hair stylist, to touch it up for her.
Veronica Rosales, a hairdresser at The Plaza Salon on Chapman Avenue, said that she recommends people see a professional when applying funky colors because they need to bleach their hair before adding the color.
“I’ve had so many color corrections that I’ve done because people try to do things at home,” Rosales said. “It’s twice the hassle and it’s twice the work. It can be fixed most of the time, but I probably wouldn’t recommend you do any heavy lightening at home.”
Rosales said she doesn’t mind working with dirty hair, but warns against using heavy conditioners because they’re more difficult to wash out.
“We’re recommended to detoxify the hair so it’s a quick rinse with a shampoo,” Rosales said. “That clears out anything that will impede color from going into the hair and (the color) will stay in there for a longer amount of time.”
The condition of the client’s hair is important for Rosales to consider when dying it.
“The more porous the hair is, the more it’s going to drop color,” Rosales said. “A little bit more damaged hair tends to not keep color in as much.”
She said virgin hair, which has never been dyed before, is most likely to keep color that matches exactly what the client desires, but Rosales said it’s important for colorists to customize color to hair type.
“What really matters is how you formulate,” Rosales said. “If you have a good formula for a specific hair type, that’s really what is behind being a colorist. You can’t really use the same thing for everybody.”
Pastel colors are popular right now, even among the older crowd, according to Rosales. She had just given a 30 year-old woman a lavender pixie cut that morning.
Rosales advises her clients with bold colors to use products that fortify the color every time they wash their hair.
“Treat it like it’s your baby because the more that you take care of it, the more you can do with it,” Rosales said.
For all-over color, Rosales charges anywhere from $95 to $155 and dye jobs that require lightening can cost more than $175. Just dying the tips would be $65 to $80.
As far as Rosales is concerned, dying hair bright colors isn’t a trend, but a lifestyle.
“Weird is a good thing. If you’re a little different, that’s weird and that’s cool,” Rosales said. “It’s become more acceptable to have funky colors in your hair.”
Nathan Nociar, a senior theatre performance major, has dyed his hair many different variations of blue, black and indigo, and said how people react to his hair divulges a lot about their character.
“After my experience with people from different walks of life and different ages, I’ll just say that it’s a personality test,” Nociar said. “From the way people approach me and their reactions, it tells me something about them.”
Nociar doesn’t think bold hair is meant to express something about the individual in a way that isn’t conventional, but also doesn’t come off as provocative. He said that it’s a form of self-expression and he chose to dye his hair now that he’s a student and not in the professional world.
Nociar has tried dying his hair at home and going to a salon. When dying it himself, he puts newspaper down on all the countertops and a paint drop-down on the bathroom floor, he applies petroleum jelly to his skin to ensure it doesn’t stain and covers up with clothing to further protect his skin. But he prefers going to a salon because they can lighten his hair without causing too much damage, although sometimes it’s difficult to communicate what he wants with the colorist.
“They tend to think of a different hue than I’m thinking of,” Nociar said. “But I’ve accepted the fact that you can’t really expect what you want and you just live with what you get.”
But once he found someone who could create the color he was looking for, he wanted to keep it looking fresh for as long as possible.
“What I found to be kind of a secret among people with bold colors is we don’t wash our hair that often because it tends to fade,” Nociar said. “I’ve gone with a product called Hairtrition, which doesn’t have any sulfates in it so that way it doesn’t pull the color out.”
Incorporating such bold colors into his wardrobe has caused Nociar to make some considerations when picking out his clothes.
“I don’t like to clash that much, so when I have a certain hair color it kind of effects what I wear. Not necessarily style, but color,” Nociar said. Nociar said he can’t wear one of his favorite green dress shirts because the color doesn’t mix well with his bright blue hair.
Clarissa Hampton, a junior art history major, chose the color pink to put in her hair because she didn’t think it would clash with a lot of her clothing.
“I don’t wear any pink and thought it’d be a good complement,” Hampton said. “I felt really stressed from finals and I was like, this is a good creative outlet.”
Hampton was inspired by photographs online of women with dusty rose-colored hair, but she said she wasn’t worried about the color turning out exactly like the pictures. She went to a friend who’s a licensed professional, who bleached her hair twice with basic wholesale bleach before adding a semi-permanent pink color.
