Can a Hair Colorist Refuse To Dye Natural Red Hair?

“Don’t ever dye your hair!”

This is a common phrase redheads of all ages have heard at some point in their life. It’s also a phrase you’re likely to hear from strangers, friends, and family, and very frequently at a salon. People without red hair love to tell redheads, “People pay so much for that hair color. Never dye it!”

Anyone who comments on red hair is on to something because red hair is rare! Natural redheads make up 1-2% of the population, but the truth is some redheads want to dye. We recently did a write up titled, Opinion: It’s Okay to Dye Your Natural Red Hair, Regardless of What People Say and we stand by it. Some young redheads want to change the color of their hair to avoid being bullied or teased. Some adult redheads may dye their hair to “fit in” more or even just to express themselves differently. If a redhead wants to dye their hair, we believe their feelings are valid.

Most natural redheads who dye their hair end up coming back to red — like our very own co-founder, Stephanie. She dyed her hair bleach blonde for seven years before returning to her natural roots. It was a journey she had to take to appreciate her hair, and even though it’s painful for her to look back at photos, she’s so happy she allowed herself to take the risk. In the end, it made her appreciate her natural beauty more than ever before.

Unless you’re born with red hair, you don’t quite know what it feels like to be defined by your hair, good or bad.

In a popular Quora post, redheads are sharing stories of when professional hair colorists refused to dye their natural red hair. One redhead explains that they had two different stylists refuse the service because it “went against their artistic integrity” and another redhead explains how they couldn’t find a single hairdresser to dye it even though they were being bullied.

Stylists can refuse to dye hair for a number of reasons, maybe because they can’t achieve the look you want, or even because your hair will become damaged. But, should a stylist be allowed to refuse just because a certain hair color is rare and they don’t think the person should dye it?