The Ombre Thread [Archive] - The Long Hair Community Discussion Boards

meteor

August 20th, 2015, 03:10 PM

To get us started, here are a few questions that I think might help (please feel free to skip any or to add any new ones, of course ;) ):

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors (e.g. balayage, highlights/lowlights, dye grow-out, color-melt, dip-dye, reverse ombre with henna or direct dyes, etc)?

2) How long do you like your ombre to be (virgin length vs. color-treated length)? Do you like it chunky or fine? High-contrast & bold or soft & subtle? Dip-dyed or thoroughly blended?

3) What are your long-term goals for your ombre? (e.g. Transitioning to virgin color or some other color? Experimenting with new color without commitment? Low-maintenance way of experiencing color variety? Giving hair a break from processing? Or anything else?)

4) Your ombre evolution: are you retouching color, intensifying it or blending it in? If so, how and how often? Or are you just letting it grow out?

5) Do you like to sometimes change up the color of the ombre-ed ends? Please share techniques/details on how you do that. :)

6) How do you maintain the color and keep it fresh (toners, special shampoos, color-depositing conditioners, topping up dyes, etc)?

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair (any special treatments, serums, oils, routines, micro-trimming, etc)?

8) How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections?

9) Do you find that your ombre is enhanced with added texture (e.g. waves/curls) or cuts (e.g. layers or specific shape) or hairstyles (e.g. braids or mini-accents)?

10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition?

11) What's the best thing about having ombre hair? And what's the worst?

12) Any other thoughts you'd like to share? :cheer:

Thank you very much, guys! :flowers:

Arctic

August 20th, 2015, 03:22 PM

Here are few of mine: link to my blog (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=121437).

Mine is (or was, currently) dip dyed with La Riché Directions' Ruby Red. It's a deep wine red colour, and I used it on my natural brown hair, withoutt bleaching. The colour itself is non-damaging shock colour, more like conditioner. These particular photos were taken, if I remember correctly, after I used a baggy method, which gave me more blended results. I liked it, but the baggy method itself was messier than my normal method which was something I didn't like, so I doubt I'll be doing the baggy method again. My normal method involds several mini-ponytails and foils, and I get the process much neater that way.

I have done the dip dye several times, and let it fade completely. It's too much effort to keep up with it, as I wash often and the dyeing is time consuming and very messy. In other words, I've never maintained it.

I've been curious about trying green colour too (Directions Alpine green), but haven't yet gathered the courage.

Groovy Granny

August 20th, 2015, 03:28 PM

Subscribing out of curiosity :popcorn:
I love to see all your beautiful and creative hair colors, but I'm not touching my natural silver highlights ;)

meteor

August 20th, 2015, 03:29 PM

Here are my answers:

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors (e.g. balayage, highlights/lowlights, dye grow-out, color-melt, dip-dye, reverse ombre with henna or direct dyes, etc)?

Unintentional. ;) I decided to grow out bleach highlights and that's what originally brought me to the LHC.

2) How long do you like your ombre to be (virgin length vs. color-treated length)? Do you like it chunky or fine? High-contrast & bold or soft & subtle? Dip-dyed or thoroughly blended?

It's currently pretty grown out: virgin hair till mid-back, highlights from mid-back till classic+.
Medium thickness, somewhat blendy (I have some natural sun-bleached highlights, as well).

3) What are your long-term goals for your ombre? (e.g. Transitioning to virgin color or some other color? Experimenting with new color without commitment? Low-maintenance way of experiencing color variety? Giving hair a break from processing? Or anything else?)

Probably transitioning to virgin color. Or at least, that was my original plan when I joined the LHC.
Now I kind of like two-toned hair so I'm trying not to trim off the bleach much. :lol:
Possible medium-term plan: dying bleach ends with temporary dyes in crazy colors if I'm courageous. ;)

4) Your ombre evolution: are you retouching color, intensifying it or blending it in? If so, how and how often? Or are you just letting it grow out?

Not retouching the highlights, letting it grow out for now... but I'm not sure, I might add a couple highlights only in the face-framing area. Considering my options.

5) Do you like to sometimes change up the color of the ombre-ed ends? Please share techniques/details on how you do that. :)

Haven't tried it yet.

6) How do you maintain the color and keep it fresh (toners, special shampoos, color-depositing conditioners, topping up dyes, etc)?

I like honey rinses or adding honey to conditioners and clarifying seems enough (I don't experience brassiness much naturally).

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair (any special treatments, serums, oils, routines, micro-trimming, etc)?

Gelatin treatments for protein.

Lots of oiling and silicone serums concentrated on the ends.

I use a lot more conditioner on ends and try to keep ends contained. I only use silk ribbon to tie of my night braid or I don't even bother to tie it off for the night.

8) How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections?

It's a challenge. I find detangling difficult in the demarcation area.

My bleached ends are a lot more fragile and prone to dryness, especially at this length.

I keep my virgin hair clean and don't bother to condition it much at all. I always focus all oils, leave-ins or rinse-out conditioners on the ombre ends. I like to style my bleached ends with a bit of wave/curl (always heat-free, of course). :)

9) Do you find that your ombre is enhanced with added texture (e.g. waves/curls) or cuts (e.g. layers or specific shape) or hairstyles (e.g. braids or mini-accents)?

Absolutely. IMHO, it looks better with curls and waves - a-la Guy Tang's ombre jobs. And it looks really nice with long layers, but I grew them out because they were fussy to maintain and seemed to cause more tangling. I also find that accent braids and multi-strand braids, braided updos and sectioned updos look great with multi-toned hair. The color adds more interest, a bit like a natural paranda.

10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition?

Not really, I'm afraid - just being generally paranoid about damage, preserving the ends, sleeping on silk/satin, using LOC, ad-hoc protein treatments, conditioning & oiling quite a bit. Watching for any sign of breakage/splits, since they are quite likely, compared to all-virgin hair.

11) What's the best thing about having ombre hair? And what's the worst?

Best: variety with no commitment, no roots, highly personalized color (all ombres seem to have slightly different highlights placement, which is cool).
Worst: difficult texture, detangling issues, damage and dryness accumulated on the oldest parts of hair, doesn't necessarily look great in all lights, might require a bit of styling to look neat/professional.

meteor

August 20th, 2015, 03:35 PM

Here are few of mine: link to my blog (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=121437).

Mine is (or was, currently) dip dyed with La Riché Directions' Ruby Red. It's a deep wine red colour, and I used it on my natural brown hair, withoutt bleaching. The colour itself is non-damaging shock colour, more like conditioner. These particular photos were taken, if I remember correctly, after I used a baggy method, which gave me more blended results. I liked it, but the baggy method itself was messier than my normal method which I didn't like, so I doubt I'll be doing it again. My normal method involds several mini-ponytails and foils.

I have done the dip dye several times, and let it fade completely. It's too much effort to keep up with it, as I wash often and the dyeing is time consuming and very messy. In other words, I've never maintained it.

I've been curious about trying green colour too (Directions Alpine green), but haven't yet gathered the courage.

Wow, Arctic! It's super-gorgeous! :bowtome:

So you prefer the baggy method? :) Could you please share why? And how is it done? The ends of the whole mane are kept in a zip-lock bag or did I get it wrong? Is the ponytails'-ends-in-foils method more "blendy"?

Do your ends experience any dryness? Or need any extra conditioning since the temporary dye?

I love how you didn't even need to bleach at all! Wow! That's such an incredibly beautiful rich color! :applause

Arctic

August 20th, 2015, 04:30 PM

Wow, Arctic! It's super-gorgeous! :bowtome:

So you prefer the baggy method? :) Could you please share why? And how is it done? The ends of the whole mane are kept in a zip-lock bag or did I get it wrong? Is the ponytails'-ends-in-foils method more "blendy"?

Do your ends experience any dryness? Or need any extra conditioning since the temporary dye?

I love how you didn't even need to bleach at all! Wow! That's such an incredibly beautiful rich color! :applause

Thank you, I quite liked it myself too! Part of me wishes the direct colours would stay longer, and part of me is very happy they fade quite fast! I can't decide which is better, lol!

I think I prefered the results of the baggy method versus my normal method, but I prefer the process of my normal method over the baggy method :D

Baggy method gave more blended results, more like ombre, whereas the normal method creates more sharp line between the natural colour and the dye. My normal method gives a true dip dyed look, as if the hair would have been dipped in paint. I noticed I like the more gradient effect better. I am thinking of trying to tweek my normal method a bit, maybe I could get similar blended results with few small changes.

