I Went Back to My Natural Hair Color, and It Was a Massive Mistake

Every woman in my family dyes her brunette hair blond. My mom, my sister, and for more than two decades, me. Having blond hair has become part of my identity. In fact, if you were to ask most of the people who know me, they'd say I was a natural blonde, because they have never seen my natural hair color. My kids are even (naturally) blonde, so no one questions my lightened hair hue.

But after spending thousands of dollars and countless hours in the hairdresser's chair, a few years ago, I finally reached my breaking point. I found myself wondering, "What if I just stopped with all of this maintenance and went back to being a brunette?" Besides the time and financial commitment involved in keeping up my blond-ness, I'd begun to feel like I wasn't being true to myself. And to live my most authentic life, I knew what I had to do.

I visited the salon with high hopes and imagined walking out of there a liberated woman, free of the chains of highlights and toners, my freshly darkened locks flying in the wind. I'd get endless compliments about how great I looked! And I'd think, "Why didn't I do this sooner?" Um, except that's not exactly how things played out.

The moment my hairdresser spun me around in her chair, and I saw my reflection in the mirror, I knew I'd made a massive mistake. Not only did I not recognize myself, but I looked, well, awful. Gone was my usually healthy looking skin tone. My new, dark hair had washed out my complexion, making me appear as though I'd been hidden away from the sun for years. Instead of the glossy, Kardashian-like locks I'd envisioned, I resembled Wednesday Addams.

Maybe I was just being hard on myself. Except, no. Others weren't a fan of my new look either and quickly yet gently acknowledged that blond hair suited me far better. That is when I realized something that kinda changed my life: sometimes your most authentic self requires a little, ahem, help. Whatever it takes to make you feel like the best, most beautiful version of yourself is completely OK and nothing to feel ashamed of.

It wasn't long before I was in the hairdresser's chair, going back to blond. This time, when I saw my reflection in the mirror after my service, I saw me. I was back and that felt amazing. So, never again will I be tempted to go back to my natural hair color. I'd much rather feel comfortable in my own hair, no matter how much it costs, or how many hours I have to waste away in a hair salon. It's worth the investment of time and money after all. And I'd encourage anyone who spends a little extra time and cash on their appearance but feels better for it to soldier on! See you at the salon.