The Major Hair Change I Made Now That Salons Are Finally Open Again

When it comes to hair, my Mount Everest has always been bangs, specifically blunt bangs. Anytime I book a hair appointment, I inevitably ponder whether or not this appointment is the one where I should take the plunge, despite every Pinterest board, Instagram account, and my sister telling me it’s a terrible idea (for upkeep reasons and the very important reason that I just don’t necessarily know that I personally can pull this style off).

There are a few reasons for my obsession with this bangs: First, I just think they are chic as heck and I’m addicted to changing up my look. But mostly, it’s because of the thrill. The tingle of a new aesthetic and the excitement that can only come from the idea that with just a snip of some razor-sharp scissors, I could actually be someone like, say Emma Roberts, who can can rock micro bangs. Which is all to say that I would quite literally give away my first born Rumpelstiltskin-style to have a chunky, ill-fitting, sad sack of blunt bangs adorning my forehead right now. Or more specifically — I’d just love to do something new and drastic with my hair. And luckily, now we can.

While hair salons across Canada have been in various stages of shuttering and un-shuttering, with people in provinces like B.C. allowed to cut their hair since May of last year (lucky ducks!), in provinces with higher COVID rates, the last eight months has been a sad, sad time for our hair. In Ontario, where I live, and Quebec, salons and barber shops have been forced to close and re-open up to three times during the course of the pandemic, sometimes for as long as eight months. And it had a pretty big effect on the industry, too. 

But, as of the beginning of July, barbers and salons are officially back in business. And people are taking advantage of it. Forget bangs, this summer is going to be all about taking real risks with our hair: Like dyeing your hair to look like something inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night kind of risks.

As the last of salons opened up across the country, we spoke with 10 women and non-binary people about the big hair change they made once they could get back into the salon (FYI, there's tons of blonde). And of course, we asked for pictures!