The inside scoop on the real reason why so many teenagers dye their hair

We all know that one girl. Every other week you walk into class and see her sitting at her desk, and she has a new hair color. Whether that may be red, blue, pink, or even multicolored rainbow ombré, she always has a way of spicing up her hair. I always wonder to myself, why do girls do that? Is it for attention? Are they going though a mid quarter crisis?

Personally, I could never be one of those girls. With all the damaging dyes, time, and effort that it takes to constantly pamper your hair, how and why do people do it? 

As an adolescent experiences their teenage years of life, it is time for them to discover their identity. This may be done by trying new things and looking for ways to improve self-confidence. Dying your hair may also be a way for girls and guys to stand out, make a statement, and feel different and more original than other teens. 

        After interviewing VHS students across campus who have colorful hair, a surprising yet understandable reason that they partake in dying their hair was revealed: it acts as a coping mechanism.

When junior Emma Lisle was asked why she dyed half of her hair light cotton candy pink, she explained, “On Wednesday after school, I was going through a rough time and my day was pretty stressful, so I made a sudden decision to let this country kid named Conner McGregor dye my hair pink. Right before he dyed my hair, I had dyed his hair black. Little did I know Conner would end up messing mine all up. It didn’t end up looking too bad, so I’m not super mad at him.”

Lisle also said that she was worried that her parents would be upset at her for wanting to step outside the box and do something rebellious, but they told her that it looked nice and they were glad that she used temporary dye.“My parents checked in right before I did it to make sure that I was mentally stable,” Lisle added.

When freshman Sara Milesi was asked why she had dyed her hair bright pink, Milesi states, “I dyed my hair pink in October, because I wanted to bring awareness for breast cancer awareness month, and then shortly after that I dyed it purple, because I had a mental breakdown. Thankfully I thought about it before and I consulted my mother before making any final decisions.” 

On the other hand, some students dye their hair for the pure joy and pleasure of it. Junior Joseph Opolka comments on how it is a tradition for the VHS boys wrestling team to bleach their hair every year.

“I get bored often and I enjoy dying my hair, but I also love carrying on the wrestling tradition, so I guess I do it for both,” stated Opolka. 

Over the summer, I had a goal of dying my whole head light brown, so I made the horrible mistake of putting a whole box of blonde hair dye in my hair. Little did I know that this would result with my hair turning to a brassy, orange color. Yuck! For almost the whole summer, I lived with a hideous brass color that made me look like a carrot head. Nothing would make it come out. After being scarred from my bad hair experience, I envy other girls who can dye their hair day after day without it becoming damaged. It seems almost impossible to constantly dye your hair and have it look presentable. Unless I find myself going through a sudden mental breakdown, I don’t plan on dying my hair anytime soon.