“I’m lucky because I have really oily hair, so as far as the bleach goes, my hair isn’t as damaged as other friends I’ve had who have dyed their hair crazy colors and it gets really brittle,” Hampton said. “My hair does OK, it’s just a little dry but my ends don’t break off.”
For Hampton, the only downside to dying her hair is the upkeep because she constantly has to keep dying it.
Isaacs dyes her hair every couple of months when it’s her natural dirty blonde color, and touches it up every couple of weeks if it’s a bold color. She said her next color will probably be light pink, and she also wants to try lavender. No matter the color, Isaacs has a trick to keep her hair looking vibrant and healthy.
“If you have brown or any other color, you want to keep (the hair dye) in your conditioner because that way it keeps your color,” Isaacs said. “I leave that conditioner in for an hour just so it will stay.”
If You'd Like to Try This At Home...
1. Gather materials
- Non-metallic containers to mix the bleach and color separately
- Hair bleach and developer
- Hair dye of your choosing, which will typically come with a dye brush and latex gloves
- Petroleum jelly to protect your skin from getting stained
- An old towel and clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty
- Hair clips to section hair and a shower cap are optional, but recommended
- Products specifically for colored, chemically-treated or damaged hair to use afterward and keep it healthy
2. Bleach your hair— Especially if you have dark hair, it will need to be lightened before dying it a vibrant, unnatural color. If you try to apply color without bleaching your hair first, it will simply add a tint to your natural color. Depending on the natural color of your hair, you may want to consider going to see a professional to ensure that it turns out white-blonde, which will hold color the best, as opposed to the yellow or orange hair that results when lightening goes wrong. If you opt to purchase your own bleach, you can find kits at any local beauty supply store. For medium to dark blonde, buy 20 volume developer; for dark blonde to medium brown, buy 30 volume; for dark brown or black hair, buy 40 volume. Some hair may require multiple bleaches, such as long, thick and/or red hair, so be sure to buy extra bleach in case you need more than you anticipate.
3. Rinse out the bleach— If you decide to bleach your hair at home, be sure to read all instructions on the kit before applying the product to your hair. Typically, you’ll need to wait about 30 to 45 minutes before rinsing the bleach out of your hair. It may feel dry and brittle, but this is normal. Don’t wash your hair at this stage.
4. Tone your hair— If your hair turns a yellow-blonde instead of white, you may need to go back to that beauty supply store and purchase a purple toner. The toner will aid the lightening process and the color purple is what turns your hair into the optimal shade of blonde.
5. Get ready to dye your hair— Wait a few days after lightening your hair, so you don’t completely destroy it all in one day. Some people also claim that dying their hair when it’s a bit oily helps the color stay. Others swear by washing their hair with clarifying shampoo before dying it. Regardless of how clean your hair is, apply petroleum jelly around your hairline and on your ears to prevent them from getting stained. Also utilize latex gloves and your clothing to protect your skin from the hair dye. Mix the dye in a non-metallic container and wait a few minutes for it to develop.
6. Dye your hair— This step is often easier with the help of another person, so ask a friend, family member or significant other to be part of this process. The best way to ensure your hair color will come out looking like it was done by a professional is to use hair clips to section your hair before applying the color. Separating your hair into four sections is ideal. For all-over applications, color the roots first and then move down to the ends. Continue doing this until your hair is completely covered in the dye. Using a shower cap while your hair processes will keep it out of the way and it helps your hair soak up the color. Applying heat will shorten the process, but how long you keep the dye in will depend on the color and your specific hair type.
7. Rinse your hair— After the allotted time has elapsed, rinse out the dye with cold water until the water that runs from your hair is clear. Don’t shampoo your hair immediately, but if your hair dye kit came with conditioner, clean your hair with that alone.
8. Maintain your color— Most bold hair colors are only semi-permanent which means they’ll wash out and fade rather quickly. Avoid shampooing your hair too often and especially wait at least a day or two after initially dying your hair to wash it. You can typically wash it once every two or three days to help keep the color in tact. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shower! Continue to condition your hair every day and do a deep condition on the days that you shampoo. Showering in cold water helps as well.
9. Touch up your color— Hair is constantly growing, which means your natural color will start to come through at your roots. How often you’ll need to touch up your hair will depend on how quickly your hair grows. You will need to re-apply bleach (and possibly toner) to your roots and then apply a new coat of color all over to rejuvenate your look.
