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View Full Version : I'm thinking ombre, what am I in for?



angelfell
January 10th, 2013, 06:21 PM
Although I somehow felt my hair was healthier when I would get blonde highlights all over, I'm know it wasn't. At this point, I'm afraid of bleach, as I'm afraid of heat, and afraid of any and all things which may damage my hair. I rarely heat style, I practically never blow dry and the worst I personally think I've done to my hair within the last few months other than very occasional heat styling is Garnier semi-permanent box dye to make my naturally dark ash brown hair look a little more.. brown, than black :o. I haven't bleached at all in 2-3 years.

For months now, and I truly mean months, I've been drooling over the ombre look. I love it! The only things keeping me away from it are high salon costs (or salon costs in general.. I'm a bit low on cash) and the whole bleach part of it. I'd read plenty of DIY articles and I haven't found one where the turnout was awful. So, I've considered doing that. The bonus is I'd start half way down or farther (closer to my chin or lips) so the top half of my hair would be untouched. And, I guess if it really tore my hair up I could.. oh dear.. cut it off...

I really don't want to do that though. I'm not looking to go super light or even really totally blonde with the ombre part. I guess down to a caramel? I would love if I could do from my natural color just to a light/medium brown. From what I understand, though, it's controlled by bleaching all the hair you want to be ombre, washing it out, drying, bleaching AGAIN farther down, washing, drying, bleaching AGAIN even farther down.. you know what I mean.. for the fade affect. And I'm really worried about re-applying the bleach over and over again like that.

Has anyone here done an ombre of any sort? Is there a way to take it only to a light brown rather than blonde? Could I help the process be less damaging by doing anything like oiling the night before? I'm not for sure I'm going to do it, after all I still would need ~$30 for the bleach and such.. oh yes, I'm that broke. College you treat me good :lol:

ETA: In fact, if this is her natural color, we share similar hair colors and I love the tone she took hers to: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BH4vnOrKNo0/TbhZKVG_l3I/AAAAAAAAAjk/mKlAAvkYGHs/s1600/10.jpg

AnqeIicDemise
January 10th, 2013, 06:29 PM
In all honesty, i rather get the ombre done professionally. Its more expensive but worth it . When i tried doing the first streaks of purple the pieces were really damaged because i left the bleach on too long then blasted it with heat. When i got my hair last month it went easy and gentle. I oiled the night before. Sat under a heat lamp for thirty minutes then washed out. I can get away with no more bleaching for the next six months or more and all i do is slap more deposit only color on the blonde. Ps i got brassy at home...at the salon she got me almost platinum.

angelfell
January 10th, 2013, 06:35 PM
Thanks for the input! I will shop around prices at my local salons but it will be a while before I could afford it, depending on what I have left after tax returns.. which is why DIY is so appealing to me. So, oiling the night before helps? Does it interfere at all?

AnqeIicDemise
January 10th, 2013, 07:10 PM
Not at all. I used coconut oil in preparation knowing full well id be losing protein during the bleaching. Its a tip i got from the beleanch and linf hair thread.

Sillage
January 10th, 2013, 07:20 PM
Although I somehow felt my hair was healthier when I would get blonde highlights all over, I'm know it wasn't. At this point, I'm afraid of bleach, as I'm afraid of heat, and afraid of any and all things which may damage my hair. I rarely heat style, I practically never blow dry

You can blow dry without damage under 50 C :cool: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:o0pQomavU7YJ:journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc1998/cc049n03/p00141-p00153.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjCJ7Tgz5i473BGatL69pps3gZjj9GG8eTknun0 Ue-PqmI01A45GKIhNoApJhdCS9pNPQXn8-LxbziTPCNpyH9X57lywQaysvMrG4bF_yiC5uK9NruYiVqP0ycH 8X7pr5I9laVd&sig=AHIEtbQb9j0r6BATxMxsE_Fl4If48I7vdA




Has anyone here done an ombre of any sort? Is there a way to take it only to a light brown rather than blonde? Could I help the process be less damaging by doing anything like oiling the night before?

I would get it done at a salon because bleaching can be very tricky. When you lighten dark hair it turns orange before it gets to the golden shades and then you have to worry about formulating the dye color correctly wrt the base shade of your hair... these are things that I would leave to a professional.

sunshine-locks
January 10th, 2013, 07:56 PM
I want to try it too! But I don't have any advice sorry :P

kidari
January 10th, 2013, 08:00 PM
I would also recommend soaking your hair in coconut oil prior to bleaching/dying- there are threads on this here. You should do some research on getting some special purple shampoos for blonde hair to combat the brassiness that usually happens with bleached hair and hard water. I have done ombre at home by myself a couple summers ago and it turned orange on me. I have dark brown hair that I dye black, so that's probably why. My hair was noticeably drier and more difficult to detangle but I did like it a lot while I had it. Next time if I ever do it again I will get it done at a salon.

angelfell
January 10th, 2013, 08:02 PM
I'm thinking more now with the suggestions that I will do it at a salon. Especially since I think we have hard water (if not just hard, it also has a smelly concentration of sulfur and who knows what else.. we have a well). HOWEVER.. I have had blonde in my hair before, both caramel shades and lighter blonde, and have not had the orange issue. Not to say it wouldn't happen this time though. And I shall definitely soak my hair in oil!

