I Dyed My Jet-Black Hair Bright Red — & This Is What I Look Like Now

For many people, bright red is the ultimate hair dream. Sharifa Easmin, the star of the latest episode of Hair Me Out, is one of them. In this week's episode, she traded in her long, jet-black strands for the same fiery hue that's trending in Hollywood — despite the nerves that happened along the way.

"I've never dyed my hair because I was too nervous," she says. "I wanted to do something drastic, but not blonde, so I felt like red was a good compromise that would be flattering on me." She went to Rob Peetoom salon in New York City where pros Sergio Pattirane and Linda de Zeeuw kickstarted her transformation. "Zendaya recently dyed her hair in a beautiful vibrant red and that's exactly what I want," says Easmin.

The stylists lifted her naturally-dark base and applied a bright maroon gloss on top, a look that Easmin was once told wouldn't work for her complexion. "I definitely think that black hair is tied to Southeast Asian identity," says Easmin, reflecting on her transformation. "I’ve been told that I should keep my hair black and that it suits brown girls better and I think that’s ridiculous."

In fact, Easmin walked out of the salon with fire-engine red strands and brand new confidence. Press play to see her transformation above.