• STYLES
    • ALL STYLES
    • NATURAL
    • WEAVES & WIGS
    • STRAIGHT
    • BRAIDS
    • CORNROWS
    • LOCS
    • PROTECTIVE STYLES
    • SHORT STYLES
    • TUTORIALS
  • CARE
    • ALL CARE
    • HAIR 101
    • ASK AN EXPERT
    • NATURAL
    • WEAVES & WIGS
    • STRAIGHT
    • BRAIDS
    • LOCS
    • TRANSITIONING
  • PRODUCTS
    • SHOP
    • LEARN
  • FEATURES
    • HAIR STORY
    • ON THE STREET
    • WORKING GIRL
    • CONVERSATIONS
    • LIFE
    • CULTURE
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • \\ VIEW ALL
  • TV
    • BLACK HAIR IS…
    • DIY vs DFY
    • #HAIRTIES
    • Mom Cuts
    • PRETTY
    • PRETTY SHOULDN’T HURT
    • YOU CAN TOUCH MY HAIR
    • ON THE SCENE
    • \\ VIEW ALL
  • BOUTIQUE
    • CONDITIONERS
    • STYLING
    • SHAMPOO
    • TREATMENTS
    • \\ VIEW ALL

 | Discover Yeluchi

  • STYLES
    • ALL STYLES
    • NATURAL
    • WEAVES & WIGS
    • STRAIGHT
    • BRAIDS
    • CORNROWS
    • LOCS
    • PROTECTIVE STYLES
    • SHORT STYLES
    • TUTORIALS
  • CARE
    • ALL CARE
    • HAIR 101
    • ASK AN EXPERT
    • NATURAL
    • WEAVES & WIGS
    • STRAIGHT
    • BRAIDS
    • LOCS
    • TRANSITIONING
  • PRODUCTS
    • SHOP
    • LEARN
  • FEATURES
    • HAIR STORY
    • ON THE STREET
    • WORKING GIRL
    • CONVERSATIONS
    • LIFE
    • CULTURE
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • \\ VIEW ALL
  • TV
    • BLACK HAIR IS…
    • DIY vs DFY
    • #HAIRTIES
    • Mom Cuts
    • PRETTY
    • PRETTY SHOULDN’T HURT
    • YOU CAN TOUCH MY HAIR
    • ON THE SCENE
    • \\ VIEW ALL
  • BOUTIQUE
    • CONDITIONERS
    • STYLING
    • SHAMPOO
    • TREATMENTS
    • \\ VIEW ALL
UNRULY
  • STYLES
    • ALL STYLES
    • NATURAL
    • WEAVES & WIGS
    • STRAIGHT
    • BRAIDS
    • CORNROWS
    • LOCS
    • PROTECTIVE STYLES
    • SHORT STYLES
    • TUTORIALS
  • CARE
    • ALL CARE
    • HAIR 101
    • ASK AN EXPERT
    • NATURAL
    • WEAVES & WIGS
    • STRAIGHT
    • BRAIDS
    • LOCS
    • TRANSITIONING
  • PRODUCTS
    • SHOP
    • LEARN
  • FEATURES
    • HAIR STORY
    • ON THE STREET
    • WORKING GIRL
    • CONVERSATIONS
    • LIFE
    • CULTURE
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • \\ VIEW ALL
  • TV
    • BLACK HAIR IS…
    • DIY vs DFY
    • #HAIRTIES
    • Mom Cuts
    • PRETTY
    • PRETTY SHOULDN’T HURT
    • YOU CAN TOUCH MY HAIR
    • ON THE SCENE
    • \\ VIEW ALL
  • BOUTIQUE
    • CONDITIONERS
    • STYLING
    • SHAMPOO
    • TREATMENTS
    • \\ VIEW ALL
hair story: melanie paris-arum
  • 0
  • 4837

hair story: melanie paris-arum

  • by Staff
  • Color Inspiration / Features / Hair Story / Natural Styles / Styles

 

Meet Melanie Paris-Arum, Program Director at the Ohio State Center for Personalized Health Care. For years Melanie has been able to make subtle changes with her hair, especially by playing with color, while at the same time maintaining a professional appearance and training for marathons. Here’s her story.

 

Un’ruly: Tell us about your hair.

Melanie: I really love my hair. I love that I can wear it super curly, as I do most of the time, blow it out to change my look completely, or to wear it up occasionally. I also like to try new things with color. My hair is naturally dark brown, but I find that highlights are important to add more definition and dimension to my curls; and the fact that highlights works when my hair is straight, too, is a bonus. I have been light brown, dark brown, blonde, and red (I look terrible as a red head), but I like it most the way I wear it now: dark brown with bleach blonde highlights. I also keep my hair cut in layers, with a long swooping bang. Layers are important for some curly textures to avoid “pyramid hair.”

