The Secret of Hair Colour...

Is it free will or is something else at play?

We humans, don’t seem to like anything that is natural. Lips have to be shinier, cheeks have to be rosier, eyelashes have to be longer and hair colour should simply keep changing. But this is not a recent phenomenon. These concepts have been around for a long, long time. 

Back in the days, it probably must be driven by basic human instincts to attract those they were romantically interested in. But the basic human instincts might not always come from within. Especially in recent times, it is often ignited by another human trait: greed. 

In fact, all our actions are a cocktail of our instincts. If only we could identify them. 

Today, let’s sit back, sip this cocktail that has been prepared by the hair colour industry, and understand its various ingredients.

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The Evolution

Hair dying as a concept dates back to the Before Christ Era. But why were humans colouring their hair in those days? 

While some reasons are obvious, others are pretty baffling. Very much like the modern days, our ancestors also believed in covering their greys. But for some societies, hair colour was a marker for the ranks of people in society. 

Yet, the usage of hair colour was not commercialised until the late 1800s, when one invention changed the industry forever. The inventor, William Henry Perkin, was originally trying to find a cure for Malaria when he stumbled upon hair colour that could be produced with chemicals at a large scale. (You can now add this to that long list of ‘accidental inventions’). 

Now, the companies that saw potential and planned to commercialise this industry had to, in fact, manufacture this potential! The product came first and the invention of its necessity followed. 

The ads started targeting women with grey hair. Maybe targeting women was a better option because they usually grow longer hair? More hair volume would result in higher sales? Or, because women were already too conscious about their looks, so it was easy to make them all the more conscious?

There were ads that said, “Are grey-haired women honest?” And the ones in India that attached the word “aunty” with women having grey locks and “didi” with women having dark hair! 

Gender-based stereotyping had begun and sadly, it worked. So much so, that people got addicted to colouring their hair. They did not care about the harmful and cancer-causing chemicals that came along with the colours and spoiled their roots in the long term.

Why are Companies So Desperate to Colour Our Hair? 

You see, money has proven to be the most powerful motivator of all. Hair color is no different. The industry is worth $ 477 million in India and is projected to grow at 17% CAGR by 2026. 

Reason enough to motivate the companies to drive consumer behaviors? 

Greed breeds more greed. More ways were sought to boost the sales of hair color. 

And what better than having celebrities endorse it. Hair colour soon became a fashion statement.

Till the year 1968, Americans were required to state their hair color as their identity mark on their passports! 

But hair colouring became so common that the hair colour information was pretty futile and they had to do away with it.

In the present era, when gender stereotyping is looked down upon, hair colour has also managed to stay relevant with a changed narrative. Now they have taken the colour of free choice, creating your own identity, self-love, and whatnot. 

Same product; changed motives; one aim: profits.

It’s time that we ask ourselves, why are we buying the products that we are buying. Does it even make sense, or are we just following the trend due to FOMO?

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