Throughout the school day, it is common to catch bursts of color in the form of students and staff sporting vibrant new hairdos. After the boredom of quarantine inspired many to try out wild, eye-catching hues on their hair, students continue to experiment with different colors to express themselves.
One of these dye aficionados, junior Lizzie Hall, dyed her hair half green and half pink to resemble a watermelon last summer, attributing her source of inspiration to the popular split dye trend on Instagram. The result: a punk-rocker look that shines with neon exuberance, especially given her particular style, which lends youthful flair with pigtails and a middle part.
“TikTok be all quirky like ‘I’m gonna dye my hair and look pretty.’ And I’m like, ‘How did you do that?’” Hall said. “I love dyeing my hair and I hadn’t tried it for a while, plus I was getting tired of brown, so I thought, why not just go all out?”
While Hall has received many compliments on her hair, no one has described it in quite the same way.
“Someone said it resembles Cosmo and Wanda,” she said. “Another person said Harley Quinn, but I think they messed up slightly, it’s not the right color palette… And then someone else said I look like Lady Gaga.”
Senior William Owzar, a friend of Hall, has cycled through every color of the rainbow. Preferring to stick to one color for a long time, he has decided to maintain a purple phase for the moment.
“I think hair is such a great place to express yourself. Your hair really is a defining part of who you are, and there’s such an infinite variety, and everyone’s hair is so different and unique,” Owzar said.
Sophomore Mary-Jane Barfield also decided to experiment with pink and red hues, opting for dark fuchsia on top of black to complement her pale skin tone.
“My hair is like my mood ring,” she said. “It changes depending on my emotional state.”
While Hall opted for the salon—involving a seven-hour process at the Veda Institute at University Mall—Barfield and Owzar relied on store-bought dye to do the trick. When salons closed during lockdown, many took the DIY route. Even still, these dye queens are proud of their work.
Alongside the pleasures of having fab locks, Hall, Barfield and Owzar have also had several unexpected moments along their hair journeys.
“I remember I was in the shower and I had this weird green dye coming off my hands—I was like, am I bleeding green? Am I really an alien? OK, who am I kidding, I’m totally an alien,” Hall said.
While students had tried dyeing their hair before the pandemic, quarantine “changed many peoples’ approaches to their sense of self-expression,” according to Hall, and hair represented a prime place to start. When given the opportunity to reinvent themselves, students more often than not wandered into the realm of “YOLO” (You Only Live Once), sparked by “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out) while combating home isolation.
“I’ve been dyeing my hair since I was nine years old, but I think the pandemic just gave me more opportunities to try new things,” Owzar said. “I wasn’t seeing anyone anyway, so I could really do whatever I wanted.”
For Hall, dyeing her hair represents a bit of a paradox. While she has said that she doesn’t like being the center of attention—despite wearing a signature neon yellow hoodie—Hall still desires a bold look for her hair.
“I’d rather have fun colored hair and just be like, ‘Hey, thanks for the compliment,’” she explained. “It elevates my self worth and makes me feel more comfy, since I like myself a little bit better with fun hair.”
Desiring uniqueness as well, freshman Tara Henson adopted a blue afro, allowing her natural hair to take center stage, accented with the help of her favorite color. While she has wanted to dye her hair since elementary school, she was only able to do so once she entered high school due to her parents.
“My hair is totally ridiculous, but that’s what I love about it,” Henson said. “It’s different, and it kinda does whatever it wants. Either way, it looks good.”
In the crucible of quarantine, as the world went haywire and boundaries blurred, many students decided to let their hair loose. But what about teachers?
Breaking free of her dark brown bob, math teacher and cross country coach Hana Baskin also latched onto the dye trend with electric blue hair streaked with green. Often found running near East, she can be easily identified by her bright, vibrant high ponytail waving in the wind.
“Originally, I wanted to go blonde,” Baskin said. “And then I guess one day, I decided to be a little funky.”
In the future, students and teachers hope to continue dyeing their hair and experimenting with different hues in order to discover what color and style best suits their visions for themselves.
When asked what color she wanted to dye her hair next, Barfield was driven into a state of excited frenzy.
“I honestly can’t decide,” she said. “There are endless options… but I guess that’s the magic of it, because why not do everything?”
Considering coloring your hair? Take these words of practical advice from Hall first: “I would definitely, definitely do some research before we just start doing whatever… that’s how we end up in a lot of bad situations. That’s how you get on TikTok fails, and how you will end up in a Reddit thread… I would definitely do some Googling, please look at least one article like WikiHow.”
And take this bit of wisdom from Owzar about preventing dye-damage: “A big part of the dye process is knowing how to properly take care of your hair, especially depending on your hair type. Even if you happen to damage your hair and it seems like it’s just a little thing in the long run, it can be really harmful to your scalp. Bleach your hair a little bit at a time, and don’t use box bleach—I recommend bleach that has aloe in it, and using a good shampoo and conditioner. No matter how safe you make the process, your hair might be a little bit fried. So, you have to take care of it before, during, and after the dye process.”
Want to turn your hair dyeing into a social activity? Listen to Hall: “Dyeing your hair could also be like a fun bonding activity with friends. If you want it to be temporary, you can do hair chalk. Personally, I prefer permanent dye. I don’t like temporary products because they go away really quickly and I’m like, ‘Hold on, What was the point of all that effort?’ Honestly, I’d rather hate it and stick with it rather than have it washed away in a couple days.”
Main image courtesy of Sal Brinson; gallery images by Helen Katz/ECHO