That is, if I go through with this. Half the things I want to do to my hair I don't end up doing.. probably for the better :lol:

akilina
January 11th, 2013, 12:11 AM
I am not playing devils advocate here but honestly, I say go to a professional.
Just make sure you find the best of the best for you. Keep in mind the best does not always mean highest cost.

I could see it being a double process...lighten ends, then use demi permanent dye to the desired color you want.


If you are going to do it yourself...do not get any box dyes. Go to a supply store and get your bleach and 10 vol developer, and also a tube of demi permanent color that you like. You can use the same 10vol developer with the dye.

Sorry if You already know this..just trying to help if you do do it at home. If you go to a salon, I would say oil your ends the night before and don't even mention it. Some freak out and think its bad..I honestly would not flip out if I had a client that came in with coconut oil on their head..especially when its going to involve bleach. Do prepare for having a trim after.
I would love to have ombre hair I love how some of them turn out..but the thing that gets me is that its putting bleach on the most delicate part of the hair.

hmmruka
January 11th, 2013, 12:44 AM
I have done ombré on myself 3 times now. I am a cosmetologist but havnt actively done hair in 5+ years so I don't know how much of that came into play as far as helping me with the actual technique, but I felt pretty comfortable trying it out. The first time was in September 2011 and I did use bleach. Even though I could have bought perfessional I just used feria. I watched a bunch of YouTube DIY videos and just kinda went for it. My profile pic shows what my hair looked like on New Year's Eve of that year. The second time I did it was last June. I had my first haircut in 4 years in March so not only had my hair grown a few inches but I cut off about 4 inches of my ombré ends so I felt I needed to redo it. That time I used a dark golden blonde color so it darkened my bleached ends and barely lightened my natural hair so it was much less dramatic but very gold. The last time I did it was 2 weeks ago and this time I used an light ash blonde hair color to remove some of the gold I put in. It's still golden but more mellow and a tad lighter but not as light as the first time I bleached it. I'm sure I damaged my ends some but at least I didn't damage all my hair, and a hairstylist friend of mine always tells me how amazed she is my hair looks and feels even after the ombré and only one real hair cut in nearly 5 years. The really cool thing about ombré is how low maintenance it is. You can wait 6-9 months to touch it up and not all your hair is dyed so that's not nearly as damaging as going in ever couple months and coloring most if not all your hair. I personally am willing to encure some damage for certain things that make me feel good about my hair so coloring my hair a little every 6 months or so and heat styling once or twice a month is worth it to me.

joflakes
January 11th, 2013, 01:37 AM
I have ombre hair, and I would never have tried it on myself (despite having bleached my hair very successfully over the years many times). The trouble is that it is actually really quite difficult to get the blended in effect that you want, rather than an actual line. If you combine that with the potential for messing up the colour, developing time and then the stress of chemically treating your hair as an LHC member....I'd definitely go to the salon.

If you've been drooling for months, save up until you can afford it. Good luck!

curlywurlygurly
January 11th, 2013, 01:49 AM
I've had ombre hair for almost a year now, and I''m ready for a change. I always got mine done professionally. It's a rather long process - and be prepared to look like a hobo. I've had multiple hair stylist use the same technique for blending the colour: pretty much instead of just putting foils in the ends of hair, they tease the hair going into foils, so there's no harsh colour line and then 'tone' the ends to be closer to my root colour. I'd usually opt to go darker in the toning process so it was gently fade over the following washes. I would only go in for a proper colour every 3-5months, and get a toner through my hair in between. I wouldnt be game to try doing ombre on myself... but thats just me.

The only reason i'm tired of it is, my hair has become rather light at the ends and i think i am washing more as my darker roots look dirtier faster plus i like to change up my look - a new year and a new look for me :)

joflakes
January 11th, 2013, 03:43 AM
I always got mine done professionally. It's a rather long process - and be prepared to look like a hobo. I've had multiple hair stylist use the same technique for blending the colour: pretty much instead of just putting foils in the ends of hair, they tease the hair going into foils, so there's no harsh colour line and then 'tone' the ends to be closer to my root colour.


This is what I would have said if I'd have thought of it earlier! That's the same way they did mine, too. They also left little bits out so it blended better.

MonaMayfair
January 12th, 2013, 07:40 AM
That photo made me drool, I love ombre hair, it looks so beautiful when it's well done like that.
I'd also go to a professional, it'd be worth saving up for it. I've seen way too many girls around who've obviously done it themselves, and have dark brown hair with brassy yellowish ends.

jacqueline101
January 12th, 2013, 08:24 AM
I'd get it done at a salon.

