By: Nicole Juliette Hetlyn

Every Wednesday, we will be featuring a Warped Wednesday Rewind, featuring a throwback interview/photos from a previous Warped Tour. Although we are sad that this is the last Warped Tour, we want to share some of our favorite Warped memories leading up to the final Vans Warped Tour.

In June 2016, we sat down with Hayley Williams and Brian O’Connor, the masterminds behind goodDYEyoung, at Warped Tour in Nashville. This was just 3 months after the launch of GDY. Good Dye Young is a new hair dye line that features bold, customizable colors that are vegan and cruelty free. I personally have been using goodDYEyoung for two years and can vouch that it is easy to use, the colors are so vibrant, and the dye smells amazing! GDY is everything we wanted in a dye and more. In the interview, Hayley and Brian discuss how they got started, their obstacles, and what to expect in the future. Check it out!

I’m sitting here with Hayley Williams and Brian O’Connor from goodDYEyoung. Congrats on your launch! Everyone is rocking it at Warped Tour today. Brian, how did you get your start with hair dye?

B: Since I was 12 years old, I have known that I wanted to do hair. My best friend's mom did hair while we were growing up, which inspired me to do it. This little angel [points to Hayley] just drove it even further.

How did you guys initially meet?

B: She came into the salon where I worked with a pink mullet; she was 17, I was 19. I had just graduated high school, and I have been doing her hair ever since.

Hayley, you have always been doing your hair awesome, crazy colors. When did you get the idea that you wanted to do your own hair dye line?

H: I really love creating things, so being part of the band and watching it grow has been an addicting sort of feeling; seeing something grow from the ground up. As soon as Brian and I got really serious about working together, it became a natural progression about working together on this dye. If we couldn’t find exactly what we wanted, why not just create it? I thought, we can do it! But I never thought in a million years that it would actually happen.

[ Model: Nicole Juliette Hetlyn; Hair: Riot + Rock Lobster ]

What was one of the biggest challenges that you two faced and how did you overcome it?

H: Definitely getting the exact colors. Also, getting people to treat this as a proprietary thing, versus “oh a celebrity is just doing this because she is in a band,” ya know? Brian and I both really wanted to make something that people would respect, whether I was in a band or not.

What has been one of the most rewarding moments so far?

B: To me, it was when people started to get goodDYEyoung and started experimenting with it, and seeing their photos, like yours!
N: ..when you saw me in Starbucks, and recognized that is was goodDYEyoung?!
B: [to Hayley] I literally saw her [Nicole] in Starbucks and was going to ask if her hair was goodDYEyoung, and I left and was like “damn, I think i saw her photo on Instagram…”
N: Well that’s huge for me, so thank you, Brian!
B: Yeah, THOSE are the moments! People using our product and loving it.
H: I absolutely agree!

You both are changing your hair color and style constantly. How do you decide what to do next?

H: For me, it’s more emotional. When I do something different, it’s because I need to reset myself. When big events happen in your life, whether it’s a new Paramore album, or I’m trying to feel more confident, or everything hurts; it’s my first step. It’s kind of like getting a new tattoo. It’s a lot of commitment to do your hair, and it’s rewarding, but at the same time, it not permanent. Brian is a professional and always says that seeing a new hair color and seeing someone happy is rewarding, as well.

Photo Credit: Nicole Juliette Hetlyn [ Model: Jess Ortega; Hair: Steal My Sunshine, Model: Nicole Juliette Hetlyn; Hair: Blue Ruin + Narwhal]

Who are some of your biggest hair influences?

B: I get a lot of inspiration day to day in life just looking at people. It’s better to make a trend than to be a trend. That says a lot more about someone than a carbon copy. Define your character as who you want to be. It doesn’t need to be based on someone else.

What can we expect next from goodDYEyoung? We are seeing t-shirts today for the first time!

H: We are currently developing new colors, extending our line, and working on merch too. We are working on a quicker turnaround too, since lab development takes some time.
B: We want to be able to work directly with some more professionals in salons, as well.

Last question; we love your whole message with goodDYEyoung. “Beautifully obnoxious;” you encourage people to embrace this bold, daring color, and to be themselves. What is one message that you want people to know about goodDYEyoung?

H: It’s exactly what you’re saying! It’s important for everyone to have their own story and to write it themselves. We are living in a really cool time right now where people can embrace their individual personality, and that’s really important. For young kids like Brian and I, we were in school feeling like outcasts. At the same time, we liked it enough to know that it was awesome, we had to convince some people that is was okay to be different [laughs], it took some time, but hopefully we can show people that it is okay to create yourself!

Photo Credit: Kirsten Balani [ Model: Nicole Juliette Hetlyn; Hair: Blue Ruin ]

I would personally like to thank Brian and Hayley for creating goodDYEyoung. I have had so much fun trying out all of the different colors and expressing myself through my hair. Blue seems to fit my personality best, but I can't wait to see what's next. Also, thank you for creating such an amazing community. To my fellow gdy family, I love seeing your creations, continue to stay obnoxiously beautiful. -xo, Nicole Juliette.

Be sure to pick up some goodDYEyoung, and let us see what
color combinations you come up with! Shop HERE
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Warped Rewind Vol 1 - goodDYEyoung