My normal method:

- Here's a link to a very detailed post in my blog I've written about the way I dip dye: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=120835
- clarify hair, no conditioner, let dry
- divide hair into small ponytails, IIRC I have made 6-8 mini ponies. Just letting my hemline hang down I take the divided sections and secure with mini elastic at the level where I want the colour to reach. Ponytails are not make high up in the head like in ponytail hairstyle, but used as a tool to gather and keep the hemline in manageable sections
- so the elastic has 3 jobs: it keeps the hair in manageable chunks and act as a guide where I'll put the colour to, and they help me to get even results all around my hair (colour reaches the same height everywhere)
- I have made as many square-ish pieces of normal kitchen aluminium foils in advance, as I have ponytails. I take one piece, put it behing one of the mini-ponies, and apply the dye using the foil as a helpful background. The foil helps me to work without making a mess, as my hair is so short I am working near my face/neck area. I sometimes use dye brush, sometimes just fingers. If the ponytail is small enough it's very easy to get it covered with dye and I get by with very small amounts. I use the pony holder as a guide to how high I apply the colour. Then I wrap the foil as a package around the dyed part which helps keep the warmth and prevents it from drying or messing up myself. Then I take the next mini pony and work around my head this way. Finally I put on a shower cap and let the colour sit for 1,5-2 hours before rinsing.

- Good points: neat result, neat process, easier for me, I get by with surprisingly little dye
- Bad points: so far has resulted in rather sharp dye line (truly dip dyed looking), but I am hopeful I can tweak it to become more soft looking and blended

Baggy method:

- Here's a link to my very detailed version I've posted in my blog about baggy method: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?u=11704&m=4&y=2015&d=7
- basically very similar to above, instead of foils, small plastic baggies are used. In theory this should be super neat, non-messy, easy, fast method, but my experience was the opposite, lol. Probably it's about what I've been used to
- make similar ponytails as above. again use the ponytail holder to mark the level up to which you want the colour. (but this time the colour doesn't go quite as high which results in the softer effect.
- Take a small plastic bag, and put your hand inside it (this process reminds of how one would pick doggy poo in a bag, ha ha), take some dye on your baggied hand, and work they dye to your mini-pony so, that the pony and dye and (in theory) the mess will stay inside the baggy. Tye the baggy to your ponytail.
- again work aroung the head, one pony after another, and finally pop a shower cap on and let sit 1,5-2 hours before rinsing

- Good points: probably neat and quick when I'd get used to it, nice, gradient results, probably 100% easier for dyeing long hair than the foil/ponytail method would be
- Bad points: I made more mess with this than with my normal method, and this needed way more dye than my normal method

The Direction dyes I've used, always on my natural hair without bleaching, have never made my hair or ends feel dry or bad. The ingredients are close to a conditioner, which is nice :) I don't need any special conditioner treatments afterwards. What has made my hair feel weird has been too strong vinegar rinses I've done sometimes after dyeing, because I've read this would help the colour to stick better and not rub off or "bleed". My hair used to like vinegar (or mys scalp did and hair didn't mind) but these days my wiry hairs seem to rebel with vinegar. BUt the colour itself has never made my hair feel bad.

I made my homework before I ever dyed, and read lot of user experiences about which specific colours would work with natural brown hair. These colours often are darker and more saturated colours, like fuhcsia, wine red, dark reds, darker purples, darker greens, darker blues. The brown base colour ofcourse affects the final results, but yeah I have to say I was positively surprised about how well the colours I've tried so far (fuchsia and wine red) have showed in my hair!

meteor

August 20th, 2015, 05:00 PM

Thank you so very much for all those helpful details on your methods and their differences, Arctic! :flowers: Super-helpful, awesome stuff!
And wow, your blog is truly a treasure trove of great hair experiments: hairstyles and treatments! :applause

You did such a great job with your ombre! :D
I must admit, I'm quite mystified why the first method produced more contrasting results than the second method that blended things better... :hmm: After all, you used the same sizes and placement of ponytails? Could it be that there was a bit of color still left from the previous job and it helped the hair achieve a more dimensional, richer result? Or maybe it was more blendy because the process was kind of messier, as you described, so maybe more "mixed", the dye less perfectly placed - which is actually desirable for more natural-looking ombres? :hmm: Or maybe the dye slowly moved downwards in baggies (creating a gradual "fade") but stayed put in foils? I really don't know. :)

I noticed I like the more gradient effect better. I am thinking of trying to tweek my normal method a bit, maybe I could get similar blended results with few small changes.

You are quite a pro at this so you probably already know this, but just in case... for a more gradient effect, it helps to start by leaving the baggies on the very ends (e.g. 30 minutes), then going up a tiny bit (e.g. for another 30 minutes), etc etc - keep going up for as long as you choose the color to show. This creates accumulation of dye on the ends and less time of contact with dye higher up.
Alternatively, since there is already some dye, the gradient can be built on top of the old dye by doing the dip-dye only on the very tips of the previous dip-dye job. ;)

Arctic

August 20th, 2015, 05:19 PM

I'm glad you liked my blog! yeah I have written and tried quite a few things since 2007 :D I try to record my experiments, and have often gotten feedback from people that they've found my blatherings helpful, which is always nice!

Lol, I'm hardly a pro, I did my first dip dye less than year ago :D before that I had done few whole head dyeings and few stripes with Directions dyes. Good tip about moving the bggies upwards!

My theory about why the baggy method gives more soft results is, that you sort of smush and squieeze the colour into the mini ponies, and the results is that slightly less colour ever reaches the level of the hair elastic, so there is few centimeters before the elastic that only get little dye, where as the hair nearer the ends gets saturated with colour (the latter is exaggared by the fact that I seemed to need a lot more colour for good coverage with the baggy method). With foils it's easy to get even coverage all the way to the elastic.

I have been thinking trying this the next time: do the foil method like I've always done, but stop applying the colour few centimeters before elastic, then, without adding more colour, sort of smush/push the dye a bit unevenly/softly upwards towards the elastic. Maybe this would create a similar "buffer zone" and would give that softer line between dye and natural colour. I will likely use foil method as long as my hair doesn't feel too long for it, because it seems easier to me, and uses less product.

Arctic

August 20th, 2015, 05:22 PM

Meteor it would be awesome if you'd dye your bleached parts with shock colours! 8)

I forgot to say, that one of the reasons I have loved my dip dye is the cool effect it has on braids and buns!

Arctic

August 20th, 2015, 05:30 PM

meteor

August 20th, 2015, 05:41 PM

My theory about why the baggy method gives more soft results is, that you sort of smush and squieeze the colour into the mini ponies, and the results is that slightly less colour ever reaches the level of the hair elastic, so there is few centimeters before the elastic that only get little dye, where as the hair nearer the ends gets saturated with colour (the latter is exaggared by the fact that I seemed to need a lot more colour for good coverage with the baggy method). With foils it's easy to get even coverage all the way to the elastic.

Oh yeah! :agree: That definitely makes sense! :D

I have been thinking trying this the next time: do the foil method like I've always done, but stop applying the colour few centimeters before elastic, then, without adding more colour, sort of smush/push the dye a bit unevenly/softly upwards towards the elastic. Maybe this would create a similar "buffer zone" and would give that softer line between dye and natural colour. I will likely use foil method as long as my hair doesn't feel too long for it, because it seems easier to me, and uses less product.

That sounds like it could work very well! :thumbsup: My only concern would be that it's much harder to softly smoosh/push around the dye inside foils than inside softer plastic bags. :hmm: But you can check if it's easy to move around if you strand-test it, of course! ;)
What if you coat the very tips with much thicker layer of dye and just lightly brush more dye higher up and maybe even stretch out a bit of dye above the foils (it won't produce a strong stain without the warmth in foils)?

Meteor it would be awesome if you'd dye your bleached parts with shock colours! 8)

I forgot to say, that one of the reasons I have loved my dip dye is the cool effect it has on braids and buns!

^ Oh yeah! The interest added to buns / braids is one of the best things ever! :agree: I'll admit I'm often bored with wearing hair up all the time, and without ombre I feel like it would be less fun! :lol:
I'd absolutely love shock colors, I'm just worried about it not fading... After all, bleached ends are always porous and very "grabby" with any color. I'll need to think about this.
La Riche Directions look really, really enticing though! ;)

meteor

August 20th, 2015, 05:46 PM

Oh and one more thing: I find it funny that when I grew out henna I absolutely hated the ombre. Maybe partially because "ombre" wasn't a thing then yet, everyone just talked about outgrown colour/roots. I found the henna orange clashed really badly with my own colours and made my own brown look really grey and ashy, in a not very nice way.

I also had problems with the demarcation line, I had lot of breakage there. I think henna made my hair more rigid or something and caused enough texture difference that the hairs easily broke at that spot.

I ended up cutting my henna out (there were also other reasons for my cutting, but henna was one of the big ones), I think it was about chin level or so IIRC. I would never have imagined that some day I would deliberately dye my hair mimicing the growing out process, ha ha (although I'll never touch orange based colours again!)!