AnqeIicDemise
January 12th, 2013, 08:41 AM
I have done ombré on myself 3 times now. I am a cosmetologist but havnt actively done hair in 5+ years so I don't know how much of that came into play as far as helping me with the actual technique, but I felt pretty comfortable trying it out. The first time was in September 2011 and I did use bleach. Even though I could have bought perfessional I just used feria. I watched a bunch of YouTube DIY videos and just kinda went for it. My profile pic shows what my hair looked like on New Year's Eve of that year. The second time I did it was last June. I had my first haircut in 4 years in March so not only had my hair grown a few inches but I cut off about 4 inches of my ombré ends so I felt I needed to redo it. That time I used a dark golden blonde color so it darkened my bleached ends and barely lightened my natural hair so it was much less dramatic but very gold. The last time I did it was 2 weeks ago and this time I used an light ash blonde hair color to remove some of the gold I put in. It's still golden but more mellow and a tad lighter but not as light as the first time I bleached it. I'm sure I damaged my ends some but at least I didn't damage all my hair, and a hairstylist friend of mine always tells me how amazed she is my hair looks and feels even after the ombré and only one real hair cut in nearly 5 years. The really cool thing about ombré is how low maintenance it is. You can wait 6-9 months to touch it up and not all your hair is dyed so that's not nearly as damaging as going in ever couple months and coloring most if not all your hair. I personally am willing to encure some damage for certain things that make me feel good about my hair so coloring my hair a little every 6 months or so and heat styling once or twice a month is worth it to me.

I wound up with an ombre effect after I couldn't visit my colorist in 11 1/5 months. It helped that the underside of my hair was colored, not the top. My current ombre was done with that in mind so I don't have to worry about going to the salon much at all. We used the roots of the previous growth as a guide as where to start the fade effect. ^.- She doesn't expect me back in her chair for a LOoooOONG time. Maybe sometime in August, she said. :P

AnqeIicDemise
January 12th, 2013, 08:45 AM
This is what I would have said if I'd have thought of it earlier! That's the same way they did mine, too. They also left little bits out so it blended better.

eek.. they teased the roots and then foiled? I guess that's one way of getting the ombre done. I had mine done with Balayage so no teasing was done. She painted on the bleach in sections, working the way from the under side then applied the bleach form the ends to the top so the bottoms had more bleach, the top hardly any. Each layer of hair was separated by a piece of cellophane and was left to sit under the heater for a while.

I suppose it depends on the technique used which is friendlier or better for hair. Some hair can withstand the teasing, bleaching, then detangling with a fine tooth comb. Others? Not so much.

Elistariel
January 11th, 2014, 07:30 PM
I've been thinking about doing ombre as well. I had a mishap with some Color Oops back in November and now I'm starting to get a dark stripe in my scalp that doesn't go at all with my now light-brown/reddish brown hair. I have no clue how to do it myself and would prefer it done professionally to tide me over until my natural color grows back out. The only salon experience I have apart from my aunt when I was younger is Great Clips. That is Great Clips when they have like a $5.99 -$7.99 coupon.
What would be a reasonable price to have ombre done professionally?

Firefox7275
January 11th, 2014, 07:36 PM
Strand tests on shed plughole hair, somebody elses results/ damage is not your hair. Lighten over a heavy coconut oiling and after a hydrolysed wheat or soy protein treatment to reduce damage.

Bombadillo
January 11th, 2014, 07:52 PM
This might just be the hippy in me but go the organic way and let the sun bleach it for you, just lemon or chamomile the areas you want lighter and work on that tan…when you're done you will have a tanned and ombre'd chic look.

ErinLeigh
January 11th, 2014, 10:23 PM
Coconut oil the area you will bleach. The comb smooth.
Take a rat tail comb and tease sections of hair. This makes sure the ombre is not one straight line across.
Get a tint brush, dip into the bleach and touch paint the bottom parts you want that are sectioned and teased. Go lighter toward the top and heavier toward the bottom.
Make sure to do a nice deep treatment after. Protein and then moisture is what I do but all hair is different.

There will be a bit of damage. You cannot escape that, but it doesn't have to be horrible or noticable. Sometimes it is very slight.. I just freaked out myself after bleaching too much but it turned out just fine and hair is still smooth. You just have to accept hair is changed, but it doesn't have to mean it has to look fried or dry. Best thing is to really look at your hair and see if it can handle it. It is dry, prone to splits, etc etc. How will you feel if the ends feel a bit rougher or fuller? I don't know, I like playing with color so I try not worry about too much, although I DO worry about it more now that I used to. It hard to want to do things to your hair once you finally get it in good condition so I understand completely.

Good luck with your decision. If you can, look into a stylist. my friend had one done at a fairly affordable place and hers came out amazing. ask then their technique and procedure before letting them do it. by their explanation you can usually tell if they know what they are doing. Also ask if they have photos of an ombres they have done.