Growing up, I did not like my hair’s natural unruly texture very much. At one point, I was so embarrassed by it that I even considered permanently straightening my hair. Friends back then would often comment and make fun of my hair. Even the salons at that time didn’t help. They kept straightening it and told me that my hair would have looked prettier if it were straightened.
However, my family has always been my biggest support system. I love them to bits because, they’re chilled out, super stylish and loving. But you know, when you’re young, as much as they love you, you don’t always listen to them. You eventually go ahead with trying to fit in with the crowd.
In 2013, things started to change for the better. I was in NYC studying dance, and all the dancers I met out there had such funky, coloured hairstyles. I was in awe! I often thought to myself, ‘I wish I had the courage and confidence to pull it off like they did.’ To me, they all looked so comfortable and happy in their own skin.
It’s not just them, but even my mom loves to experiment with her hair. She once coloured it red and that was all it took to inspire me to follow in her footsteps.
I remember one of my friends disapproving of my red hairdo, saying that it didn’t look good. But It didn’t really bother me, I kept it anyway because I loved the colour red. I later experimented with an undercut and then went super short keeping the red. And when I did make the change, I luckily found the perfect salon for my hair right next to where I live – Zido Salon, 16th road, Bandra West!
I love visiting the staff because they really know how to look after my hair. They’re super honest about what style would work and what wouldn’t. The best part is that you can also communicate with them before they get down to working on your hair.
I think they have seen me transcend from my previous look to my current, bold avatar. I can honestly say that visiting them was the best decision I’ve ever made. Because for me, my hair is my asset and identity. So when I colour or do something different, it makes me feel really badass when I dance.
It’s hard to believe that formerly I used to be this coy girl who thought she had to follow the rules to belong, but now, I’m just really comfortable and happy being different. I don’t care about fitting in like I used to before.
A lot of people tell me that colouring hair damages it in the long run. I personally think that if you maintain your hair, nothing wrong can ever happen. I’m loyal to two haircare products – the TIGI Bed Head On The Rebound Curl Recall Cream and Argan Oil of Morocco. If I’m not having a bad hair day, then I stick to just Argan. Otherwise, mixing the two works really well for me . And as for Shampoo, I use the Crazy Colour Shampoo Blue.
Trust me, having coloured hair has made me feel affirmative and confident about myself and I don’t think I can ever go back to black again. If that isn’t hair goals than I don’t know what is! *Wink*
As told to Sharon Alphonso.
Products Used: TIGI Bed Head On The Rebound Curl Recall Cream (Rs. 954), Argan Oil of Morocco (Rs. 1,363), Crazy Colour Shampoo Blue (Rs. 850).
Internal Images: Jahnavi Sheriff