Wow! I'm really surprised the demarcation line was breakage-prone after henna! :bigeyes: I guess it's the flip side of that strengthening/thickening coating and the dryness that henna can cause? :hmm:

But yeah, your natural color is gloriously cool-toned, almost metallic, so your current cool red is PERFECT! :applause I can see how orange/fiery henna couldn't create the same effect. So La Riche Directions is more "moisturizing" than henna? That's good to know! :D

pastina

August 20th, 2015, 07:20 PM

My hair right now. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/virgin4sale/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsq9ric7i4.jpg

Crystawni

August 20th, 2015, 09:23 PM

Ooooh, I love ombre, and you guys are rocking it!

Mine's naturally kinda ombre, with my incoming whites more prolific underneath so I use layering to bring them out to play. My latest lot of layers exposed more whites, but also killed a lot of my curlies, leaving a more feathery look (pics in my profile). The best part of embracing the ombre is that it allows me to transition to white in a fun, unique way without having to feel frumpy about losing my original hair colour. And after reading pastina's thread about mermaid hair, oh how I'd love to do something like that in teals, violets and blues when I'm all white! Or firey reds, oranges and pinks. Gah. Too many cool things!

yahirwaO.o

August 20th, 2015, 09:27 PM

My hair right now. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/virgin4sale/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsq9ric7i4.jpg

This one looks nice and unique!!!!! Love blue greenish roots!!!! :cool:

DollyDagger

August 20th, 2015, 09:40 PM

laceyfairy

August 20th, 2015, 09:46 PM

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors (e.g. balayage, highlights/lowlights, dye grow-out, color-melt, dip-dye, reverse ombre with henna or direct dyes, etc)?

Accidentally, growing out manic panic on virgin and lightened hair

2) How long do you like your ombre to be (virgin length vs. color-treated length)? Do you like it chunky or fine? High-contrast & bold or soft & subtle? Dip-dyed or thoroughly blended?

More virgin I guess since I'm growing it out. Aesthetically I prefer blended

3) What are your long-term goals for your ombre? (e.g. Transitioning to virgin color or some other color? Experimenting with new color without commitment? Low-maintenance way of experiencing color variety? Giving hair a break from processing? Or anything else?)

Eventually have monochrome hair again

4) Your ombre evolution: are you retouching color, intensifying it or blending it in? If so, how and how often? Or are you just letting it grow out?

Just letting it grow, last dyed august 2012

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair (any special treatments, serums, oils, routines, micro-trimming, etc)?

S&D adventures

8) How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections?

Nope I'm not that involved

9) Do you find that your ombre is enhanced with added texture (e.g. waves/curls) or cuts (e.g. layers or specific shape) or hairstyles (e.g. braids or mini-accents)?

nautilus buns sometimes end up being in color chunks. like the bit that goes around the knob is a different color if that makes sense
10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition?

11) What's the best thing about having ombre hair? And what's the worst?

Best- it justifies not dying the roots, you can see detail in buns better
worst- I don't like it on me

12) Any other thoughts you'd like to share?

Pictures (http://40.media.tumblr.com/77110e2e9015382d995fee81aa809255/tumblr_n9hjt2dyoC1rnf2ifo1_500.jpg) with (http://sittingsippingtea.tumblr.com/image/96407264961) my (http://40.media.tumblr.com/500e0ab7b5149590596aeed7c73342fa/tumblr_nd1nstnXuV1rnf2ifo1_1280.jpg) ombre (http://40.media.tumblr.com/7d5115f7b3b95b2a34e962af22a4269d/tumblr_nd1k5hWWpF1rnf2ifo5_1280.jpg) visible (http://41.media.tumblr.com/8634b58bda560ec10fc204714c23816e/tumblr_nd1k5hWWpF1rnf2ifo4_1280.jpg)

Seeshami

August 20th, 2015, 11:28 PM

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors- henna and a hair friendly ombre technique I found on youtube and adapted to be more hair friendly and blend better with henna.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/40120700
I no longer use the hair tie but other then that it is still pretty much the same.

2) How long do you like your ombre to be? About a third of my hair length for the amount and I prefer the blend now compared to the dip dye look it started out as

3) What are your long-term goals for your ombre? I want henna and I want my ash blond hair. This works.

4) Your ombre evolution: are you retouching color, intensifying it or blending it in? If so, how and how often? Or are you just letting it grow out? Yes. It blends on it's own the higher I take it. When I get annoyed with it not looking how I want. No, I add to it when it gets to short.

5) Do you like to sometimes change up the color of the ombre-ed ends? ......no but shorta. I switch back and forth between a henna indigo mix and straight henna but it doesn't really change the color. It's my own personal madness to keep the blend orange.

6) How do you maintain the color and keep it fresh? Blood. bwaahahahaha re touching with henna gloss.

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair? He does what he wants.

8) How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections? I don't. I mean I use to be super careful with the hair that was bleached then it was hennaed and I stopped. I do what I would do if my hair was colored or not. Wash and condition. Oil when I feel like being nice to his majesty.

9) Do you find that your ombre is enhanced with added texture or cuts or hairstyles? No texture, yes on styles in both the cut and the updos. I would have kept my hair in a layered v but it's harder to ombre my way well so I have a slight u hem and it makes my buns look funky. Like a party funky not like cheese you're not sure if you're okay to eat funky.

10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition? Pay attention and react accordingly.

11) What's the best thing about having ombre hair? And what's the worst? Mess hates being put in a plastic bag which is hilarious and I love my ombre. Ummm nothing my ombre is awesome.

http://i62.tinypic.com/mlqq10.jpg

Crystawni

August 20th, 2015, 11:50 PM

Thank you, DollyDagger! You actually made my hair sound yummy (and now I'm hungry!)! :p

Seeshami, every time I see that pic, just wow. Absolutely love it! The gradient, the depth.

Arctic

August 21st, 2015, 07:21 AM

I love all the pictures and reading all the answers! Keep them coming!

That sounds like it could work very well! :thumbsup: My only concern would be that it's much harder to softly smoosh/push around the dye inside foils than inside softer plastic bags. :hmm: But you can check if it's easy to move around if you strand-test it, of course!

What if you coat the very tips with much thicker layer of dye and just lightly brush more dye higher up and maybe even stretch out a bit of dye above the foils (it won't produce a strong stain without the warmth in foils)?

Oh yeah! The interest added to buns / braids is one of the best things ever! :agree: I'll admit I'm often bored with wearing hair up all the time, and without ombre I feel like it would be less fun! :lol:
I'd absolutely love shock colors, I'm just worried about it not fading... After all, bleached ends are always porous and very "grabby" with any color. I'll need to think about this.
La Riche Directions look really, really enticing though!

That too is a good idea! Lets see when I'll dye the next time. I am actually wanting to right now, and I still have Ruby Red colour at home too. Part of me wants to try Alpine Green though, I have never had anything so different in my hair and at this age it's a bit scary, especially as I have job interviews and such in the near future. I have the same fear as you, that what if the green wouldn't fade.

The reds are notorious for sticking around longer than they are welcome, so you might want to avoid reds. Mine fades away seemingly completely in few months, but still shows up in photos long after that, so the pigment is not gone all the way. IRL the left-over red pigment doesn't show after a while. The dye sticking is very individual thing, but for me who washes almost daily with sulphate shampoos usually, if the red sticks after several months how long it would stick if I'd wash once a week, and how well the leftover pigment would show if my colour would be blonde/bleached? Strand test would be good idea for you too. Maybe you could dye one stripe in the underneath area (nape hairline), it would still show up a bit in your updos but not quite as much as a whole hemline ombre would.

Wow! I'm really surprised the demarcation line was breakage-prone after henna! :bigeyes: I guess it's the flip side of that strengthening/thickening coating and the dryness that henna can cause? :hmm:

But yeah, your natural color is gloriously cool-toned, almost metallic, so your current cool red is PERFECT! :applause I can see how orange/fiery henna couldn't create the same effect. So La Riche Directions is more "moisturizing" than henna? That's good to know!

I was surprised by it too. I have some photos in my blog from that time, and the breakage was very noticeable, almost all of my canopy had broken off (finer texture than the underlayers). I had some protein overload issues at the time too, so I can't be 100% sure if it was henna, but the breakage was suspiciously close to the demarcation line, so I think it's not coinsidence.

