I’ve Had Each Single Hair Coloration Attainable In The Final Yr

A 12 months into the weirdest and most tragic time in trendy historical past, each individual has developed their very own assortment of coping mechanisms to assist get via every day. Some coping methods, like snacking, have been pretty common and skilled by most individuals. Others—reminiscent of a good friend of mine who’s been meticulously planning subsequent 12 months’s holidays down to every meal—are a bit extra particular person. Enter my very own high mechanism for coping with the doldrums of nonstop dwelling life: dying my hair a model new shade each month.

How It Started

I’ve had blue hair for a lot of my grownup life. It’s my favourite shade total, and I’m significantly into denim hues for hair. I coloured my very own hair in my youth however gladly paid a colorist for years since as a result of it’s a messy, odorous factor to try this comes with the danger of potential hair harm. The harm danger holds very true if in case you have naturally black hair, as I do, and likewise lack endurance. I had a several-year run with darkish denim hair till summer time 2019, after I dyed it magenta for the season, then returned to blue by that fall.

When quarantine was proper about to hit in March 2020, I noticed my colorist and requested for a change to darkish inexperienced, largely to distract from my already-beginning sense of impending doom. Los Angeles shut down fully throughout the week, and by April, I used to be laid off and in want of initiatives. I transitioned my hair shade by myself to a shiny blue, and my shade journey took off.

How It Progressed

Because it was for a lot of, final spring is a little bit of a blur for me. I can’t say precisely what in-between colours had been concerned within the shade transition, however by June, I had dyed my hair (and processed my very own roots) a metallic pink, with darkish inexperienced turning into a distant, pre-quarantine reminiscence. All through the summer time, my hair was at various occasions cotton sweet pink, rose gold, lilac, and lavender.

By fall, I used to be feeling autumn vibes. I used to be not, nevertheless, seeing any autumn vibes. In L.A., our climate is thought for being pretty one-note and never involving precise seasons. My favourite extrapolation of it is a line from a Jenny Lewis track: “I suppose it’s spring, I didn’t know / It’s at all times 75 with no melting snow.” I really like the everlasting spring nature of L.A., however I’m additionally an avid traveler. I often expertise “actual” autumn by visiting my mother and father of their tree-laden state or trekking round cities like San Francisco and New York Metropolis. 2020, after all, didn’t contain any autumnal journey. So, I turned my hair into autumn.

I dyed my curls cascading purple, orange, and yellow and lower the grown-out bob right into a shag form, which I watched YouTube movies for instruction. My urge to see fall foliage felt as happy as attainable, all issues thought-about. 

We’re heading into spring once more, and I’ve run via each shade of blue—from darkish denim to powder—all through the winter. Presently, it’s a shiny, pop artwork iteration of my favourite shade. How has this seemingly trite exercise palpably brightened my pandemic life, not to mention to the purpose the place I credit score it as a high coping mechanism for maintaining my sanity? There are a number of methods.

The Thrill of Sure

Pandemic life is rife with no’s; from each exercise we will’t do, to each good friend and beloved one we will’t hug. Desirous to do one thing and telling your self that “sure, you may,” is a heat welcome of respite amongst all these no’s. Each time I believe up a brand new hair shade, I inform myself sure. If I don’t have the colour readily available, I purchase it on-line, and even the most costly salon manufacturers of direct dye price lower than $20 every. With the multitude of colours I’ve bought this previous 12 months, I’ve scarcely spent greater than I used to on one single skilled hair shade appointment, that means there’s at all times room in my pockets for an additional tube of enjoyable. The power to inform myself sure to one thing I need, then comply with via by doing it inside days makes me really feel joyful and empowered. Shopping for dye is a small buy, nevertheless it brings nice satisfaction.

The Restlessness

This previous 12 months has concerned an intensive lack of change for a lot of. We frequently hear about dwelling redecoration or DIY building of rooms into gyms, saunas, and extra. As a renter, the latter is out of my attain. For redecorating, my front room is an odd, hexagonal form, so I haven’t been in a position to rearrange my furnishings, which I’ve had a robust want to do. My bed room is similar form, and thus, an equally motionless state of affairs. 

I am going principally nowhere besides on walks, so the place I’m the most probably these days to expertise life change is in my creativeness, by the use of the novels I learn (which throughout my pandemic unemployment was upwards of 1 a day, and now lies between two and three per week) or the television I watch. Seeing one thing drastically totally different after I look within the mirror has assuaged my want for change. I’ve been altering my shade usually sufficient that by the point I get used to my reflection, I change issues up once more throughout the week. This usually makes me do a double-take after I see myself requiring a second or two of processing. That second or two sounds trivial, nevertheless it’s enormous.

Visible Stimulation

I really like shiny colours, and in contrast to many individuals, I like to be shiny colours. Nowhere is that this extra evident than by myself physique, the place dozens of rainbowy tattoos reside on my pores and skin. I additionally love cityscapes, sunsets, flower gardens, and dense, populated areas full of extra indicators than I might ever learn. My dwelling’s rooms every have thematic colorscapes, with my front room embellished in solely major shiny purple and blue. I take pleasure in seeing shade, and much more, I just like the visible stimulation of recent and totally different colours. Nothing a lot modifications in my dwelling, as talked about, and tattoos aren’t precisely a pandemic precedence, so my hair has been a pure go-to for shade stimulation. 

Tasks

If you happen to’ve ever tried to maintain naturally black hair that’s been processed to just about white wholesome, you recognize it’s principally a part-time job. This previous 12 months, I’ve change into adept at protein remedies, permitting for the proper pause in time between doing my roots to not weaken my hair an excessive amount of and transitioning between hair colours with out utilizing harsh shade removers (the key: powdered vitamin C). I used to be already adept at doing my very own extensions however had by no means performed round with dye shade combos or tough to attain colours like metallic pastels. Some took a number of tries and/or a number of manufacturers to attain. Many hours have been spent, and lots of wins have been had. The great thing about not attaining the look I wished is that I can go proper again into the lavatory and check out once more. 

If you happen to’ve discovered your personal model of biking via the hair shade rainbow, you seemingly perceive the place I’m coming from. If there was ever a time to get pleasure from small victories and to learn to please ourselves, this previous 12 months has been it. 

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