Back in April of this year I took the plunge and colored my hair. It was the first time I’d done a whole-head dye job (aside from once or twice when I just lightened my natural blond color). And just to make sure that this would be a memorable experience, I colored my hair blue.

A few weeks ago, my hair had lightened to a lovely pastel blue. I often wear a hat outside on sunny days to keep it from fading faster.

It’s been an interesting process of growth and learning. My hair stylist is amazing, I think she’s learned a lot, too. We’ve been on this journey together for six months now, and here are a few things that I’ve learned:

Even when bleached, blond hair is really yellow. When I was a kid, I had platinum-blond hair, almost white, but it darkened to a light blond when I was a teenager. Before dying my hair blue for the first time, my stylist bleached my whole head. She also added a little bit of purple to the blue dye. But even so, after the blue started to fade a bit, parts of it began turning green. Not a bad green – more like a teal or turquoise green, which gave my hair a mermaid look (which was cool). But I learned that yellow is apparently a very strong color. Even with the bleach and the purple, there was still enough yellow in my hair to turn some of the blue to green.

People will say things online that they’d never say to your face. Who knew that some people feel more confident hiding behind a social media profile? I actually haven’t gotten many negative comments about my hair, online or in real life. I’ve had a few people say things to the effect of “well, your hair sure is…different,” making it apparent that they don’t like it or don’t approve. Online, I’ve gotten more dramatic comments about how I look or asking why in the world would I do such a horrid thing to myself.

Note: I’m not offended by any of these not-so-positive remarks, and I’m certainly not giving direct quotes or pointing fingers. Anyone is free to dislike my hair, and to tell me so. I’m just making an observation that so far, most of my nay-sayers have not said anything to me face to face.

Overall, most of the comments I’ve gotten – online and IRL – have been positive and complimentary.

I went purple for the most recent color touch-up

Adjustments to new things don’t always have to take a long time. But sometimes they do anyway. Within just a week or so of the first dye job, I was no longer startled every time I saw myself in the mirror. And now, six months in, I occasionally forget that I have blue hair, until someone says “I love that color!” and I’m like, “oh, that’s right, I dyed my hair blue.” But oddly, one thing that still gives me a start is seeing blue hairs in my hairbrush. Weird, right? I can handle my blue-headed reflection, but cleaning out my hair brush and seeing blue hairs in the trashcan is still strange. Truth is stranger than fiction, as they say.

Eventually I’ll go back to my natural blond, but I’m in no hurry. I’ve been loving this experience, and having fun with every new shade and nuance of my hair every time my stylist touches up the color. Here’s to six more months as a blue-haired gal!