Changing my hair is important to me, but only to give a subtle new look. I need to have a professional appearance, so I try to go only as far as I can in my work environment. I like changing my look to stay fashionable, but I like to be unique too.

 

my hair through the years

 

hair_story_melanie_blond_curls_7

High School 1988: Relaxed, layered, and HUGE

Everybody had big hair back then… the bigger, the more hair spray, the better. My inspiration back then were all the cool ladies in pop culture at the time: Vanity, Sheila E., Paula Abdul, Karen White… everybody!

 

hair_story_melanie_blond_curls_9

Miss Excel Ball in 1989: Dancing with My Dad

I’m wearing my natural color here (super dark), while my hair is relaxed and curled inward. It was a special occasion and I did my own hair, as usual (I rarely went to a salon because I always liked my hair better when I did it myself). I was inspired by R&B singer Pebbles for this look. She always had the coolest and most versatile looks back then and I thought she was super cool.

 

hair_story_melanie_blond_curls_1

Curls and Highlights in 2010

I’ve been natural since 1992 and it’s definitely been a journey. I get stopped a lot by women of all ethnicities about my hair; how I do it, etc.  No two people have the exact same hair texture, so it’s a matter of knowing and appreciating YOUR hair and getting the best products, technique, cut, and color to make it look its best.

My BFF, a photographer, took this picture in Columbus, Ohio. It was winter, so I wanted my hair darker with some highlighted pieces. I also wanted it layered and full with a sweeping bang, which is my usual look!

 

hair_story_melanie_blond_curls_3

2012, Hot Summer Days in Columbus

Here’s my natural texture, but with a lot more allover blonde! I chose a blonder look for summer because my skin gets more color and I like the contrast! I like keeping my hair natural because I have a 12 year-old daughter who I want to continue being proud of her God-given hair. I have always kept her natural and she has a tremendous amount of confidence in who she is and loves being natural too.

 

hair_story_melanie_blond_curls_6

My Blow Out in 2012

I grew my hair out over the winter, then blew it out in the spring for the first time in months. It was very long and very blonde. My hairdresser told me that my hair had grown so much. So I told her to blow it out to let me see and I loved it! I wanted to see the result of taking care of my hair by using very little heat and getting regular trims.

 

 

hair_story_melanie_blond_curls

Right now my hair is layered and shoulder length with super bright blonde chunks around my dark hair. I like this look because it’s a little edgy, but still professional. I like volume and length, so I’m trying to grow it longer, but keep the layers for summer. I probably won’t be blowing it straight for a long time because I’m starting up more intense training for an upcoming half marathon and for possibly a full marathon in the fall. That requires a lot of running and a lot of sweating too, so I’ll most likely stay curly through the summer because it’s easier to care for.

 

 

 Photos courtesy of Melanie

 

Staff
Tags
  • hair story

Related posts

  • Hair Story
  • Natural Hair Care
0
Taking Care of Black hair in South Korea

Taking Care of Black hair in South Korea

1 year ago
  • Conversations
0
My Graveyard of Dead Hairstyles and Relationships

My Graveyard of Dead Hairstyles and Relationships

3 years ago
  • Features
  • Hair Story
0
Hair Story: Rogene Evans

Hair Story: Rogene Evans

5 years ago
  • Features
  • Hair Story
  • Styles
0
Hair Story: Amber Richardson

Hair Story: Amber Richardson

5 years ago

3 thoughts on “hair story: melanie paris-arum”

  1. Melanie Paris-Arum on at 10:39 am said:

    Thanks, Antonia, for the opportunity to be featured in Un’ruly!

    Reply ↓
    • un'ruly on at 12:55 pm said:

      Totally our pleasure. Lovely story and lovely hair!

      Reply ↓
    • Will Bell, II on at 9:48 am said:

      Melanie.. hello! a fellow buckeye here.. I stayed at park hall and wore baseball hats all the time.. just wanted to say hello!!

      Reply ↓

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Post

long hair looks: a messy half-bun + next day curls (video)

by Staff

hair story: melanie paris-arum
Next Post

Ask an Expert: What Hairstyles Can Someone with Thin Fine Hair Rock?

by Staff

hair story: melanie paris-arum
Get Un-ruly In Your Inbox Each Week

Un-ruly was created to celebrate and inspire the versatility and beauty of Black hair and women.

About Us    \    Press   \    Newsletter   \    Be on Un-ruly   \    Work With Us   \   Terms   \  Privacy   \    Advertise   \     Meet Up   \    Discover Yeluchi by Un-ruly

 

Loading Comments...