Many people change aspects of themselves to fit in or stand out, and sometimes even as a coping mechanism during stressful times in their lives.
These changes are often seen in how people style their clothes, play with new makeup trends, or dye their hair.
Online platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are filled with posts about dyeing hair—especially unnatural colours.
On Instagram, there are posts about how unnatural hair dyeing can be linked to mental illnesses.
And TikTok is filled with stories about how dyeing your hair is related to “having a mental breakdown.”
These trends have grown in popularity since 2019, becoming popular during the pandemic.
But is there a link between mental well-being and hair colouring?
The scientific evidence about hair colour and mental health
A 2023 study found no correlation between hair colour and mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.
The study explores how serotonin is related to mood regulation and how hair melanin (colour) can affect it. Although the research focused on natural hair colours.
Another study concluded that hair colouring is a way of expressing identity and can bring people happiness. In other words, dyeing your hair can be a therapeutic way of dealing with daily stressors.
Is dyeing your hair connected to mental health issues?
These trends and posts can feel like jokes, but others might take them as harmful representations of mental health, as they stigmatize challenges others might face.
In 2018, author Jenna Igneri shared that dyeing her hair became a healthy coping mechanism.
But Janine Groenevald, a counsellor with the HEALthy MiND Centers in Calgary, says these trends can create stereotypes and misinformation about one’s self-image.
“I often tell my clients that comparing to social media is the same as comparing the blooper reels of a movie to the trailer or highlight reel. We compare our hardest moments to social media, which represents the best moments,” said Groenevald in an interview with the Calgary Journal.
So, while social media trends can spark self-esteem issues, there’s no evidence linking unnatural hair dyeing to mental illnesses.
Overall, the relation between “having a mental breakdown” and having unnatural hair is not scientifically related.
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