21 'Hairstyle Mistakes' People Made While Manic

One way many people express themselves is through their hairstyles. While some styles make you feel amazing, others you might majorly regret. It’s not uncommon for someone to go through a “bad hairstyle” phase at least once in their life. However, for those who live with impulsivity due to bipolar disorder, that phase may come up more frequently than for others.

• What is Bipolar disorder ?

If you’re not familiar with bipolar disorder, it’s a mental illness that deals with high highs (mania) and low lows (depression). During a manic episode, a person might feel more impulsive than they otherwise would. For some people, it can lead to overspending. For others, it can lead to hairstyle choices they later regret. Some might engage in unprofessional behavior like quitting their job on the spot. Whatever your experience with impulsive behavior is, we want you to know you’re not alone.

We wanted to see what “hairstyle makes” people in our bipolar disorder community have made while manic, so we asked them to share their photos. We hope these photos below remind you there’s a supportive community of folks living with bipolar disorder who really “get” what it’s like. Thank you to our fearless bipolar community for sharing their photos with us.

Here are the photos our community shared:

1. “I change my hair whenever I’m in hypomania — about every six months or so. This was definitely shorter and bluer than I ever imagined!” — Becca M.

2. “Literally have had hair down to my butt since I was little (I dance hula). Then one day, poof! All gone.” — Dani J.

3. “My most recent is shaved (third time ever in my cycles of hair changes). I always present it as ‘reinventing myself,’ but it’s far more a sign of frustration with my own mind than it is a desire for a new look.” — Angelique C.

4. “I change my hair every time I’m manic, about every four to six months. My worst haircut was a DIY that was done on my living room floor, using a pair of kitchen shears, while listening to Blondie records. It was a full on mullet, sides shaved and was done about a week before being admitted into a psych hospital.” — Tiffany C.

5. “Shaving it all was a complete mistake. I am not myself anymore.” — Dominique C.

6. Submitted by Ayannah S.

7. “The picture on the right was my wedding day in 2012 before the issues started getting bad. The picture on the left was 2015. I said, ‘Screw it’ and shaved my head and gave myself a mohawk. Not a good look. In the picture I have it combed over. There are no pictures of the Mohawk. Like it never existed. I have manic issues about every other month. These days I go to the salon and let them do something to my hair so I don’t look too horrible. Last month they shaved one side of my head. Again. Not a good look.” — Heather M.

8. “Went from long and blonde to this. Ugh, I miss my hair.” — Heather S.

9. Sumitted by Matt J.

10. “I bleached my hair four times in a span of one week. On top of it, I had colored it multiple times with pink, blue, super blonde and violet.” — Patricia A.

11. “I chopped my hair off. It was down to my butt. Then soon after I dyed the bangs a bright purple.” — Zoe S.

12. “I get tired of the same old thing. I get tired of feeling like I can’t control the bipolar. I can control my hair and presentation. I don’t know that it was a mistake to do this, but I do know it was difficult to cover months later.” — Sheri B.

13. “I had dark red hair. I bleached it all for eight hours and dyed it pink.” — Shannen L.

14. “Well I decided to shave my head when I was manic — I had a ‘Britney Spears’ moment. I just woke up one morning and grabbed the clippers and didn’t look back. After the manic stage was gone, I almost died, it all hit me at once. I still can’t believe I did this, my hair was down to my shoulders.” — Yesenia H.

15. “I cut off all my long locks and cut my fringe to a centimeter long. I am still trying to grow it back, four years later. This picture was me in my most manic state. I had flown to Amsterdam (I live in Australia) with no money, no plan and no way of getting home again. It was the worst time of my life.” — Sammy E.

16. “Shaved. That’s how I can always tell when I’m spiraling again with hypomania. I don’t hate how I look with it all gone, but I always regret it as soon as I’m level again.” — Murphy V.

17. “There have been so many, but this was probably the worst of them.” — Zoe H.

18. “Decided it would be a good idea to bleach my dark hair a bunch so I could go a pastel pink. My hair is very curly. Therefore, it’s very dry naturally. The bleaching dried it out even more and the pink faded quickly.” — Ealawen S.

19. “I shaved my head completely and honestly it’s my new look.” — Geoff W.

20. “I wanted to cut my hair the entire day, and after avoiding the compulsion all day, I finally took the scissors to the side of my head.” — Britni W.

21. “Six bleaches in 24 hours.” — Emily W.

If you’d like to connect with our bipolar community, download our free app and post a Thought or Question with the hashtag #BipolarDisorder. You will be met with support.

For more on bipolar disorder, check out the following stories:

If you have a “hairstyle mistake” you’d like to share, feel free post a photo or describe your hairstyle in the comments.

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21 'Hairstyle Mistakes' People Made While Manic

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