“Pain is temporary, swag is forever”, is a motto people use when talking about piercings. But for hair, I like to say, “Swag is temporary, fried and crunchy hair is forever.” Impulse decisions and hair experiments are things that I, and probably many others, have fallen prey to. Changing one’s hair is a form of self expression that is fun and refreshing, but even with the best products and routines, it can still lead to unhealthy hair. So how can one help this?
Over the past few years, my hair has been on its own journey, undergoing many changes. When I was little, I would watch YouTube videos where bleach or a failed perm would fry and melt people’s hair off. Famous content creator Brad Mondo’s reviews of failed DIY hair jobs were supposed to be a warning for me not to dye my hair at home. He failed. Instead, he taught me that there was a cheaper alternative to change my hair without needing to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars. Although the price is cheap, the consequences that result from it always seem to be much greater.
When I was younger I constantly wanted my long thick hair to be short and different. Now that I have gotten older, I miss the healthy undamaged hair I had. Following the 2022 dyed hair trends, I changed my hair for the first time, dying the bottom layer of my hair red and leaving the top layer black. I loved seeing such a drastic change in my hair. It was an exhilarating feeling. I felt like I had healed my inner child. After a while though, I came to regret that decision because my hair was fried indefinitely, despite the numerous products and hair routines I tried. Eventually, I resigned to just leaving my hair alone and allowing it to breathe.
Junior Gabriela Yee shares a similar experience, as when she was younger, Yee also enjoyed watching Brad Mondo and felt inspired to do at home hair experiments.
“I watched him like others and thought it was really interesting, I knew once I got older I was gonna do it,” Yee said.
Although Yee now dyes her hair at home, she started at professional salons but felt that it was a waste of money after going in for the first time to get highlights.
“I started doing my hair at home because it was much more affordable compared to a salon,” Yee said.
Salon prices can be outrageous so doing hair at home makes the experience affordable and fun, especially when done with friends. Although dying one’s hair at home can provide a short rush of dopamine, in the long run it can be pretty harmful for your hair. Yee somewhat regrets the excessive damage that the chemicals in the dye have caused her hair.
“My hair is honestly really dead and fried, and has so many layers of color because of all the different colors I have dyed it,” Yee said.
However, there are websites, like Healthline, that give tips and tricks on how to help and repair your hair such as oiling, which has been proven to help and rehydrate your hair. Another recommendation would be to avoid or completely stop prolonged heat exposure. The impact of dye on one’s hair can also be catastrophic because of the harsh chemicals that are in the dye to create the color. Bleach strips layers of color from the hair to achieve a lighter shade. Chemicals like peroxide ammonia, found in most permanent hair dyes, change the hair structure and make it dry so it’s prone to breakage.
My hair has always been prone to breakage but after lots of research and returning back to my Indian heritage, hair oiling has been the most helpful for healing it. But ultimately, avoiding heat and dye will be the best for preventing hair damage.
