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If’s Sense 8's Riley Blue was a real person, I'd let her have it and yell at her with all my might. My scalp is burning and feels like scorched earth or as if someone had poured petrol over my head and threw a lighter on it afterwards.
However, it's not Riley Blue's fault that I decided to transform my chocolate brown hair into a shining platinum blonde. Whilst sitting in front of the mirror at my favourite hairdresser's with an itchy head that made me nearly go crazy, horror stories cross my mind. Such as hair loss due to chemical breakage or hair turning into orange or – even worse – green. But there's no use for such thoughts as I am in the middle of this not overly easy hair bleaching and colouring process. All strands are painted with bleach, rolled into aluminium foil and my head's stuck under a heating hood. This is the so called point of no return.
Four hours later, I almost don't recognize myself when I look at my reflection in the mirror chez Victor from Blow Coiffure: There's a woman gazing at me with extremely healthy hair that is glowing and shining as if woven of moonlight. "Well, hello Galadriel!" I think and can't get over the new long bob hair style that Victor cut beforehand. "We want you to look like a modern version of Marilyn Monroe" he said. Now he can't hold himself back and keeps telling me how right he was by convincing me to change my hair colour.
Honestly, I couldn't agree more. Not only am I totally head over heels for my new look, my friends also went a little crazy and spammed my Instagram feed with comments: "WOW!", "You look great" or "You'll see: Blondes have more fun!" Would that last one really be the truth?
Yes and no. No, because my bleached hair needs so much pampering than before – hair oil every second or third day, for example, is a must if I want to keep this lustrous feeling. Furthermore, some lipsticks are suddenly a no-no. Pink lipstick gives me a touch of Barbie and violet eyeshadow makes me look like one of Captain Kirk's extra-terrestrial lovers out of a Star Trek: The Original Series episode.
Another complication is my wardrobe. As a brunette, I favoured loose-fit clothing and logging shirts. Even Lord of the Ring's Arwen could have pulled this look off without losing her feminine touch. Now, as a blonde, I have to rethink my styling and choose long forgotten romantic dresses from my closet. The more Giambattista Valli-like, the better, as I realize one day whilst getting my morning coffee; an unknown woman compliments me for my look which is very untypical for Swiss people.
Suddenly people seem to behave nicer and more mindfully when meeting me – not only where I work, but in everyday life. This makes me smile a lot more than before, even unconsciously, and I've become more outgoing.
Some might say that becoming blonde was all about pleasing men. But as a woman, who fights for equality in every sense I say to this, becoming blonde helped me to find my truest self – letting my light shine and becoming the most confident version of myself ever. I quit leaving my house with heavy shoulders and started meeting people with an open heart. I have also become softer and less edgy – a change my friends remarked as well: "You shine bright, love", they say. And above all: "You look so so happy!"
You see, becoming a blonde has been way more for me than changing a hair colour. It is about finding out who you really are. This is why I'll keep enduring the slightly painful colouring process. Or in other words: I'll embrace it from now on.
From my heart to yours,
Irène
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