Why I stopped bleaching my hair
Because "blonds have more fun" is why, and because once upon a time when I was really little, I was a natural blond. But when I started getting older and my hair started to get a little darker, I became adamant that I was going to remain a "true" platinum blond for life. After-all aren't we taught that blond is beautiful?
You will Save Money
It took me a while, but I finally tracked down an amazing stylist (after far too many botched bleach jobs) who only specialized in blonds, and who was actually pretty affordable too, because let's face it, blond is high maintenance and the cost to sustain those highlighted locks adds up quickly between bleaching, olaplexing, toning, conditioning, purple shampooing, etc. So a blond I remained for over 20 years (I started bleaching at 14), highlighting my hair every 4-6 weeks at approximately $200 a full head per appointment (yes, do the math...that's like over $2500 a year). Until recently...
2. Your Hair will be Healthier
I decided to give my hair a much needed break about a year ago, as it seemed to be more dry than usual, was breaking more easily, and then it started to fall out in clumps in the shower. I don't mean handfuls of hair, but much more than I would usually see caught in the drain. (To be honest it got so bad that I even started looking into wigs to cover my thinning, patchy hair). I decided to buy a dark brown hair dye kit from my local pharmacy and DIY'd my new do, hoping that it would fix my problem, only to end up back at the hair dresser to repair my spotty dye job a few days later (thank goodness for hats though haha). Luckily my stylist was a magician, and fixed my fairly damaged disastrous hair turning it into a beautiful balayage still with a bit of blond.
When I came home looking like "brunette-ish" for the first time since I was pregnant (I have to be honest, I did stop bleaching while I was pregnant with my little girl), I looked in the mirror and didn't feel like I looked like myself. I know it might sound silly but I felt sad to no longer be me, blond. But I quickly realized, I had made this decision to give my hair a "break". A BREAK? Right then it came to me, why was my vanity more important than the health of my hair and ultimately my overall health?
I immediately started researching hair loss and chemical hair processing, and it was like a silly epiphany. Imagine... the two are actually linked... of course they are! I had been stripping my hair of it's natural pigment for way too long using chemicals like ammonia, peroxide, fragrance, and many other dangerous chemicals to make my hair look the way that I had thought that I had wanted it to. Many of the chemicals used in hair dyes and bleaching are linked to all sorts of ailments including cancer. YES CANCER. And I have been paying to put these chemicals right onto what is arguably the most lucrative organ in my body. Right then I was out. I no longer will bleach or dye my hair.
To be honest, I feel a bit embarrassed that I did this to myself for so long, but for so long I just did things without asking questions or looking deeper, out of vanity and habit, and in the name of self-care. But I now realize that injecting chemicals into my hair follicles is NOT self-care, and vanity is simply not worth my health. We are constantly being pressured to look a certain way, to age gracefully, to hide who we really are, to hide our greys, but as the mother of a little girl, this is not the message I want her to hear. Being you, all of you, the God that made you you IS beautiful - inside and out. No amount of hair dye, or highlights will ever change that, in fact it will do the complete opposite.
3. You will Love the New You
Fast-forward to today, I have the last few tips of blond to grow out and trim off, but I am happy to say that I finally have a full head of virgin, natural hair again. I actually can't believe how much I love my actual hair colour. It has become much darker over the years, but it is filled with natural highlights, a few wiry greys, it is soft, it is thicker and much healthier. My hair matches my natural complexion, and as my husband likes to point out, makes my green eyes pop haha. To support my hair health I also made sure to research and find a fragrance free, toxin free, natural shampoo and conditioner to switch to from my old purple shampoo and conditioner, which you can check out here.
I'm not telling you all to go out and quit your hairstylist, believe me. I still love getting my hair trimmed, washed and blown out for the odd special occasion. Whatever you choose to do for yourself is up to you, I am just merely sharing my experience, and perhaps one of you will be inspired to look a bit deeper at the toxins and chemicals that exist within the beauty industry before booking your next hair appointment.