I was in a hair rut. I liked my cropped cut, but it was starting to feel mom-ish. Even though dyeing it darker helped, I was craving real change. So when O's beauty team asked if I'd go pink, I was excited! They sent me to colorist Carlina Ortega and stylist Jennifer Matos at New York's Rita Hazan Salon, and after what seemed like an eternity—bleach to remove my previous color, highlights to tone down lingering yellowness, and finally the pink dye— I caught a glimpse of the new me. Did I really just do this? My shock turned to awe as the compliments poured in. Coworkers crowded around me to say how great I looked. A guy at the gym said I had "edge." I felt younger, more like myself. But the best reaction came from my 6-year-old son, who said—approvingly—"You look like cotton candy." I guess pink hair is "mom hair" after all!

Before, Photo: Courtesy of Deidre Read
From the September 2017 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

NEXT STORY

Next Story