During most of my child- and teen-hood, I had the typical Asian hair - black, straight, below-the-chin cut. It was only when I entered university when I had my hair layered, and straightened, as well.
It was during the height of Paris Hilton's popularity when I knew about Nicole Richie. Of course, I have heard of her name before as the daughter of a famous singer. I admit I occasionally watched The Simple Life on TV. It was in this reality show when Nicole Richie's hair caught my eye. It was a simple bob with bangs.
She looked effortlessly chic in that do. And I easily fell in love with those bangs. She even rocked that side-swept bangs in her mugshot.
I immediately went to the salon to have my hair cut. After minutes of explaining what I wanted to do with my hair, the stylist told me he understood what I wanted and to leave everything to his hands. My biggest mistake was not bringing a photo of the hair style that I wanted. So I ended up looking like this...
It wasn't really that bad, except that's not what I wanted. The cut actually emphasized my Oriental look, but I had a hard time dealing with the full bangs.
After graduation, I decided to have my hair colored. Ashlee Simpson was then at the peak of her career - having an album, getting married, and building a family. But it was her hair that I was drawn to. Her red hair to be exact. I was lucky enough to be chosen as a hair model for a well-known hair coloring company. I chose to have my hair dyed red then. It was, however, not possible to turn my jet-black hair into ginger locks without damaging my hair. So I had the toned-down version of Ashlee Simpson's hair color.
It did not stop with hair color. I decided to have her rocker-chic hair cut as well.
With the Ashlee Simpson hair color and the Ashlee Simpson hair cut, I could say it was the perfect hair style for me. It was manageable, and at the same time versatile. It was the first time I truly appreciated my hair.
It was not a happy ending, anyway. Three months into loving my hair, I had it straightened. I had no idea that the straightening product would have a damaging effect on my hair. In the end, my hair started to break away, leaving split ends. I had no choice but to chop the locks off. I was debating with myself to have the pixie cut or not. Of course, Ashlee Simpson totally rocked the latest Hollywood hair craze.
Deep inside, I know I could handle short short cut. But I would also like to feel my hair every day, having each strand, no matter how dry and brittle it is, to run through my fingers. So, I asked for the generic, above-the-shoulder, layered cut. No celebrity inspired me to have this cut. I just wanted to save my hair.
It has been almost a year now since I had my hair cut. I decided to let it grow for now. I still maintain my bangs - full or side-swept; I changed it up every few months. I had it colored again. This time, though, I opted for the copper blond look, which, according to a trusted hair dresser, is more suitable to my Asian skin tone. I now bathe my hair in intensive conditioner weekly to keep it from getting dry and damaged.
Right now, I am envying Leighton Meester's hair. I noticed that she, like me, has thick hair. But, she looks glamorous in any hair style she dons. She has the perfect cut, perfect color, and perfect volume.
So everyone should watch out, for someday, I would be sporting the same hair do as Leighton Meester's.
Photos not mine.
