Can I dye my hair or wear make up?

People of all ages (and genders for that matter) are often seen with dyed hair and/or make up. Are you one of them? Along with the dyed hair, there's sometimes lots of jewelry adornments, glitter, bright eye shadow, dark eyeliner, false lashes, and even elaborate nail polish or acrylics. As followers of Christ, is this something that we should be doing? What does the Bible say about enhancing our appearances?

Follow the House Rules

"Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord." —Colossians 3:20 (NLT)

If your parents have told you that they don't want you to dye your hair or wear make up or jewelry, then you've got to obey as long as you live under their authority (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20). This isn't an issue that's worth causing conflict with your parents.

If they've given you that freedom, then the decision becomes one to make between you and God alone. Using self-reflection, wisdom, and spiritual discernment, you can choose what's best for you.

Loving the Inside Out

"The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." —1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)

The Bible says that what God really cares about is the heart—not what's on the outside . At the same time, that doesn't mean that the outside doesn't matter at all. Practicing good hygiene and dressing modestly is important in caring for your body and respecting yourself and those around you.

"I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do." —1 Timothy 2:9-10 (NLT)

Now, just to clarify that verse, Paul is NOT saying that we should never wear jewelry, make up, or do special things to our hair. What he IS saying is that a Christ follower should not let their outside appearance take priority over their inner beauty. If we find we're spending more time and money on our outward appearances than we are on becoming like Christ, then our priorities are in the wrong order.

What is real inner beauty?

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." —1 Peter 3:3-5

So inner beauty shines in the form of our kindness, love, generosity, compassion, forgiveness, etc.—not what color hair or type of jewelry we have.

While there's nothing at all wrong with the act of dying your hair, cutting, curling, or braiding it in a certain way, or wearing make up and jewelry, feeling pretty on the outside should never be more important than being beautiful on the inside. God loves and values each one of His children as a unique and lovely creation, and His deepest desire is for our inner beauty to shine the brightest.

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