Does your hair colour reflect who you are?

Have you ever coloured your hair? Mine has been so many shades of blonde and brown that I almost forget what my natural hair colour is, although of late I have decided, as part of my authenticity kick, to go au naturel and frankly it is now decidedly grey.

But it was fascinating to read in a recent article that colouring our hair is more than cosmetic. “We have a deep-rooted emotional connection with the shade we choose, which can reveal our mood, mindset and ultimately who we are,” shares Caroline Brien.

Interesting. One hairstylist agreed, saying that changing our hair colour is like making a statement, and if we have been going through a tough time, it means we are feeling braver and more attractive. But it does raise the question as to why we have such an emotional attachment to our hair when we could also just buy new clothes to change our appearance.

Price, I am sure, comes into it. With this economic climate, buying a cheap, DIY hair colour kit can be a real pick-me-up, offering instant gratification and a brand new look. Who cares, some of you may be asking, but it is an interesting insight into the female psyche, of how changing our hair colour impacts our persona.

My father was a redhead, as is my daughter. But I remember when she was a teen saying goodnight to her as a redhead and waking up in the morning to find a brassy blonde. To say I was furious would be an understatement, especially when her natural hair colour was the envy of all, and others went to great lengths to colour their hair red.

Obviously it was an issue of power and control, and as a teenager she was flexing her muscles and making a statement that she was in charge of her body and her hair, thank you very much. I didn’t like it, but I backed off. Well, until she was getting married. By then she was a brunette and I made a special request that she get married as a redhead. And she did.

I recall when one of my girlfriends had cancer and was losing her hair as a result of the chemo, that she intentionally chose wigs that were not her normal look. She thought it was an opportunity to play around and be different people. She had a short, saucy red wig for days when she was feeling chipper and a curly blonde one for when she was more down, declaring she wanted to find out if blondes truly did have more fun. The wigs added some spice to a difficult time and gave her some pleasure as she changed her look.

Reflective of the times, the stylist in the article commented that over styling of hair is now considered in slightly bad taste. Instead, women are choosing to keep it simple, more natural and authentic.

Who knew? I am moving with the trends. I just thought my hair colour reflected the wisdom of my years and a life well lived.