I want to dye my hair blue, Dad

[landon13]

I will have no problem with it when I have kids. I want my kids to experience stuff like that when they are young so they don’t get rebellious when they are older. If my daughters want to dye their hair or cut it however they want that is their deal. Its their life. Same with my sons, if they want to experiment with different haircuts or dye even in the summer thats their deal.

Blessings!

 

[ellzeena]

Teens? yes. Pre-teens? No. And let it be known that if it doesn’t wash out, and it hasn’t grown out by start of school, short haircuts. lol.

 

[revert_jen]

I’d say, let 'em go for it, except the first time they do it, it should be no more than semi-permanent dye. And probably for the fourth-grader, I’d say no permanent dye at all yet. For 7th grade and up, I’d say if they have tried it with semi-permanent dye and it didn’t get old for them before it washed out (I think they usually last for 4 weeks?), let them do it with permanent dye if they still want.

That’s assuming they can save up their allowance or baby-sitting money or whatever to pay for it, or can wait for a birthday or something… Allowing it is one thing; paying for it is another.

–Jen

 

[Rico_S]

Thanks for the responses. It seems most are ok with the idea…which is nice to hear (if not slightly surprising) since my plan is to let them. I used to be a bit more strict…and as one poster put mentioned…valued conformity. I would have said that doing something like this is indicative of a rebellious spirit. But, now…not so much. Sure it may show that they have a bit of rebelliousness in them, but I am not sure I want that squashed.

The 2 oldest have always melted into the background, and never draw attention to themselves…the perfect conformists. Never really bothered me until my younger kids started growing up… they are not that way at all! They are still great kids, but they just don’t mind standing out-- they are not afraid of what everyone else might think. They like to be different…and it is growing on me.

Either that, or I am just a worn out parent, tired of the battle, trying to convince myself it is a good idea.

 

[Bonnie]

You might want to suggest temporary hair dyes that wash out - especially for the youngest. If she decides she doesn’t like the color, all she needs to do is shampoo.

 

[Rico_S]

You might want to suggest temporary hair dyes that wash out - especially for the youngest. If she decides she doesn’t like the color, all she needs to do is shampoo.

One of my girls was talking about using Kool Aid. Said it goes away in a few weeks.

 

[EasterJoy]

Thanks for the responses. It seems most are ok with the idea…which is nice to hear (if not slightly surprising) since my plan is to let them. I used to be a bit more strict…and as one poster put mentioned…valued conformity. I would have said that doing something like this is indicative of a rebellious spirit. But, now…not so much. Sure it may show that they have a bit of rebelliousness in them, but I am not sure I want that squashed.

The 2 oldest have always melted into the background, and never draw attention to themselves…the perfect conformists. Never really bothered me until my younger kids started growing up… they are not that way at all! They are still great kids, but they just don’t mind standing out-- they are not afraid of what everyone else might think. They like to be different…and it is growing on me.

Either that, or I am just a worn out parent, tired of the battle, trying to convince myself it is a good idea.

No, this trend is years beyond rebellious; it is mainstream now. I think that it will gradually die out, going from older to younger, until there are just a few residual partisans left, kind of like the mullet. There will probably be a few old ladies clinging to their neon streaks when we all get our walkers.

 

[Bonnie]

One of my girls was talking about using Kool Aid. Said it goes away in a few weeks.

A young friend dyed his hair with either Kool Aid or Jello - don’t remember which. It was gone within a few weeks.

When my daughter wanted to be Wednesday for Halloween, we used a temporary spray-on hair dye. Worked great (tho a bit messy) and was gone a week or 2 later.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

(…)There will probably be a few old ladies clinging to their neon streaks when we all get our walkers.

Hello. I’d like a turquoise walker and teal/aqua hair, please.

One of my girls was talking about using Kool Aid. Said it goes away in a few weeks.

It depends on how light their hair is and if it’s been processed (permed, highlighted, or even sun bleached). There are a few products available at drugstores and discount/department stores; one is applied with a brush that’s like a bigger mascara brush and another product called hair chalk. Both are temporary but also go on darker hair okay. They are also sort of messy and can stain clothing, etc. I think both need hairspray to make it stick. I think there are also some semi-permanent products and they rinse out in a few weeks and will look better than kool aid. Or food coloring like I used.

 

[LaSainte]

It seems harmless enough on its own, but looking back on my own life, my impulses to get pierced and dye my hair and wear funny clothes were basically a cry for help, low self esteem, rebelliousness and dissatisfaction with life. My parents were very supportive of the kinds of things I wanted to do, to a point anyway. I grew my hair all in front of my face and spent an hour doing it every morning before school. I got in so much trouble from school for the way my hair was, and yet my parents supported me. Frankly they should have yielded to the authority of the school in this matter. I was out of control. In the years to come I would lose my faith entirely, get two girls pregnant in a row, cohabitate with even more, plow through job after job, and ultimately become homeless and destitute, all the while plagued by atheism and bipolar disorder.

