Name: Dominique Astorino
Age: 29
"I had come out of a serious depression and anxiety spiral, as well as a slew of physical health problems that forced me to make a significant set of life changes. I had left my job with no strategy for what was next and moved to a new city. My hair had become a dull dark brown (as opposed to my usual more coppery colour) after a few years of being indoors and in a not-so-sunny area, and I hadn't had a real haircut in years.
Once I finally came through to the other side of that spiral, I wanted my exterior to reflect my new, super happy and sunny interior! I wanted to amplify my natural red tones and get my "sun bleached" red from my college years without looking fake—or actually bleaching my hair (with the sun or chemicals). I wanted to be a louder, more saturated, vibrant version of myself — energetic, playful, etc. I literally told my stylist, "I want 'me, but more.'" The result has made me the happiest I've ever been with my hair! I have zero regrets, I get more compliments now than ever before and aside from the external affirmation, I'm just so happy about it internally—honestly, it impacted so much more than I anticipated it would. I feel more myself, more confident, like I'm holding more space. It ended up trickling into other areas; reassessing what I wear and my personal style, how I present myself to the world. I finally feel like I'm claiming my space and staking my territory in the world. Sounds SO dramatic for a hair change, but it really is just an extension and physical manifestation of a mental change and an attitude shift."
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Dominique Astorino