Thanks for the natural colour compliment, I have grown to love it too, which is VERY positive thing after thinking I hate it for decades and covering it since I was 13 or so :D (BTW currently the dip dye has faded away, and it's all natural now, but soon I'll do the dip dye again :D )

I can really recommend La Riché Directions, although I also need to admit I don't have expriences with other brands. But Durections seems to be well liked in the "shock colour communities" all over the internet, when I did my researched about the brands and colours. Apparently it's one of the shock colour brands with more staying power. The price is not bad either, although I can see it's in complete different level with my short and thinner hair than it would be on thick and very long hair. I get several dip dye or stripe jobs out of one pot, probably at least 3. And yes Directions is not damaging at all or doesn't leave my hair unpleasant feeling at all. Doesn't dry it either, but my hair is not prone to dryness. I never felt henna drying either, but maybe it was.

Kaelbu

August 21st, 2015, 09:32 AM

It started as my old bleach/faded dye growing out. Then, knowing the tips would have to go eventually anyway, I dip-dyed them purple (which faded to pink).
Long-term goals... I'm growing out my natural color, which is chin-length right now. Hopefully I'll have a whole head of natural color someday. With all the bleach-damaged hair I have left to grow out still, I may use it to experiment with fun colors until it's all trimmed off.

http://i1340.photobucket.com/albums/o736/Kaelbu/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsf4k98ljn.jpg (http://s1340.photobucket.com/user/Kaelbu/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsf4k98ljn.jpg.html)

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 11:29 AM

^ Your hair is so gorgeous, Kaelbu! :applause

Long-term goals... I'm growing out my natural color, which is chin-length right now. Hopefully I'll have a whole head of natural color someday. With all the bleach-damaged hair I have left to grow out still, I may use it to experiment with fun colors until it's all trimmed off.
I think I'm in the same boat! :agree: If we want to grow out ends, I think it's cool to use this opportunity to try out a few colors on bleached ends before trimming them off.
Sort of making colorful lemonade out of lemons (though I like lemons, too!) :cheese:

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors (e.g. balayage, highlights/lowlights, dye grow-out, color-melt, dip-dye, reverse ombre with henna or direct dyes, etc)?

Accidentally, growing out manic panic on virgin and lightened hair
Thanks a lot for all your answers, laceyfairy! :flowers: Your hair is so beautiful! :applause Gorgeous texture! And the ombre is so natural-looking! :D
Am I understanding correctly that the Manic Panic didn't actually fade on pre-ligthened hair? How long has it been? :)

And Arctic, I bet Alpine Green would be super-awesome on you, too! :agree: But yeah, I get the fear of possibly very difficult fading from green. Your shade of red is exactly perfect though - I think you hit jackpot with that color! :applause And thanks a lot for the details on henna and Directions! :flowers: That's very useful info, indeed!

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 11:32 AM

Wow, pastina, you are like the polychromatic goddess! Every time I see your hair pictures, I have no idea which colors I'll get to see but I know I'll end up in the thudpile for those colors! :thudpile: Perfect mermaid hair!

And how did you manage to achieve this great result after having half of the hair colored very different color from the other half? What sorcery is that? :magic: Did you have to use any special products/techniques for fully fading previous dyes before using these new dyes?

Ooooh, I love ombre, and you guys are rocking it!

Mine's naturally kinda ombre, with my incoming whites more prolific underneath so I use layering to bring them out to play. My latest lot of layers exposed more whites, but also killed a lot of my curlies, leaving a more feathery look (pics in my profile). The best part of embracing the ombre is that it allows me to transition to white in a fun, unique way without having to feel frumpy about losing my original hair colour. And after reading pastina's thread about mermaid hair, oh how I'd love to do something like that in teals, violets and blues when I'm all white! Or firey reds, oranges and pinks. Gah. Too many cool things!

Oh, that would be so awesome on you, Crystawni! I guarantee it! But your own natural ombre is phenomenal! :applause Perfect swirls of silver & gold! It's hard to improve on perfection, let's be real here!

i <3 your natural butterscotch/cinnamon/vanilla swirl ombre/balayage its spectacular :)
Ha-ha! Your description of Crystawni's curls is making me so hungry! :yumm:

Seeshami, I absolutely love your ombre! Every time I see it, my heart skips a beat! :love:

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors- henna and a hair friendly ombre technique I found on youtube and adapted to be more hair friendly and blend better with henna.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/40120700
I no longer use the hair tie but other then that it is still pretty much the same.

Oh I love it! :D I remember watching your videos and I believe you were the first one on the LHC to specifically do ombre with henna and actually show the technique! Super-helpful and very inspiring! :applause

6) How do you maintain the color and keep it fresh? Blood. bwaahahahaha
Ha-ha! Seeshami, His Majesty, the Naughty Mess, is from the House of Drăculești?

8) How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections? I don't. I mean I use to be super careful with the hair that was bleached then it was hennaed and I stopped. I do what I would do if my hair was colored or not. Wash and condition. Oil when I feel like being nice to his majesty.

That's great! :D So I'm curious: when you started henna-ing your ends, did you notice that it strengthened the previously bleached ends? I've seen recommendations to henna/cassia bleached ends to "fortify" them on the LHC before, but I'm not sure how this works in practice...

DollyDagger

August 21st, 2015, 11:42 AM

Arctic

August 21st, 2015, 11:48 AM

great thread @meteor :cheer:
Beautiful pics gals. How tempting ...would that i could. If only my ends were light enough for deposit only. These whites might be the perfect canvass one day for a funky pop of colour. :)

What is your natural colour? Mine is what I call medium brown (based on comparing to other people here where I live), but many might call it light brown here at LHC. Anyway, certain colours will show up really well with even a bit darker brown hair. The effect is somewhat more muted, than if ther base is very light, but I don't think it's a bad effect in anyway. The more dark the base colour, the more the dye will show up as a sheen when light hits the hair. Somehow this makes the shock colour more wearable even for us "more mature" :)

JustPam

August 21st, 2015, 12:01 PM

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors?
It's a result of growing out lightened hair

2) How long do you like your ombre to be (virgin length vs. color-treated length)? Do you like it chunky or fine? High-contrast & bold or soft & subtle? Dip-dyed or thoroughly blended?
Currently my virgin hair (topmost layer) reaches shoulder, and my hair is at waist, so it's about 40/60, but I'd prefer it the other way round, maybe more like virgin hair reaching BSL and then the ombre from there to waist. It looks reasonably blended, in bright daylight you can see the demarcation more clearly, but it's not a solid line like it used to be.

3) What are your long-term goals for your ombre? (e.g. Transitioning to virgin color or some other color? Experimenting with new color without commitment? Low-maintenance way of experiencing color variety? Giving hair a break from processing? Or anything else?)
Transitioning to virgin, although experimenting with direct dyes along the way.

4) Your ombre evolution: are you retouching color, intensifying it or blending it in? If so, how and how often? Or are you just letting it grow out?
I've added red direct dye a couple times, which has washed out totally, but I'm not planning on lightening it more or applying any kind of peroxide dye.

5) Do you like to sometimes change up the color of the ombre-ed ends? Please share techniques/details on how you do that.
As above I have used red on it, to do it I basically put my hair in bunches and glopped the dye on, wrapped it in foil and popped a shower cap on for a few hours. I want to try different colours in future.

6) How do you maintain the color and keep it fresh (toners, special shampoos, color-depositing conditioners, topping up dyes, etc)?
I don't really, just let it fade out, then re-do it if I want.

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair (any special treatments, serums, oils, routines, micro-trimming, etc)?
I try a lot of different products, was using coney condish until recently, it was making the ends feel a bit plasticy, like synthetic hair thats gotten a bit frizzy. I DT once a month at least, and now I'm off the cones put a bit of oil through the ends between washes. I trim periodically, in a weird pattern (compact cut/Feyes method/something in between)

8 ) How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections?
It is annoying, some times more than others, and I do use a lot more products on my ends as opposed to my virgin (which is so low maintenance), one of my faves is Kimberlilys defrizz spray, gets rid of crunchy morning braid tassel and is very moisturising.

9) Do you find that your ombre is enhanced with added texture (e.g. waves/curls) or cuts (e.g. layers or specific shape) or hairstyles (e.g. braids or mini-accents)?
I have layers and I think it does help with the blending of the colours. I never purposely wave/curl my hair, it usually just happens as a result of my braid/bun, but it does look nice. And yeah I like how my braids look with the ombre, gives a bit of dimension.

10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition?
Well, pretty much if it wasn't for this forum my ends would be totally decimated.

11) What's the best thing about having ombre hair? And what's the worst?
Best thing is being able to have colour without having to do roots. Worst thing is probably the difference in texture, I'm hoping that once my virgin hair is grown out though that some deposit dyes will still stick

Miss Maisie

August 21st, 2015, 12:08 PM

I'll play!!

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors (e.g. balayage, highlights/lowlights, dye grow-out, color-melt, dip-dye, reverse ombre with henna or direct dyes, etc)?

