From Black To Blue & Back: How To Recover From Unicorn Hair

She looked like me — the brown eyes, the round face, even the dark hair. But, the girl in the salon mirror didn’t feel like me. Or, at least, the most recent version of me: a unicorn.

This past June, I, of fine strands and black tresses, decided to take a break from my 27-year relationship with the dark side. I wanted to experience what so many girls in Asian subcultures — and, really, 75% of all women — seem to thrill in: the transformative powers of hair dye. But, going brunette or red or even blonde wasn’t enough. I wasn’t about to take this cosmetic plunge for something expected. And, so, gray-to-blue-ombré I went.

Little did I know how arduous, painful, and expensive going blue would be. But, who would’ve thought reverting back to my natural color was just as hard? Apparently, just adding black dye on top of blonde hair could turn my mop green. One colorist even told me that because my hair was so damaged and multicolored, it would take three sessions at a rate of $300 each to correct my hair. Needless to say, I was thankful I got a second consultation. But, even from there, it was a journey — going from black to blonde to blue to blonde again and back — but on it, I found myself. A new self, a better self.