In case you missed it, I went through a hair change recently.
After going for a blonde balayage look last spring, I decided to go back to being a brunette… but I kept the balayage look because I think it’s so stylish! I didn’t go quite completely back to my natural black hair, but I did get closer to it.
You might be asking, “why change your hair at all?” Well, my answer to that is at the time I thought dying my hair a lighter color would make me look more professional, and give me a “cheery” appearance when I would go to business meetings, and maybe… just maybe… I wouldn’t be called a “goth” as often.
I was tired of being made fun of for my natural look and tired of being told by my superiors that I was “harsh”. Were they talking about my words or my look? I guess I’ll never really know, but I thought “looking lighter” would help me be received better. Furthermore, balayage is still really trendy right now, and I think it’s a cute style! I wanted to try it on.
I didn’t quite get any of that “better reception” as a blonde.
Here’s a few things that I learned while being a blonde, and a few things I’ve learned as a brunette too.
- Blonde or brunette made no difference in how I was treated in business: I still was “too harsh” or “combative” when I stood up for myself or others. Hair color had absolutely nothing to do with how I was perceived, and it didn’t help me either. My observation was that the clothes I wore, and a more “eager to please” and subservient attitude was what got me the attention I thought I wanted.
- Being a brunette enhances my facial features: Go figure that reverting to closer to my natural hair color brought out the features I was naturally given!
- Being a blonde was really hard on my hair: The bleach did some damage, as expected, and I needed more conditioner to smooth it. Now that I’m just coloring my hair, it feels healthier.
- Having my hair styled with more layers and a shorter cut made me feel amazing: Color didn’t have anything to do with it. The cut made it easier to get ready in the morning and made me feel more polished but not so mature that I didn’t still feel young and fresh.
Overall, I learned that the cut really is more important than the color -though the color change can add a nice polish.
Love what you got friends! That, will forever be in vogue.