Balayage. I have a little more ombre going on than I like, but I know I'll love it more as it grows.

2) How long do you like your ombre to be (virgin length vs. color-treated length)? Do you like it chunky or fine? High-contrast & bold or soft & subtle? Dip-dyed or thoroughly blended?

My hair is about APL right now, and the balayage starts around my chin. Most of it is focused on the last few inches. It is also mainly underneath my hair (which looks neat in braids!). It's just lightened, so no color deposits. My natural color is very, very dark brown. The balayage pieces are a medium golden brown, and I have some grey sprinkles mixed in, but they are natural :-D

3) What are your long-term goals for your ombre? (e.g. Transitioning to virgin color or some other color? Experimenting with new color without commitment? Low-maintenance way of experiencing color variety? Giving hair a break from processing? Or anything else?)

I just wanted some visual texture to my fine, silky hair as it grows. I don't plan on doing it again.

4) Your ombre evolution: are you retouching color, intensifying it or blending it in? If so, how and how often? Or are you just letting it grow out?

See above!

5) Do you like to sometimes change up the color of the ombre-ed ends? Please share techniques/details on how you do that.

I'm thinking of doing some coffee rinses or rosemary rinses to see if it darkens.

6) How do you maintain the color and keep it fresh (toners, special shampoos, color-depositing conditioners, topping up dyes, etc)?

I've been using Clairol Shimmer Lights conditioner (mixed with my regular conditioner) as a toner. It has helped so much. I had so much orange going on, but now the color is 100% better.

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair (any special treatments, serums, oils, routines, micro-trimming, etc)?

S&D sessions, stretching washes. It's in pretty good shape right now!

How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections?

I try to be gentle to all the parts of my hair :) There really isn't a lot of textural difference.

9) Do you find that your ombre is enhanced with added texture (e.g. waves/curls) or cuts (e.g. layers or specific shape) or hairstyles (e.g. braids or mini-accents)?

I love the definition it gives to waves and braids. My hair seems to have a lot more visual interest, other than just a sheet of darkness!

10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition?

Oils, conditioner, and that toning conditioner!

11) What's the best thing about having ombre hair? And what's the worst?

I like having a change. I probably would have chopped it earlier this summer, but this helped keep me from cutting it!

wilderwein

August 21st, 2015, 12:10 PM

Ooooh I'm not sure If my hair is yet considered as ombre buuut I will stalk this thread down.
Meteor I have a question about the honey rinses, can you explain me more how you do them and what do they do for your hair color? I'm in a mood for new experiments :eyebrows:

pastina

August 21st, 2015, 01:01 PM

Meteor- I **usually** change my color by working my way around the color wheel. As in, if I'd like to go from red to green, I'd let the red fade to pink, then cover the pink with purple, then blue, and then cover THAT with green, all over a period of several months.

This time, I decided to speed up the process and actually do a bleach bath over my color. It's something I haven't done in **at least** two years-- I usually only do my roots as necessary and leave my lengths alone. But I'd had the fire hair for several months already and it was showing no signs of fade AT ALL, so I oiled heavily and went for it.

I was still left with a *very* uneven base. My roots until about ear-length went to a golden blonde, since I hadn't used any notoriously stain-y dye on that portion of my hair. The darker, burgundy red lifted, but revealed some dark, teal staining from last year (so, take that as you will, those of you looking to attempt Alpine Green!). The brighter red I had went to a VERY vibrant pink. And my yellow fringe went blonder, but remained quite yellow. I did take pictures, but keep in mind, this is partially air dried (which always means frizz for me), directly following a bleach, a clarifying shampoo, and absolutely no conditioner or oil of any kind. My hair was thirsty.

roots, but you can see the lingering PINK at my ends:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/virgin4sale/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsixkrxqeq.jpg

and the green and pink staining, bunned:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/virgin4sale/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsjbuxyqd1.jpg

So how did I counter that to make it even?

Well, I worked with the uneven base I had instead of against it. I added extra purple and blue to every color I wanted to place over my yellow tones. And I made sure to avoid emerald green over the pink staining, since it would just go muddy. Also, I let the colors get darker as I went from root to end, to cover the more significant staining at my ends.

When it was done, it wasn't perfect. Here's a picture that shows the little bit of muddiness I had at my mid-lengths.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/virgin4sale/IMG_1800_zpsh9rs3nk9.jpg

So, I ended up going back over the ombre with a bit extra teal dye where the green and purple met (NO further bleaching!!). This smoothed the transition and gave me the results I linked to in my last post. I really do need to get a better picture of my length, so you can see it more easily! My mirror was kinda dirty so it's hard to see the color shifts. Sorry about that-- I was excited to show off!

It helps to know the dyes you're planning to use-- the color a dye fades to is just as important as what the color is to begin with. In my case, I knew I needed blue toned greens because they produce a lovely range of colors between purple and steel-blue when added to pinks. I'm actually really excited to see this brighten up as it fades, I think it will get better with time!

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 01:08 PM

Thank you so very much for sharing, JustPam and Miss Maisie! :flowers: That's awesome and helpful stuff! :D

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair (any special treatments, serums, oils, routines, micro-trimming, etc)?
I try a lot of different products, was using coney condish until recently, it was making the ends feel a bit plasticy, like synthetic hair thats gotten a bit frizzy. I DT once a month at least, and now I'm off the cones put a bit of oil through the ends between washes. I trim periodically, in a weird pattern (compact cut/Feyes method/something in between)

What do you like to use as Deep Treatments? :) Do you use proteins sometimes?
I'm also very curious about your hybrid Compact Cut / Feye's Method. How do you do that? :)

I gotta try that Kimberly Defrizz Spray! It sounds great, perfect blend of humectants and occlusives... and I sometimes suffer from that crunchy braid tassel, too... ;) I guess it's typical for lightened ombres.

5) Do you like to sometimes change up the color of the ombre-ed ends? Please share techniques/details on how you do that.

I'm thinking of doing some coffee rinses or rosemary rinses to see if it darkens.

Sounds really cool! :thumbsup: Please keep us posted on how that goes. :D
I keep hearing that amla (Indian gooseberry), sage, black tea can give cool slightly darker tones, too.
Just in case, here is a very cool article by Nightshade with a huge list of things to achieve desirable shades: Hair Coloring with Herbs, Plants & Other Natural Ingredients - http://web.archive.org/web/20111221105559/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=2

Ooooh I'm not sure If my hair is yet considered as ombre buuut I will stalk this thread down.
Meteor I have a question about the honey rinses, can you explain me more how you do them and what do they do for your hair color? I'm in a mood for new experiments :eyebrows:

Oh, I would call that ombre, too! ;) There isn't really a strict definition, is there? Any mane that has different shade on the ends vs. roots is an ombre! :D

For honey, I usually just add it to conditioner or to my gelatin treatments (~1-2 tsp).

But when I have time for rinses, I usually add a tsp of honey into a cup of water with a half-a-tsp of white vinegar. I should mention that I avoid ACV because it gives me reddish flares, white (distilled) vinegar is perfect for blondes or for ashy tones.

Or I do the HALO Rinse after or before conditioning:
H - Honey
A - Aloe
L - Lemon Juice
O - Oil(s) (of your choice)
1 tbsp Honey, 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice, 1 tsp Aloe gel, and a few drops of Oil (I like mineral or grapeseed or coconut or olive for this, but any other will do) in a bottle of water.
All the ratios can be tweaked as you prefer, of course, just make sure not to use too much vinegar/lemon juice for obvious pH reasons.

Sometimes (but very rarely, because it's messy) I follow honey lightening technique, i.e. 1:10 honey:water ratio (see details here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=148) - this always gives the strongest brightening results from honey.

Some people say honey gives them more golden/yellow tones, but I've never experienced this. For me personally, it either brightens somehow on its own or just helps "clarify" a bit.

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 01:16 PM

^ Oh, pastina, thank you so very much for sharing the details and pictures on fading/coloring over other color! That's extremely useful! :flowers:

I remember reading articles on how to dye/fade/dye along the color wheel and I thought it makes perfect sense.
I can imagine that it still requires some patience to wait between stages to avoid excessive build-up from previous dyes, but I think it's a pretty smart approach, especially around colors with "complicated" fading. :agree:
https://www.haircrazy.com/articles/hair-science/colour-theory-for-hair-dyeing/
https://www.haircrazy.com/articles/misc-articles/collaborative-article-how-do-you-change-your-hair-colour/
https://www.haircrazy.com/forum/general-questions/14468/

wilderwein

August 21st, 2015, 01:17 PM

Meteor Thaanks a lot, super helpfull! :flowers:
I want that mostly for the already bleached parts couse it seems that overtime they stain from the products and oils I use. How is the condition of your hair afterwards the HALO mix and how much do you leave it in?
Of course I assume that the hair is already wet/damp right?

