A little chaotic and a little different is how sophomore  Maddie Conigliaro describes her hair, which she has dyed around five times. Expressing oneself can be done in many different ways: through one’s activities, looks and music taste. Conigliaro has found it easy to express her creativity and personality through her colored hair.

Conigliaro said her purple hair is mellow, but still bright enough and is completely different than what one sees everyday. She hopes to add variation to her hair the next time she visits the salon.

“Most people try to tame their hair with a flat iron or blow dryer,” Conigliaro said. “I usually let it do its thing, and it looks messy, but whatever.”

Conigliaro begged her mother to let her dye her hair for a year before receiving her permission after her mother realized dyeing it was better than shaving half of it off, as she had done in high school. Occasionally though, Conigliaro said she feels people judge her for expressing herself through her hair.

“I think when people see my hair color, they are quick to judge and think maybe I’m not that smart and I’m just kind of do-what-I-want,” Conigliaro said. “I take pride in academics, and I feel that just because I look a little different from everyone else doesn’t mean I don’t function the same.”

Senior  Elliot Sullivan first started dyeing his hair after accidentally coloring his hair orange with Sun-in. He then concluded there was no going back to his natural color. After a recent move from Maryland, Sullivan has decided to tone down his “edgy” purple hair. Before purple, Sullivan’s hair was white, but Sullivan’s mother requested he dye it any other color. At the salon, Sullivan asked for icy blue, but he said the “hair dresser took purple and ran.” Sullivan suggests researching hair dye before dyeing one’s hair for the first time.

“You always want to make sure your hair is going to react to the chemicals the same way as somebody else’s hair does,” Sullivan said. “And it is basically chemistry, and if you messed that up, there is no going back. If one bleaches one’s hair, it can turn some nasty colors. Always make sure you’re prepared to bleach more than you think you need to bleach.”

Junior Shane Logwood is completely confident with his decision to dye his hair blonde on his first hair-dyeing occasion. After months of thinking, Logwood decided to dye his hair a “crazy” color. Logwood said his favorite part about his experience was that his hair didn’t get messed up or fall out. He said it is uncommon for boys to dye their hair, and his hair color reflects his personal style — not basic, plain or routine.

“Just [dye your hair],” Logwood said. “Hair grows and gets cut; it’s not the end of the world.”

Having dyed her hair at least 20 times, senior Madeline Hoyt said she would never take it back, as it has almost become an addiction. She said many people dye their hair, but everyone does it differently and it never turns out the same, making hers
unique. Hoyt doesn’t think her hair describes her personality as it is right now because it is only one color. She said her current
hair color is mature and appropriate  for graduating, while still not being completely natural.

“I just think my natural brown hair is really boring,” Hoyt said.  “I guess it is something fun to do, but you kind of get addicted to hair dyeing.”

Hoyt changes her hair color often simply because she wants to put dye in her hair. When she is trying to lay off the hair dye for a bit, Hoyt finds herself asking others to dye their hair. If she had to dye her hair a color that would describe her, Hoyt said she would choose purple because it is happy and dark at the same time.

“Most of the time, people think [my hair] is pretty cool,” Hoyt said. “I’ve been called a snow cone before because I guess it’s colorful, and I look like a snow cone. Not everyone is cool with it, but nobody is really rude about it.”