So as you know after months of debate and lusting after the hair of Rachel Bilson, Alexa Chung, Drew Barrymore etc etc I took the plunge and went ombre!
I considered doing a tutorial post but to be honest, I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out so didn't want to jinx myself before I'd even started. I didn't expect to spend sooooooooooo long acheiving my look but I'm pretty happy with the results considering I did the whole thing myself...yes, me, myself and I.
For those of you interested here's my mini step-by-step guide of how I acheived the look:
1. I started off with my natural hair colour- I haven't dyed my hair in about 2 or 3 years so it was completely natural (greys and all!) and in very good condition.
2. (Day 1) I started off with a light brown colour to test the water. I used Clairol's new Nice'N Easy colour blend foam in 6 (Light Brown).
This step was pointless as the difference in colour was too subtle. If you're going for a subtle look then try this out.
*To apply the colour:
- I started by tying my fringe/bangs in to a mini bun so I didn't get any dye on it.
- Next I parted my hair in the middle all the way down the back so I ended up with a piggy tail on each side.
- Next I applied the colour to the bottom 3 or 4 inches of hair and left for around 5-10 minutes to let the colour take more effect on the ends.
- Then I applied more dye further up and more to the ends.
- I kept repeating the above step till I got to about the top of my ears.
-I then added a few streaks (about 3 chunky streaks per side) randomly with the highest point being an inch or so above the top of my ears.
- I left the colour to develop until I could notice a difference in colour (first time round I was over cautious) which was around 20-25 mins.
- I washed the hair dye out and applied the conditioner enclosed, rinsed after 5 minutes and let my hair dry naturally.
3. (Day 2): I repeated exactly the same steps above (to apply colour) but this time used Nice'N Easy permanent hair colour in SB1 (Natural Light Summer Blonde). This time I was a little extra cautious over the time I left it as the colour got a lot lighter this time. The chicken in me took it off after about 15 mins. The result was not as light as I would have liked due to washing it out prematurely.
4. (Day 3) Again I repeated the above steps but this time used Garnier Nutrisse Blonde pre-lightener. This is where the magic happened but it left my hair completely fried! This is when I started thinking I'd made a huge mistake so quickly went out and bought intensive conditioners! The colour at this stage was very orange and not particularly nice. I prefer a more ash colour in my hair so I bought MORE dye.
5. (Day 4) Annnnnd again, I repeated the above steps, this time using Belle Color 9.1 (Light Ash Blonde). I used the conditioner enclosed and a hefty dollop of
Tresemme Colour Revitalise Treatment Masque. This is the last dye I put on my hair and thank God my hair was saved. After rinsing the conditioner, it no longer felt like hay.
6. (Day 5) I was still slightly unhappy with the brassiness in the colour so bought some John Frieda Sheer Blonde Colour Renew Shampoo and hair mousse. This stuff is ace. It's already began to get rid of the brassiness after 2 washes! I now follow every wash with the Tresemme masque and leave it in 5-10mins.
(Products used)
So there you have it. I'm waiting on some toner I bought on Ebay to get rid of more of the orange tones so I'll wait and see how it changes the colour. I'm quite happy with the results but think the top of my hair could be a bit darker. Hmmmm.....