Sorry for the many questions

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 01:23 PM

wilderwein

August 21st, 2015, 01:27 PM

^ Wilderwein, no problem! :love:

I always apply to wet hair and if it's a rinse, sometimes I leave it in - it gives better hold for updos (presumably, the sugars in honey help). If I use the rinses before the conditioner, then I just apply conditioner on top (without rinsing it out first) and marinate in that for 30-40 min. I find that honey works only if it's in contact with hair for quite some time, unfortunately.

But if you want to really brighten noticeably, I think clarifying and chelating shampoos (to lift the build-up) + purple shampoos + purple conditioners and, of course, toners work way, way better. :D
Thanks a bunch!!!
Oh I know I've tried them, but on my last wash the purple shampoo left my hair reaally dry, from the roots to the ends. I'm thinking to start mixing it with a mask (SMT type) and leave it overnight.
GOSH BLEACHED HAIR? Why you soak up every color you see? (usually green from olive oil and some shampoos)

brickworld13

August 21st, 2015, 01:30 PM

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors (e.g. balayage, highlights/lowlights, dye grow-out, color-melt, dip-dye, reverse ombre with henna or direct dyes, etc)? It's dye growing out. Two-step henndigo.

2) How long do you like your ombre to be (virgin length vs. color-treated length)? Do you like it chunky or fine? High-contrast & bold or soft & subtle? Dip-dyed or thoroughly blended? No preference on length. The demarcation line is stark because I'm too lazy to correct it.

3) What are your long-term goals for your ombre? (e.g. Transitioning to virgin color or some other color? Experimenting with new color without commitment? Low-maintenance way of experiencing color variety? Giving hair a break from processing? Or anything else?) I'm lazy and don't want to keep doing upkeep on the dye. So I guess my goal is virgin hair.

4) Your ombre evolution: are you retouching color, intensifying it or blending it in? If so, how and how often? Or are you just letting it grow out? Leaving it to grow and do what it wants.

5) Do you like to sometimes change up the color of the ombre-ed ends? Please share techniques/details on how you do that. :) nope

6) How do you maintain the color and keep it fresh (toners, special shampoos, color-depositing conditioners, topping up dyes, etc)? I don't.

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair (any special treatments, serums, oils, routines, micro-trimming, etc)? Nothing special. It gets treated the same as the rest of my hair.

8) How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections? There isn't much of a texture difference. My unprocessed hair is more prone to fly-aways and kind of does whatever it wants. It's fine and has a lot of personality.

9) Do you find that your ombre is enhanced with added texture (e.g. waves/curls) or cuts (e.g. layers or specific shape) or hairstyles (e.g. braids or mini-accents)? No. I'm lazy and don't want the upkeep of any of these.

10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition? See number 7.

11) What's the best thing about having ombre hair? And what's the worst? I have no opinion here. It does look pretty cool in braids and buns. I hate the stupid questions from strangers about two-tone hair.

12) Any other thoughts you'd like to share? :cheer: :gobblecheese:

KittyBird

August 21st, 2015, 02:10 PM

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors (e.g. balayage, highlights/lowlights, dye grow-out, color-melt, dip-dye, reverse ombre with henna or direct dyes, etc)? I was doing two-step hendigo to make my hair black, and one day I decided that I wanted henna red hair instead. I started dying my blonette roots with henna, and I've been growing the black out for a bit more than 3 years, I think. I had been dying my hair black with chemical dyes for several years before that, so going red was a big change.

2) How long do you like your ombre to be (virgin length vs. color-treated length)? Do you like it chunky or fine? High-contrast & bold or soft & subtle? Dip-dyed or thoroughly blended? No preference, really, I've just been letting it grow.

3) What are your long-term goals for your ombre? (e.g. Transitioning to virgin color or some other color? Experimenting with new color without commitment? Low-maintenance way of experiencing color variety? Giving hair a break from processing? Or anything else?) I plan on growing out all the black, and probably will have some fun with temporary dyes after that.

4) Your ombre evolution: are you retouching color, intensifying it or blending it in? If so, how and how often? Or are you just letting it grow out? The black has faded quite a bit, so it's more of a dark reddish brown now, partly thanks to the henna. I haven't done anything to enhance the black. It blends much better now than it did in the beginning. The demarcation line was pretty harsh - pitch black against bright orange. :lol:

5) Do you like to sometimes change up the color of the ombre-ed ends? Please share techniques/details on how you do that. Nope

6) How do you maintain the color and keep it fresh (toners, special shampoos, color-depositing conditioners, topping up dyes, etc)? I like to play around with Directions dye in various shades of red, but that shows up much better on the hennaed hair :p

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair (any special treatments, serums, oils, routines, micro-trimming, etc)? I don't do anything special with it.

How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections? I treat all of my hair the same way.

9) Do you find that your ombre is enhanced with added texture (e.g. waves/curls) or cuts (e.g. layers or specific shape) or hairstyles (e.g. braids or mini-accents)? I think it looks pretty nice with my natural waves and when I curl my hair. Ombre always looks awesome in braids and buns!

10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition? Lots of conditioner and leave-ins.

11) What's the best thing about having ombre hair? And what's the worst? It looks awesome. :cool: Sometimes it would be nice to have hair that was only one colour, but for the most part I love having ombre hair.

12) Any other thoughts you'd like to share? Nah, not really.. :p

http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/3b4c68e8.jpg
http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/DSC_0054%20copy_zpsnzal68oq.jpg

http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/Braid235x400_zps2002e3e7.jpg
http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/Braid%20copy_zpsilexoo8l.jpg

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 02:17 PM

^ Brickworld13, thanks a bunch for answering the questions! :flowers: I gotta say: I love your no fuss approach! :thumbsup:

You get weird questions from strangers? Hmm, I guess I'm lucky that I don't hear those much but I did get asked: "Did you clip on your bun to your scalp?" :lol: or "Are the ends natural color?" (I think it's so glaringly obvious they are lightened!) :lol:

But I saw a couple times LHCers mentioned strangers asking them if their multi-colored *parandas* (!) were their real hair? :rollin: Yeah, neon yarn grows straight from hair follicles, sure! :lol:

Thanks a bunch!!!
Oh I know I've tried them, but on my last wash the purple shampoo left my hair reaally dry, from the roots to the ends. I'm thinking to start mixing it with a mask (SMT type) and leave it overnight.
GOSH BLEACHED HAIR? Why you soak up every color you see? (usually green from olive oil and some shampoos)

No problem, wilderwein! :love: Oh yeah, I tend to just add honey everywhere, SMT-style, too! :agree: I think honey is good when diluting shampoo with water, added to protein masks, deep conditioning mixes... I just can't expect it to do miracles for color, partly because the tiny amount of peroxide it has works only at specific pH level (optimal at 6 (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=148&p=274753&viewfull=1#post274753)). And hair (especially if chemically processed) likes more acidic environments, and most conditioners have lower pH than that.

Wow! Your hair becomes green from olive oil? :bigeyes: I know that good quality organic olive oil is supposed to be a little bit green, but I had no idea it can stain green like that. Wow! But could it be some colorant added by any chance? (I wouldn't know though, because I bet olive oil I get here is not of great quality.)

brickworld13

August 21st, 2015, 02:20 PM

I get questions from strangers about my hair, my nose piercing, my ear piercings, and a whole host of other things. Apparently, I'm interesting enough that strangers insist on bugging me about silly stuff.

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 02:21 PM

http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/3b4c68e8.jpg
http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/DSC_0054%20copy_zpsnzal68oq.jpg

http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/Braid235x400_zps2002e3e7.jpg
http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/Braid%20copy_zpsilexoo8l.jpg

^ It looks so awesome, KittyBird! Stunning hair!! :thudpile:
By the way, your hair grows super-fast! :D
And I love how you've created effect of slight highlights without a strict demarcation line! Awesome! And really hard to do with such strong rich colors! :thumbsup:

wilderwein

August 21st, 2015, 02:26 PM

meteor I started using honey more too since you told me about the gelatin recipe WITH the honey. It certainly made my hair feel smoother! I feel like if I have a bad conditioner, adding oil and honey will sure fix it.

Oh yeah if I'm gonna do weekly hair oilings with olive oil, I'm gonna have a green tint. It has happened with every olive oil I have used, and we have A BUNCH of brands here. Most of them are indeed a light green color. Thats why I mix it with conditioner, just to be sure that my hair won't get green any soon hahahaha

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 02:35 PM

^ Oh I'm super-happy that tip worked for you! :joy: Protein is notorious for causing stiffness/rigidity sometimes so adding moisture (like honey & oils) in any form is great! :thumbsup:

About olive oil, I'm super-amazed! I knew that oxidized copper particles in water and its interaction with chlorine (e.g. in pools) causes green tint... but olive oil, wow! But your hair is pretty much gorgeous platinum, so I can only imagine that almost anything under the sun is liable to add some tint.

