It’s a Lockdown Look

By: Veronica Pistek

Stacey Petrov used a medium reddish blonde hair dye to create this beautiful look. Credit: Stacey Petrov

Quarantine has made us all feel a little bit like Rapunzel, trapped inside with nowhere to go…and with a lot of hair. With hair salons and barbers deemed non-essential business, many people decided to take business into their own hands. 

People have been doing DIY haircuts and hair-dyeing for what seems like forever, but being in a state of lockdown has increased the desire to change it up.

“I’ve wanted to dye my hair pre-quarantine, but quarantine definitely pushed my decision further to actually do it,” CSI student Stacey Petrov explains.

 Her naturally blonde hair now appears like a strawberry-blonde, or as I would like to call it–a rose gold. Petrov is just one of many that purchased a box of hair-dye and hoped for the best. 

Another Staten Islander, Jillian Defelice, dyed her hair from blonde to dark brown at the beginning of quarantine. For Defelice, it wasn’t just about doing it for fun. Rather, she felt like she needed a new chapter in her life.

Jillian Defelice shows off her new confidence in her dark locks. Credit: Jillian Defelice

“Doing it honestly made me feel so much more confident and mature, almost like I can release my past in a way,” the new brunette explained. 

This quarantine has allowed many of us, including Defelice, to reflect on our past and look forward to a fresh start. In a lot of ways, changing up our physical appearance can be a gateway to becoming a better version of ourselves overall. 

Another person that has done the opposite is Jamie Sypniewski. She found her own solution once salons shut down–her once platinum blonde hair is now back to her natural brunette color.

Jamie Sypniewski looks effortless with her natural hair color. Credit: Jamie Sypniewski

“I had bleached my hair platinum blonde over the winter, and with my roots growing in quicker than I thought, I figured why not just do it myself and hope for the best!” Sypniewski described. 

She is one of many that used this time to step out of her comfort zone, and is luckily very happy with her results.

These beautiful women crushed it, but they aren’t the only ones looking for a change. Many men have also been desperately missing their barbers during this challenging time. So, you can imagine they have taken their physical appearance into their own hands.

FDU student Anthony Castelli decided to cut his hair out of both boredom, and the need for it to be short again. He also is a believer that change is refreshing.

CSI Macaulay Honors’ senior Gil Barahman is also excited about his change. He cut off most of his hair, claiming that maybe he cut off a little too much. 

However he is delighted about a new benefit: “It now takes very little time to dry, which is nice,” Barahman states. 

The added convenience of short hair is a great reason why many have sought a new lockdown look.

Victoria Musarella is another CSI student that took this opportunity to try something new with her appearance. Instead of box-dye, she grabbed her scissors and did what most of us have always deep down wanted to try: bangs. 

Victoria Musarella took a risk, and absolutely crushed it! Credit: Victoria Musarella

Musarella rocks her new DIY bangs that she has been wanting to do for quite some time. She even posted a caption on one of her Instagram photos that states: “Everyone said I would regret bangs. That’s why I don’t listen to people.” 

And there you have it folks, try something new with your hair if you want to. We all have the time to recover from a bad haircut or botched hair-dye. Plus, the only people seeing us are the people on our Zoom calls. 

 Hopefully, these success stories will inspire you to try your own DIY look! If this quarantine has taught us anything, it’s to live with no regrets.