THEM How to Do Something Drastic to Your Hair During Quarantine Self-bleaching. Emergency bangs. A cry for help dye job. We're in crisis, and all bets are off.

BEAUTY

How to Do Something Drastic to Your Hair During Quarantine

Self-bleaching. Emergency bangs. A cry for help dye job. We're in crisis, and all bets are off.

BY EVAN ROSS KATZ

March 27, 2020

Dylan Glynn

 

Do you remember when professional nanny Jo Frost proclaimed in the British reality show Supernanny, “you guys are in a crisis, I’m on my way”? Clearly she was referring to queer people and their hair during quarantine.

“The gays are talking about bleaching their hair — quarantine is officially a crisis,” wrote one Twitter user. It’s become a common (and often hyperbolic) refrain from LGBTQ+ people in the age of coronavirus, which has left many of us bored, anxious, worried, despondent, forlorn, or some combination thereof. The concept of gay people dying their hair as a signifier of unrest is nothing new: “If a gay guy bleaches his hair. . . check on him,” Bob the Drag Queen tweeted in February 2019. “He is going through something tough.”

https://twitter.com/babethancourt/status/1242553545410392065

“I think dying your hair is the ‘I got bangs!’ of the queer community,” Micah Eames, a New York-based media communications associate, tells them. “It can look great and it can also be a sign that you're going through it. With four queers under one roof for an indefinite period of time — I'm a trans man who identifies as queer quarantining with three lesbians — I think statistically, someone will give (i.e. me).”

So far during quarantine, Ricky Martin has gone pink. Scott Evan shaved his head. “Soon the only genders will be long hair and buzzed hair,” joked journalist Harron Walker on Twitter.

With a sudden influx of time and the increased desire to do something — anything — to shake up our days and distract ourselves from the world outside, we’re talking to hair experts to answer commonly asked questions: Should I cut my own hair? Should I self-bleach? And how else can I do something drastic with my hair to express my emotional state?

Should I cut my own hair?

“This is an interesting one, because people will wait months before getting a haircut, but now everyone needs to trim their hair while self-quarantined,” says Davide Marinelli, the owner of Davide Hair Studio on Park Avenue in NYC.

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Ultimately, Davide is in the “no” camp, saying now is the best time to leave your hair alone. “If anything, let it rest and breathe, maybe do a scalp cleansing and a deep conditioning. Remember you might be a little more stressed due to the situation and you don't want to stress the strand more,” he says. “Let’s not make this an ‘I just broke up with my partner’ haircut.”

If you must pick up the scissors, here are Marinelli’s tips for short hair:

  • Comb the hairline out towards the face, and with small scissors or a beard trimmer, clean your entire hairline without really touching it.

  • Fold the ears down, comb hair down and clean that up.

  • For the nape and neck, use a guard — Marinelli recommends a number 3 and to work your way down, not up, to prevent cutting too short.

And for longer hair:

  • Make 2 sections. (Separate the back from the front using an elastic tie to put the back hair in a low ponytail.)

  • Starting from behind the ear, cut across the top of the head and meet up with the other ear.

  • Slightly dampen the front section for control. (This is only cutting the front hair/face frame.)

  • Lay hair flat on your chest, place your palm over it for control and snip the ends by doing little pac-man cuts on the ends to avoid blunt straight lines or over-cutting.

  • Note: If you don’t have scissors, use a beard trimmer instead.

How do I cut my own bangs?

“First of all, hair has to be clean and bangs areas damp and combed,” says Timur Katz, a NYC-based hair stylist and Educator/Artist for the Redken brand of the L’Oréal Group since 2013. Start with sectioning,” they say. “Take a triangle shaped section (top angle has to start two inches from your hairline). Then take a fine horizontal slice (about 1/4 inch) starting from the hairline and clip the rest. Next, use a comb to create a line (note: do not pull your hair) and sharp scissors to cut it. Cut slightly longer than desired length. Take another section (usually there’s at least two or three) and do the same. When you’ve finished all sections, comb through and blow dry. If needed, cut a bit more of the tips of your bangs.”

Should I dye my hair?