I'm curious: has anybody tried adding food colorants to conditioners/treatments to tone color? :)

velorutionista

August 21st, 2015, 02:37 PM

It's so much fun to see other ombres out there!! Glad I stumbled across this thread!

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors?
I have several full-head applications of henna on my length (from probably ears down, 3-4 times a year for the last 6 years, ears-up I've started doing roots-only apps). The ombre is a dip dye of SFX Deep purple for approx. that last 12 inches of hair. To better blend the color, I split my hair into two low ponies, then slid the elastics down to just above where I wanted the blend. I pulled a few strands up and down around the elastics to vary the dye line, then slapped a couple tablespoons of 50/50 dye:conditioner mix into the ends. Bagged them up for 20 minutes or so and then rinsed. A little messier than roots-only henna applications, but the mess was nothing close to a full head app of henna, so I figured it went pretty well!

2) How long do you like your ombre to be (virgin length vs. color-treated length)? Do you like it chunky or fine? High-contrast & bold or soft & subtle? Dip-dyed or thoroughly blended?
I started with just the last 6 inches, and bumped up to 12 inches the next day because you could barely tell. I'd say it's about the bottom 30% of my mane? Seems like a decent proportion, and it was workable to dye.

3) What are your long-term goals for your ombre? (e.g. Transitioning to virgin color or some other color? Experimenting with new color without commitment? Low-maintenance way of experiencing color variety? Giving hair a break from processing? Or anything else?)
No real plans as yet--this was my first ombre (and first non-henna color) since I cut back to virgin and started hennaing. I really like it though, so I think there may be more in my future. Henna complicates things, though.

4) Your ombre evolution: are you retouching color, intensifying it or blending it in? If so, how and how often? Or are you just letting it grow out?
I'll redye once summer's over (I keep swimming in lakes, which is not terribly conducive to keeping dye in your ends no matter how well they're bunned up!).

5) Do you like to sometimes change up the color of the ombre-ed ends? Please share techniques/details on how you do that.
Not yet!

6) How do you maintain the color and keep it fresh (toners, special shampoos, color-depositing conditioners, topping up dyes, etc)?
I wash with cool water and my S/C is pretty mild, but honestly I haven't really done anything too fussy for it.

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair (any special treatments, serums, oils, routines, micro-trimming, etc)?
Ah, I feel so dull--I don't do anything special for it. The occasional jojoba oil or other leave-in on my ends when I remember and have time to add it. That's about it.

8 ) How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections?
There's not really any noticeable difference between my hennaed & SFX dyed hair. Both are pretty gentle.

9) Do you find that your ombre is enhanced with added texture (e.g. waves/curls) or cuts (e.g. layers or specific shape) or hairstyles (e.g. braids or mini-accents)?
I have layers, and a non-blunt hem, so I think that helps it look more ombre than dip-dyed. It does look pretty awesome in braids. It's pretty distinct in a half-up lazy wrap pony, too.

10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition?
Don't swim in lakes all weekend a couple weeks after dying! Much fade will happen!

11) What's the best thing about having ombre hair? And what's the worst?
I can't really think of a downside. I like it.

I don't have a ton of pics, but here's an outdoor on in semi-decent lighting:

http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx125/velorutionista/8d6163c3-c554-41b2-ab2e-b52d234213bc_zpsse7zlcse.jpg

wilderwein

August 21st, 2015, 02:41 PM

Oh it used to tint my virgin hair color too, green =| It was looking like when someone trys to go from platinum to dark blonde with a cheap ash hairdye wich has as base green color.
I thought it was all in my head till my sis told me "why is your hair greenish?"

Arctic

August 21st, 2015, 02:48 PM

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 02:52 PM

^ Thank you so very much for joining in, velorutionista! :flowers: Such gorgeous hair!! :love:

It's so much fun to see other ombres out there!! Glad I stumbled across this thread!

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors?
I have several full-head applications of henna on my length (from probably ears down, 3-4 times a year for the last 6 years, ears-up I've started doing roots-only apps). The ombre is a dip dye of SFX Deep purple for approx. that last 12 inches of hair. To better blend the color, I split my hair into two low ponies, then slid the elastics down to just above where I wanted the blend. I pulled a few strands up and down around the elastics to vary the dye line, then slapped a couple tablespoons of 50/50 dye:conditioner mix into the ends. Bagged them up for 20 minutes or so and then rinsed. A little messier than roots-only henna applications, but the mess was nothing close to a full head app of henna, so I figured it went pretty well!

Wow, that's really cool as technique: so for the fading to happen more gradually you pull some hair up and down from the dye/conditioner mix. :) Did you do this a few times throughout the dyeing process or just at the beginning to create a more natural line? :)

Oh it used to tint my virgin hair color too, green =| It was looking like when someone trys to go from platinum to dark blonde with a cheap ash hairdye wich has as base green color.
I thought it was all in my head till my sis told me "why is your hair greenish?"

Wow! :bigeyes: And you get this effect even from olive oils that aren't extra-virgin? The simpler olive oils are usually just yellow in color... maybe they wouldn't stain green? :hmm: If not, I'd just stay away from olive, unless it's heavily diluted in some other oil(s), I guess?

spidermom

August 21st, 2015, 02:53 PM

KittyBird

August 21st, 2015, 02:54 PM

^ It looks so awesome, KittyBird! Stunning hair!! :thudpile:
By the way, your hair grows super-fast! :D
And I love how you've created effect of slight highlights without a strict demarcation line! Awesome! And really hard to do with such strong rich colors! :thumbsup:
Thank you, meteor! It certainly doesn't feel like it grows fast, more like super-slow. :p I think my growth rate is pretty average.
The bottom layers of my hair are red all the way to the tips, so they peak through and give a nice effect in braids. I haven't really done anything, it's all thanks to henna and patience ;)

ETA. Thank you, Spidermom! Yours look beautiful with the crimson dip dye! Your hair has always been one of my favourites, and you were my main inspiration when I cut back to hip. :)

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 02:55 PM

I'm glad the Alpine Green came up; I've been reading very contradictory things about it's staying power. The red-green complimentary colour issue has also been on my mind, since flash photos clearly show my hair still has red pigments, and my base is slightly reddish brown, I have been wondering how green the dye would come up, or would it be just muddy, brownish colour. I can live with remainders of red dye, but I have to say lingering green dye does not sound appealing; the green would def. be one of those times when I would wish the dye to wash off completely in moderate time (like 2 months or so). I didn't know about the working through the colour wheel method, it sounds logical. However I don't see myself doing that.

Oh yeah, I think the color wheel method is pretty involved in the sense that it's a lot of colors to commit to and it might take a veeeery long time to work through, especially for someone like me who washes hair infrequently so things don't fade on me much. But I think it's great for color addicts and for those who know how to dye like pros! :thumbsup:

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 02:58 PM

Kittybird, your hair is so gorgeous!

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/spidermom/crimsontips_zps5e30a424.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/spidermom/media/crimsontips_zps5e30a424.jpg.html)
With ManicPanic Crimson

Spidermom, that ROCKS!!! :thud:

How on earth did you achieve that perfect fire effect? :applause
Did you pick out strategically selected strands from each layer one by one and dye the tips only?

Your hair looks like golden silk on FIRE! Wowzers!

gyhaslan

August 21st, 2015, 03:08 PM

http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/3b4c68e8.jpghttp://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/DSC_0054%20copy_zpsnzal68oq.jpghttp://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/Braid235x400_zps2002e3e7.jpghttp://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s518/KittehBird/Hair/Braid%20copy_zpsilexoo8l.jpg

kittybird, this will eventually be me! I've been chemically dying my hair black and have started to henna this summer. I've done a few applications already, henna on the roots and a henna gloss on the length. The black isn't fading but definitely has a henna glow in the sun. It'll be interesting to watch it all grow out, hopefully as beautifully as yours has :o

ETA: Last chemically dye was end of this past June. No more!

JustPam

August 21st, 2015, 03:35 PM

What do you like to use as Deep Treatments? :) Do you use proteins sometimes?
I'm also very curious about your hybrid Compact Cut / Feye's Method. How do you do that? :)

I gotta try that Kimberly Defrizz Spray! It sounds great, perfect blend of humectants and occlusives... and I sometimes suffer from that crunchy braid tassel, too... ;) I guess it's typical for lightened ombres.

I occasionally use protein yeah, either a commercial keratin conditioner or a gelatin mask, maybe once every few months. For DTs I usually go between Lush Fluff Eaze, and an SMT, I have used a cassia/oil mixture in the past too, might try that again soon.

