During the winter of 2016, Zheng was inspired by a picture of Korean model Irene Kim’s rainbow hair that she saw in a fashion magazine. She started doing research and looked for colors that she could use. The first time that Zheng attempted to color her hair, she bleached it and then used blue dye. However, the final product was more green than blue. Despite the first attempt not resulting in exactly what she wanted, Zheng continued to experiment with different colors and bleach.

“My hair was bleached yellow, so it turned out to be more green,” said Zheng. “And then after that, I bleached it again and I tried to go grayish purple.”
Since those attempts, Zheng has colored her hair purple, dark blue and pink-purple. It is currently a faded gray.

Palacpac currently has light brown hair that her cousin helped her dye over winter break. She first colored her hair in middle school for an event, and has since done it herself after one time at a salon.

“I think coloring my hair makes me look different,” said Palacpac. “If I ever get tired of how I look, I think coloring is my go-to method of changing myself.”

Junior Jay Park expresses himself through his hair color and his choice of earrings. Park initially dyed his hair for the fun of it and because he was bored of his natural black hair. He recently dyed his hair rainbow.

“[What I like most about dyeing my hair] is it’s just freedom to express myself,” Park said.

Both Zheng and Palacpac agree that coloring their hair causes damage, but their love for coloring their hair makes it worth it. Palacpac also says that doing research before dyeing hair can minimize the damage and make it a better experience.

“It’s just fun. I kind of miss having healthy hair, but I think everyone should try [dyeing their hair],” said Zheng. “It’s a really fun way to change how you look and it’s really easy too.”