Coloring your hair brown for a more serious appearance?

Does hair color affect professionalism at work? Some women believe it does. In this article, I’ll share a real story about changing hair color to be taken more seriously in the workplace.

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From blonde to brown: does it make you look more professional?

Eileen Carey is head of a successful technology company based in Silicon Valley. When launching her business, Carey had to pitch to secure the investment needed to grow. Before one of these pitches, someone advised her to dye her blonde hair brown. The woman who gave this advice had worked in the financial sector for many years and pointed out that several successful female CEOs at the time had brown hair. She based her advice on the psychological theory of the mere-exposure effect, which suggests that people prefer what feels familiar. In Carey’s case, this worked to her advantage, especially when investors had to decide whether to take a financial risk.

She chose to follow the advice and felt satisfied with her decision. When she was blonde, people often compared her to Elizabeth Holmes, who was dominating the headlines at the time due to the Theranos scandal. “By coloring my hair brown, I looked a bit older, and I needed that. With the darker color, I felt that people took me more seriously.”

In addition to her changing her hair, she decided to work on the rest of her appearance. She swapped her lenses for glasses and started to wear more androgynous clothes. ‘ In a bar, I received more attention with blond hair than brown’. This knowledge I used to my advantage.  To be successful in my industry I like my appearance to attract as little interest as possible, definitely in a sexual sense. I want to be seen as a business leader and not as a sexual object. The dividing line is often difficult in this industry’.

Does hair color affect professionalism

Every story has two sides. On one hand, I respect people who pursue their dreams with determination and do everything to achieve them, even when that means changing their appearance. On the other hand, it’s troubling that a natural hair color like blonde still needs to be changed for a woman to be seen as a serious business professional.

As for me, I’ve had dyed dark red hair for about 20 years, and I’m proud of it. However, my hairdresser has often told me that this color doesn’t create a professional appearance, and I have to admit that I agree with him. So, a few years ago, I asked him to dye my hair brown as an experiment. Not because I wanted to look more professional, but rather because I was curious how I would feel with a quieter, more natural color.

In the end, the result surprised me. I felt unhappy. As a result, I no longer knew how to dress or what make-up to wear. It felt as if I had lost my sense of direction. In other words, I was no longer the Aileen I used to be.

My brown hair

I was a brunette for only five days. On day five I turned up on my hairdressers‘ doorstep at closing time. He laughed and commented that I had not even lasted the week. He asked if I wanted to give it a go for another couple of days but luckily he wife grabbed me by the hand, pulled me into the salon and told that she too had once dyed her blond locks brown and was miserable. That was all the convincing I needed and within half an hour I was back to my trusty old red locks. At that moment I not only had my hair color back but also my lust for life. Lesson Learnt: no brunette for me!

Have you ever dyed your hair to look more serious? Would you consider it?

Want to read more about hair and professionalism in the workplace?

Also check:

• Hair color rules in Japan
• Tips for business proof women’s hairstyles

Greetings,

Aileen

Last update: 08/05/2026