“I strongly recommend that when it comes to permanent dyes NOT to do it yourself,” says Dee TrannyBear, Director of Hair Artistry at DDPro. “Those can definitely go wrong and then you'll definitely need a stylist to fix it!” Fortunately, they’ve got a workaround. “I would suggest checking out oVertone — it's an amazing brand of conditioners that deposit color. It's actually really simple to use and you can switch up colors because it's not a permanent dye. The masks are more intense in color, the daily conditioners are softer and easier to wash out. So if you're not sure about what color to use, the daily conditioner is a great way to experiment around, and when you feel like you’ve found what you like you can reinforce it with the deep conditioning mask.”

Should I bleach my own hair?

It’s a tough question, according to Sierra Caldera, a colorist at Benjamin Salon West Hollywood, due to variables in hair texture, quality, history of bleaching, and more. “My one piece of advice would be be patient and saturate every single strand like you're icing a cake,” she says.

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Her tips:

  • Buy more product than you expect to use and use it all.

  • You'll want to apply more than once.

  • For an even result, you'll want to start at the ends of your hair during the first application. On the second application, start at the roots, move through the ends, and repeat if you feel the lightener starts to dry.

  • Make sure you’re using reputable products and the correct volume for your hair type.

  • It will be a long process if you want your hair quality and your color quality to be in good shape. So be prepared for a long haul.

What should I do to treat already colored hair?

“While I understand that it may be difficult for those who feel like their hair is always greasy, take advantage of your time in quarantine to try to break the habit of washing your hair everyday,” says Will Bowler, a hairstylist and colorist at The Loft Salon By Michael Albor in Boston. “Instead, set a goal to wash your hair every other day or even every 2 or 3 days, and be sure to use a color-safe shampoo and conditioner when you do,” he says. His personal favorite: Biomega haircare. “I would suggest rinsing with cool or cold water to prevent your color from running. This will also lock in that nourishment and retain moisture by sealing each strand of the hair’s cuticle, which has been opened, expanded, and compromised by your previous chemical and/or coloring service.”

Should I be using hair treatments?

Yes, people should absolutely be using hair treatments during this time, says Leila Nations, hair stylist and educator at Cutler Brooklyn. But she cautions that just like you shouldn’t overwater your plants because you’re staring at them all day long, you also shouldn’t do too many treatments to your hair.

“I would say if you have highly damaged hair from color/heat styling, now is the time for boot camp,” she says, recommending an Olaplex at home treatment every two to three washes. “I tell my clients it’s like Neosporin for the hair.” Next, after washing out, she recommends finishing it with a nice softening mask like the Christophe Robin regenerating mask. “If you don’t have damaged hair then just do an easy hair mask once every 3-5 washes.”

Nations also recommends that people can use this time to stop heat styling their hair. “Let your hair just be plain hair. It’s nice to see what your hair can revert back to once you stop fussing with it so much.”

What about a hair mask?

“Just like your face, your hair and scalp could benefit from a little extra TLC,” says celebrity hairstylist David Lopez. “A hair mask is like your regular conditioner on steroids. The ingredients are going to be more moisturizing or more reparative than what you’re probably using on the daily and your hair will thank you in return. If you’re familiar with using a face mask it’s not much different: slather it on in abundance, let it set for at least 15 minutes (or all day too, no judgement), then rinse.”

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His recommendations:

High-end: Kenra Platinum Restorative Reconstructor. “It gives your hair the perfect balance of moisture and protein to soften and strengthen it,” he says. ($28 for 6 oz)

Low: Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Butter Mask. “So good for dry, brittle hair,” he says. “Instantly softens, seals split ends, and also a great detangler for longer hair.” ($6.99 for 10 oz)

Advice for queer/trans hairstyles?

"Scenario: It’s 3 a.m. You’re in the bathroom with a pair of kitchen scissors and your bangs keep getting more and more uneven as you cut. They’re far past your eyebrows. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. We’ve all been there, and for many of us it seems we may be here again — perhaps within the next two weeks," says Bucket Cook, a trans masculine queer hairstylist who recently opened a private studio in Brooklyn. "Before pulling out the leftover black box dye you found in your bathroom from 2 years ago, think about these alternatives," they explain:

  • Use boy brow or dried out mascara to darken your mustache or unibrow. Take this alone time to see if it feels good to you, even if you decide to not go for a walk today.

  • Bleach your eyebrows. If anything you can always dye it back.

  • Do your makeup just to go into the living room.

  • Maybe now this is the time to go practice cutting your roommate’s hair. (Just remember that if you mess up, y’all are stuck together until this thing is over.)

Is it time to go wig?

Yes. Always. That’s me talking. I’m not an expert, but when in doubt, go wig and stay home.

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