NOAH AOC

My name is Cynthia, 23, and have oculocutaneous albinism.  When I started my teen years, my mom thought it would be beneficial for my social situation to color my hair a tad darker and make it more blonde, therefore blend in a little bit better with peers.  I have always liked the idea, but now that I'm older and more aware of my condition I am wondering if I should continue this habit.  On the one hand, I blend in as a blonde which is OK considering I am Mexican American.  On the other hand, I sometimes feel I am turning my back and hiding from my albinism.  Returning to my natural color would be a huge change for me, and for everyone around me.  Sometimes I really want to do it, and other times I get scared and nervous about "standing out" instead of blending in.  Any suggestions or thoughts?  Has anyone else experimented with their own hair color, or am I the only one?

Hi! My name is Kelsey--I'm 15. My hair is actually a little lighter than my natural color right now, but I'm letting it grow out.

Unless you mean for it to be, coloring your hair isn't hiding your albinism--pigmento people do it...why can't we?

I am 24 and I color my hair. I tried to use the over the counter stuff, but it never worked. Just go once a month and get it done. I love my hair now. I also get an eye brow pencil and color my eyebrows. So you can't tell I have albinism. Don't let people tell you that you are not being true to yourself. I am happily married and never had issues dating. I love who I am. If you want to color your hair then go for it. Have fun.

Hello, my name is Erika and I'm 31.  My mother allowed me to color my hair when I started Jr High.  I am half African Amerian, so I really stood out with the blonde hair in my community.  I have not went back to my blonde since.  I personally say it coloring your hair makes you feel better, than that's all that matters.  My hair color is now Aurburn.  I love my color, my brother, who is also albino, starting coloring his once he saw how it made me feel and look.  I also use eye brow pencils and self- tanners. 

 Hi,

I never dyed my hair. It really wasn't neccessary for me to do so because my hair is naturally blonde. It was has a great deal to do with the type of Albinism you have. 

I'm 36, and the only time I've ever colored my hair was when I was around 22 and had a friend who was a professional hairstylist. He colored my hair, which is naturally white-blond, with a very subtle peach-blond tint that went well with the short haircut I had, but I've never colored it since. Every time I get to thinking about it, some random stranger will give me a compliment that makes me smile and wonder how I could ever want to change it. Currently, my hair is long. It's naturally wavy, and I've been wearing it casually piled up on my head, sort of an old-fashioned look. Just a few weeks ago, a woman walked up to me in the grocery store and said, "You have the most beautiful hair I've ever seen. It looks like spun gold!"

I guess everyone is different, but I've grown more comfortable with my "look" as I've gotten older and used make-up and styling to enhance that look rather than to look like someone else. I can't hide from my albinism. Even with my hair tinted, it was pretty obvious because of my skin color, and dark mascara and eyebrow pencil look ridiculous on me. So I play with subtle, lighter shades of eyeshadow and "beach" blush (gives your face a sort of sun-kissed glow without darkening the skin). Personally, I consider my hair an asset.

Go natural.  If ya have it, flaunt it.  :-)  I can't tell you how many women have commented on my "coloring" in public.  Total strangers wanting to see and touch the hair is kinda odd, but attention from the opposite gender never hurts the old ego.

Hi Cynthia,

 I'm 31 and I colored my hair for the first time when I was 15.  My mom wouldn't let me color my hair because she said I needed to learn to be comfortable with who I was.....so I colored it black just because she said I couldn't!  It looked horrible!  Then when I was 26 a friend of mine took me to her hairdresser who colored it an auburn color.  I loved it and it was like that for about 3 years.  The only reason I let it grow out was because it was getting expensive to keep it that way.  About six months ago I went back to that color just because I was ready for a change.  Like other people I also pencil in my eyebrows and wear mascara so they match my hair.  I got a lot of compliments on my natural color but I also get a lot of compliments on the color it is now.  Everyone likes getting a "new look" every once in awhile regardless of what color their hair is!

Allison

"attention from the opposite gender never hurts the old ego."

Yes, I have to agree about the attention from the opposite gender. That was also something I didn't appreciate as much when I was younger. Being the young feminist that I was, I got offended when men approached me and said things about my hair. It bothered me that our culture fetishized "the Blonde" and that I fit that image in some ways due to no fault of my own. I thought they were "objectifying" me, which I guess might have been sort of true, but where to draw the line between appreciation and objectification?  My significant other today calls me his "true Blonde."

