Life is a lot like ebbing and flowing. One day, you want the color blue. The next, it’s red. At times, because of these fleeting instances, some people are scared to do something permanent. To avoid regrets, they might want to try it out first — do something temporary that would resemble the outcome.

They might want to cut their hairdo a drastically short length. Dye their hair to a bright color. Change the color of their room. Get a tattoo. Re-do a really good shirt.

Before doing anything you would consider a wrong decision in the future, consider these alternatives to feel it out first:

• Hairstyles

Hair always grows back. If you cut it too short, it’s going to be long again in a few months. However, not everyone has the patience, and some people do not want to risk looking silly for a few months.

For those who are good with Photoshop, they can tweak their picture and change it to the length they want to get. You don’t have to spend anything. All you need are the internet, a computer, and your skills.

Another way to test a hairstyle is to try on a wig. It may not look as realistic as actually getting a haircut, but it can do the job.

• Interior Design

This is not an easy feat, especially because you will have to shed a lot of money. One wrong move and your comfort around the house may be compromised.

An easily targeted part of changes in interior design is the walls. Sometimes, you may find them too plain, or you no longer like the color. The tricky part about this is that there may be doubts about the likability of the color or the pattern on a larger scale.

To see how it will turn out, you can use wallpapers since they can be easily removed and replaced. There are rolls with adhesives that can be taken off without a sweat. This way, you can explore colors and patterns that suit your taste without full commitment and hurting your wallet.

• Tattoos

The one major caveat of a tattoo is that they stay on your body until you’re old. It’s not a major deal-breaker, but there are people who are scared that they will, one day, regret the decision.

The less painful and temporary alternative to this is a henna tattoo. “Henna” is a plant with leaves that produce lawsone, which is a pigment. This pigment comes out when a henna leaf is ground, mashed, or broken down. When it interacts with the skin, the pigment stays, creating a tattoo that lasts for a week or more.

• Cutting Up Clothes

Cutting up clothes seems like a minor activity. It wouldn’t affect your life that much, but you could end up wasting clothes that are perfectly fine. These clothes could end up in a landfill, and the fabric is not the most biodegradable thing in the world.

Before making the final cuts, consider putting guide marks first. This will ensure that your cut will be exactly where you want them to be. If you’re not sure about the cut, you can use paper to have a gist of how the cuts and style will turn out on the fabric.

You can also purchase cheaper clothes that can be your trial-and-error pieces. When things go south, you can upcycle them to smaller items like bags, purses, masks, rags, etc.

Permanent things are difficult to decide on because of the commitment they entail. While some decisions don’t give you a free trial, there are those that have temporary alternatives. These temporary alternatives can be your testing ground to avoid massive regrets in the future.