Dyed hair in itself is not a problem, but I would regard it as a harbinger of things to come. I think children should learn the values of conformity and obedience and proper appearance, modesty and hygiene, and letting them do whatever with their hair may not be the way to go. You will not win any wars by preventing them from doing something like this, but Rome was not built in a day. On the other hand, if you trust your child, and you think that this will teach them a valuable lesson in that they will find out how people react and regard them as freaks, go for it and let them do it. Kind of like letting your kid get hurt so they know how it feels the next time.

Goodness, nobody is going to think they are freaks. This isn’t 1902. Lots of little girls dye their hair fun colors now and even the dolls they make nowadays have pink streaks and such.

Let them do what they want with their appearance as long as it is not permanent or offensive. It’s just for fun. If you let them do little fun, rebellious things now, then when you really put your foot down over something important, they will respect you more because you have shown that you have been reasonable in the past. You will have an example of “I let you dye your hair whatever color you wanted, but you are NOT getting that tattoo.”

 

[thewanderer]

I would feel duty-bound to let them in on a little lesson in fashion history. If you know quite well you are making yourself into a fashion “don’t” and you don’t care, that’s one thing. Nothing illegal, nothing immoral, nothing unethical in merely being embarrassed, no. If no one ever told them that no one will care that everyone was doing it when you show up ten or twenty years from now in pictures looking like a goof, though, I don’t know. That doesn’t seem very nice.

I think its a good point to make sure they are aware of this, especially because their lives are more recorded than peoples lives and crazy fashions were in the past. But at the same time, I wouldn’t be quick to discourage them. If they are the kind of person that would be later embarrased by it, its good to make sure they’re aware so they can avoid that future embarrasment, but at the same time, who cares if the fashion is a little weird, if it is a good experience, makes them feel good about themselves, gives them self-confidence etc and is a good memory in the future (even if they are laughing at how ridiculous it really looked) then thats really not something to discourage. Just my :twocents:

 

[PatriceA]

It seems harmless enough on its own, but looking back on my own life, my impulses to get pierced and dye my hair and wear funny clothes were basically a cry for help, low self esteem, rebelliousness and dissatisfaction with life. My parents were very supportive of the kinds of things I wanted to do, to a point anyway. I grew my hair all in front of my face and spent an hour doing it every morning before school. I got in so much trouble from school for the way my hair was, and yet my parents supported me. Frankly they should have yielded to the authority of the school in this matter. I was out of control. In the years to come I would lose my faith entirely, get two girls pregnant in a row, cohabitate with even more, plow through job after job, and ultimately become homeless and destitute, all the while plagued by atheism and bipolar disorder.

Dyed hair in itself is not a problem, but I would regard it as a harbinger of things to come. I think children should learn the values of conformity and obedience and proper appearance, modesty and hygiene, and letting them do whatever with their hair may not be the way to go. You will not win any wars by preventing them from doing something like this, but Rome was not built in a day. On the other hand, if you trust your child, and you think that this will teach them a valuable lesson in that they will find out how people react and regard them as freaks, go for it and let them do it. Kind of like letting your kid get hurt so they know how it feels the next time.

Highly, highly doubt any kid that dyes their hair now will be considered a “freak”. There are at least 10 kids in my daughter’s public school that have pink or blue hair. Most made high honors all year long. They’re good kids.

I agree that sometimes altering one’s appearance can be a cry for help. But if the teen/pre-teen in question isn’t acting out in other ways and all their asking is to dye their hair for the summer (or even during the school year for that matter), its not a cry for help. If they are acting out in other ways, its no longer about dying hair.

 

[CradleJourney]

There will probably be a few old ladies clinging to their neon streaks when we all get our walkers.

Have never colored my hair…but this is giving me ideas … yeah, I could go with a nice neon pink and green once it turns all gray - I like it!

 

[EasterJoy]

I think its a good point to make sure they are aware of this, especially because their lives are more recorded than peoples lives and crazy fashions were in the past. But at the same time, I wouldn’t be quick to discourage them. If they are the kind of person that would be later embarrased by it, its good to make sure they’re aware so they can avoid that future embarrasment, but at the same time, who cares if the fashion is a little weird, if it is a good experience, makes them feel good about themselves, gives them self-confidence etc and is a good memory in the future (even if they are laughing at how ridiculous it really looked) then thats really not something to discourage. Just my :twocents:

Yes. It’s a matter of making sure they know what they’re getting into. If they do it knowing that their kids might give them a bit of a ribbing about it, they might even enjoy it a little bit more. It is also worth pointing out that this may be the very time to do it, since if they choose a career that requires a formal look, they may not be able to do it when they’re older. After all, the prospect of looking as old as your parents might make one enjoy the silliness you’re allowed in youth all that much more!

