The color pink is often associated with youthful femininity, and in 2023, this idea was cemented into the cultural milieu thanks to a very famous doll. However, according to Kassia St. Clair in her book The Secret Lives of Color, “daring, full-blooded pinks were a hit for strong, characterful women,” including fashion editor Diana Vreeland, designer Elsa Schiaparelli, and actress Marilyn Monroe.
Beca Alexander’s favorite color is pink, but if you’d asked her the same question a decade ago, she would’ve had a different answer. “I would’ve said black,” says Coveteur’s chief operating officer. What changed? “Age. Confidence.” Colors don’t need to transform to take on new meaning, but we do.
Pink, then, was the obvious choice when Alexander got the opportunity to try out hairstylist Tina Outen’s soon-to-be-released dye product. “We wanted to create a universal product for all hair types, color, and textures,” explains Outen. “With a lot of [other] dyes, you need to over-bleach the hair for the actual color to saturate and penetrate.” Outen had already tested the dye using a much gentler bleaching process—the hair was lifted to an orange tone instead of a white—but she wanted to see what a bold hue would look like on natural hair. “It’s more of a semi-permanent instead of your typical rainbow color,” says Outen. “The hair gets the color while also benefiting from the conditioning agents in the formula.”
After a quick shampoo, Outen began the color process. Starting in the front of the head (“it’s the part you see”), she combed the dye through one-inch-wide sections of damp hair, making sure not to stain the scalp. “It’s all about putting enough product on the surface then letting it soak it into the hair,” explains Outen. The entire process was quick and seamless, and unlike most hair coloring sessions, it didn’t involve sitting in a salon chair for several hours. Once Outen had finished applying the dye, and after letting it sit for about 25 minutes, it was time to rinse it out to see the results.
“My hair was pink from age 23 to 29, so this color makes me feel a little bit younger in a sense,” says Alexander a few days after her transformation. “I try very hard not to base inside feelings on outside appearances, but it feels good to do something different. It’s definitely a confidence booster when you look in the mirror.”