Hi Cynthia how are you?  Cynthia if  you want to color your hair, do so, but please do it because you really want to.  I understand where your mom is coming from but it have to be you that wants to.  You are an advocate for yourself.  You need to teach society that they have to accept you for who you are.  I am 47 years old and I have platinum blonde hair but right now I just dyed it and it is not the first tine.  I had dark brown and I was not too crazy about it but now I went strawberry blonde. 

Marisol

I found it hard to stop dying my hair funky colors but came around to it eventually.  Presently I really like my hair.  Sometimes the texture of the curls bug me. I only use an eyebrow pencil for dress up where there will be lots of pics taken because I think it just looks better on film, otherwise I am all natural all the time.  My sister said to me the other night at a wedding where I had the eye stuff on that I should go around like that all the time.  I don't agree.  It's not for me personally.  I like standing behind my lite lashes and all.  I guess I relate to myself looking this way. 

If you do it, it sounds like it could be an amazing adventure in your life.  Maybe consider writing in a journal about it along the way?  Write down what you think about it now. What it’s like while it’s happening and all…  Maybe you can write a little book, or blog or photo story. Little film clips on your digital camera? 

hello

i may not know you .but i know how you may be feeling  .because  i too have faced the same .you know what specially in

a country like india where people makes you feel that you are not fit to be with us .you should be hapy that you are not there.you not really

need to colour your hair .you just need to stand with what you are and keeping smile on your face dont let anyone know

if you felt bad .for what they did to you or said ..god bless you take care and let me tell you you are the best in the way you are

dont change for the world

Thank you all for your helpful and encouraging words!!!  I have done a ton of soul searching lately and have even gone to our campus counseling center to help me better understand my feelings.  This has opened my eyes to a lot of things.  In terms of my hair, I have decided to continue coloring it, for now.  I am not trying to hide through a darker hair color; but instead, I like the darker hair and I am comfortable with it.  With that said, I have also become more "outspoken" if you will, about my albinism.  I am talking more about it to my friends and teachers which has really been theraputic as they now have a better understanding of what I can and can't see.  Now when I call them and ask them to lead me to them, they do it without hesitation and understand why.  This is great!!!  Also, I am taking an anthropology class, and in talking about genetics, albinism was brought up.  I raised my hand and shared that I am an albino and shared a bit about what it's like.  The class was very receptive which was nice to see.

 So with all of this said, I think that I was hiding my albinism from others, to a point.  But it wasn't through my hair color, but rather through my silence and anxiety of sharing with friends and peers.  So the hair color isn't an issue for me anymore. 

 Just thought I'd write this and maybe shed some light to others who may be in this same situation.  I have always accepted my albinism, but now I am giving others the opportunity to accept it and be familiar with it too :)

Thank you all again for all your support!!!!

 Cynthia

Hey Cynthia, WAY 2 GO!!!!

 Wow, you did such hard work and got to the bottom of it.  AMAZING!!

That's so great.  From what I understand of your post you are letting yourself be "out" as I would call it, as a person with Albinism and taking on that responsibility in ways that will help you live a better life. 

I re- read my posting to you and could see from my story that the hair had become a symbol representing other things in my life too.  Even with my hair natural, I pass in many circomstances as not having albinism or vision issues.  People aren't always paying that much attention. Even my own family seems quite clueless or forgets about vision issues...  Either way the vision part is something I am educating people about all the time, even my many friends who have less sight than me from RP and other conditions or are totally blind, like my best friends David, Mika, Cherly, Tim and my housemate Patience who has a really nice guide dog named Tobey.  Anyway I think it is really cool to be part of the albinism community.  I'm proud to call you my Albino Sister what ever your hair color is.

I am sure you are a beautiful person inside and out. 

Looking forward to talking again soon,

Susan.

I can agree with you there Debra... I'm fully African American so I use to where my hair red. It makes me look exotic...I guess. Now that I'm older and more aware of my condition as well I wear my hair blonde or gold... when I need a change I wear a weeve...lol. But I guess it does help your social situation, changing your hair and all but I think you have to ask yourself what really are you trying to change? Your hair? Or you? A lot of people especially those who love you try to protect you from life's harshness by suggesting you blend in more ...but it can alter things inside of you that you a sense of self pride and identiy.