This is not the kind of thing that would keep someone from getting a job later, though. Your boss may want you to have a hair color found in nature, but won’t care what you did to your hair in high school. It isn’t like law-breaking behaviors, public cruelty or vulgarity, or that kind of thing.

 

[agnes_therese]

Let them have fun! Just make sure the color is temporary.

 

[HoosMommie]

It’s just a little dye in the hair. Pick your battles. This shouldn’t be one of them.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

One of my girls was talking about using Kool Aid. Said it goes away in a few weeks.

I wanted to add something. Koolaid will stain the hair the way it stains anything. Ever have it drip on clothing? Colors with red in them will hold the longest. IMO koolaid color doesn’t look that good as it fades. If I were going to do this, I would find a salon that carries fun colors and have it professionally done (NB: not that anyone has to do this professionally!). Ideally the hair that is going to be colored is bleached so the color grabs; the color won’t grab on virgin hair. It will still fade in a few weeks and the blond streak(s) can still look okay unlike all-over roots.

OTOH if they are going to do the kool aid thing they should do it now. I missed my window to color with kool aid (I do have standards) and think anyone who is inclined to have a little fun with their hair should color with kool aid at least once.

I think your extra research might earn you some cool-dad points. Imagine when they are grown up and the share memories and say, “remember when you took us to the salon (not that you have to do this) to get our hair dyed and you got some too? I thought the green looked good on you!” :grouphug:

Did I go too far?

 

[Allegra]

Frankly they should have yielded to the authority of the school in this matter. I was out of control. In the years to come I would lose my faith entirely, get two girls pregnant in a row, cohabitate with even more, plow through job after job, and ultimately become homeless and destitute, all the while plagued by atheism and bipolar disorder.

*actual results may vary considerably.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

It seems harmless enough on its own, but looking back on my own life, my impulses to get pierced and dye my hair and wear funny clothes were basically a cry for help, low self esteem, rebelliousness and dissatisfaction with life. My parents were very supportive of the kinds of things I wanted to do, to a point anyway. I grew my hair all in front of my face and spent an hour doing it every morning before school. I got in so much trouble from school for the way my hair was, and yet my parents supported me. Frankly they should have yielded to the authority of the school in this matter. I was out of control. In the years to come I would lose my faith entirely, get two girls pregnant in a row, cohabitate with even more, plow through job after job, and ultimately become homeless and destitute, all the while plagued by atheism and bipolar disorder.

Dyed hair in itself is not a problem, but I would regard it as a harbinger of things to come. I think children should learn the values of conformity and obedience and proper appearance, modesty and hygiene, and letting them do whatever with their hair may not be the way to go. You will not win any wars by preventing them from doing something like this, but Rome was not built in a day. On the other hand, if you trust your child, and you think that this will teach them a valuable lesson in that they will find out how people react and regard them as freaks, go for it and let them do it. Kind of like letting your kid get hurt so they know how it feels the next time.

I thought I had some cautionary tales…I think you topped me here, man.

 

[DarkLight]

It seems harmless enough on its own, but looking back on my own life, my impulses to get pierced and dye my hair and wear funny clothes were basically a cry for help, low self esteem, rebelliousness and dissatisfaction with life. My parents were very supportive of the kinds of things I wanted to do, to a point anyway. I grew my hair all in front of my face and spent an hour doing it every morning before school. I got in so much trouble from school for the way my hair was, and yet my parents supported me. Frankly they should have yielded to the authority of the school in this matter. I was out of control. In the years to come I would lose my faith entirely, get two girls pregnant in a row, cohabitate with even more, plow through job after job, and ultimately become homeless and destitute, all the while plagued by atheism and bipolar disorder.

Dyed hair in itself is not a problem, but I would regard it as a harbinger of things to come. I think children should learn the values of conformity and obedience and proper appearance, modesty and hygiene, and letting them do whatever with their hair may not be the way to go. You will not win any wars by preventing them from doing something like this, but Rome was not built in a day. On the other hand, if you trust your child, and you think that this will teach them a valuable lesson in that they will find out how people react and regard them as freaks, go for it and let them do it. Kind of like letting your kid get hurt so they know how it feels the next time.

On the other hand, you could have my story. Good little conformist, always had an approved look. Ended up stuck with an abuser because I was too much of a “good girl” to defy the pressure and stand up to someone. Wouldn’t be nice to do that, it would make me disobedient.