For the trimming I just alternate where I put my ponytail to trim each time. I'll do the compact cut to trim the topmost layers, then next time I'll make 2 ponytails just above my ears to get the middle layers, then the time after that I make a ponytail under my chin to get the under layers. So I end up only cutting a small amount of hair each time because it's always a tapered bit. It works for me, I want layers, but not as much as a full on compact cut would give me, my hairs a bit thin for that I think.

And I wholly recommend the defrizz spray, humectants work well for me living in such a wet city haha.

Groovy Granny

August 21st, 2015, 03:39 PM

Kittybird and spidermom :bigeyes: gorgeous!

meteor

August 21st, 2015, 06:52 PM

I occasionally use protein yeah, either a commercial keratin conditioner or a gelatin mask, maybe once every few months. For DTs I usually go between Lush Fluff Eaze, and an SMT, I have used a cassia/oil mixture in the past too, might try that again soon.

For the trimming I just alternate where I put my ponytail to trim each time. I'll do the compact cut to trim the topmost layers, then next time I'll make 2 ponytails just above my ears to get the middle layers, then the time after that I make a ponytail under my chin to get the under layers. So I end up only cutting a small amount of hair each time because it's always a tapered bit. It works for me, I want layers, but not as much as a full on compact cut would give me, my hairs a bit thin for that I think.

And I wholly recommend the defrizz spray, humectants work well for me living in such a wet city haha.

Thanks a lot, JustPam! :flowers: Great stuff! :D

Seeshami

August 21st, 2015, 10:59 PM

Seeshami, every time I see that pic, just wow. Absolutely love it! The gradient, the depth.
Thank you. I like it too.

Seeshami, I absolutely love your ombre! Every time I see it, my heart skips a beat! :love:

Oh I love it! :D I remember watching your videos and I believe you were the first one on the LHC to specifically do ombre with henna and actually show the technique! Super-helpful and very inspiring! :applause

Ha-ha! Seeshami, His Majesty, the Naughty Mess, is from the House of Drăculești?

That's great! :D So I'm curious: when you started henna-ing your ends, did you notice that it strengthened the previously bleached ends? I've seen recommendations to henna/cassia bleached ends to "fortify" them on the LHC before, but I'm not sure how this works in practice...

I have done that video a few times a I think all but two of my videos are still set to private from my f u LHC fit.
I don't know about Mess's House from the ancestors of his people. Mess are you Drăculești?

The naughty mess says, "No. English and Messanese don't mix well. You do not have a word that would be sufficiently evil enough to represent my ancestors. But Stabapple understands."

Stabapple doesn't speak english either mess he just stabs everything.

Anyways yes it has helped. My ends needed a lot of attention before the henna. But now not so much.

DollyDagger

August 21st, 2015, 11:01 PM

What is your natural colour? Mine is what I call medium brown (based on comparing to other people here where I live), but many might call it light brown here at LHC. Anyway, certain colours will show up really well with even a bit darker brown hair. The effect is somewhat more muted, than if ther base is very light, but I don't think it's a bad effect in anyway. The more dark the base colour, the more the dye will show up as a sheen when light hits the hair. Somehow this makes the shock colour more wearable even for us "more mature" :)

@Arctic -
My natural hair colour is dark cool toned (ash?) brown. The ends are still dark brown but just a little more faded and warmer because when i dyed i mostly only did the regrowth. It actually looks very natural like its been faded from the sun...so i guess it is kind of ombred :) (we used to just call this FADED ENDS back in the day..lol )

Ive mucked around with many colors over the years from blonde to black cherry and everything in between!
My main objective right now i think is to grow out my virgin hair..white/silver streaks and all. I want to see my natural color hair color -and i want it to grow it as long and healthily as possible- So then i can mess with it.. just kidding.,hehe ..but maybe God willing i will throw a tourquoise or hot pink streak over sum these whites for my 50th ..who knows :)

Seeshami

August 22nd, 2015, 09:54 PM

Funky buns!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v190/BrokenCagedBird/61585916-f92d-4bfc-a574-75b66e5f49bb_zpsx4tyqkr8.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BrokenCagedBird/media/61585916-f92d-4bfc-a574-75b66e5f49bb_zpsx4tyqkr8.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v190/BrokenCagedBird/c2e42533-6c9a-4c7c-8bc6-be64a03316a4_zps494bc412.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BrokenCagedBird/media/c2e42533-6c9a-4c7c-8bc6-be64a03316a4_zps494bc412.jpg.html)

Groovy Granny

August 22nd, 2015, 10:49 PM

Funky buns!

Wow...love the colors :thud:

Seeshami

August 23rd, 2015, 12:21 AM

As the bleach blond slowly goes away I realize how much more I like it then my ash blond color. When it was all lighter I took many more selfies with moustaches and sent them to AspenSong and yes I can lift my hair to that shade with some honey, lemon juice and a dash of peroxide but I think I will decide if I want to go bottle blond when we cut from floor to classic.

The naughty mess says, "no cutting"

You're only going to the floor because we can Mess not because we want.

KittyBird

August 23rd, 2015, 12:46 AM

Kittybird and spidermom :bigeyes: gorgeous!

Thank you! :)

hennalonghair

August 23rd, 2015, 04:37 AM

DollyDagger

August 23rd, 2015, 08:10 AM

VanillaTresses

August 23rd, 2015, 09:06 AM

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors (e.g. balayage, highlights/lowlights, dye grow-out, color-melt, dip-dye, reverse ombre with henna or direct dyes, etc)?
My ombre is a result of dye and henna grow out. The longest lengths have a deep henna red and it kind of fades up to a light strawberry blonde that I am maintaining with mostly cassia and a hint of henna.

2) How long do you like your ombre to be (virgin length vs. color-treated length)? Do you like it chunky or fine? High-contrast & bold or soft & subtle? Dip-dyed or thoroughly blended? Though it is a kind of unintentional work in progress, I prefer a blended look, which I think I have achieved through a graduation of gradually using less and less henna and more cassia in my mix.

3) What are your long-term goals for your ombre? (e.g. Transitioning to virgin color or some other color? Experimenting with new color without commitment? Low-maintenance way of experiencing color variety? Giving hair a break from processing? Or anything else?) LONG TERM, I am hoping to just keep growing out my ombre without chopping any major length. I want to keep up the strawberry color for at least now, but it is close enough to my natural warm light blonde that if I decide to grow out completely natural it will blend fairly well, I think.

4) Your ombre evolution: are you retouching color, intensifying it or blending it in? If so, how and how often? Or are you just letting it grow out? I am mostly roots only at this point. The henna on my ends is very set in, so it isn't fading and doesn't need retouched!

5) Do you like to sometimes change up the color of the ombre-ed ends? Please share techniques/details on how you do that. No.

6) How do you maintain the color and keep it fresh (toners, special shampoos, color-depositing conditioners, topping up dyes, etc)? I just do my roots every couple of months with my cassia henna mix.

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair (any special treatments, serums, oils, routines, micro-trimming, etc)? Just babying it per usual.

How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections? There isn't much of a difference except I use more detailer on the length.

9) Do you find that your ombre is enhanced with added texture (e.g. waves/curls) or cuts (e.g. layers or specific shape) or hairstyles (e.g. braids or mini-accents)? No, but I think the longer the better.

10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition? Concentrating conditioner and detailer on those ends!

11) What's the best thing about having ombre hair? And what's the worst? The best is how cool it can look ino updos. The worst about the growing it out ombre is that the earlier you are in the process it doesn't look as neat and it is a hard stage to get through. I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, though!

12) Any other thoughts you'd like to share? I think the growing it out ombre is a great alternative to chopping.

laceyfairy

August 23rd, 2015, 09:19 AM

Thanks a lot for all your answers, laceyfairy! :flowers: Your hair is so beautiful! :applause Gorgeous texture! And the ombre is so natural-looking! :D
Am I understanding correctly that the Manic Panic didn't actually fade on pre-ligthened hair? How long has it been? :)

Manic panic fades, mine had hot hot pink, vampire red, and purple haze in the spring/summer of 2012. It does not in my experience fully leave. This is specifically for the red-based dyes I have no experience with blue and green ones. Freshly dyed it looked more like this (http://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6xkibys4y1r64l5f.jpg). Thank you for the compliments!

eta: the waves a braid waves, not natural

spidermom

August 23rd, 2015, 11:10 AM

Spidermom, that ROCKS!!! :thud: How on earth did you achieve that perfect fire effect? :applause Did you pick out strategically selected strands from each layer one by one and dye the tips only? Your hair looks like golden silk on FIRE! Wowzers!

I made a ponytail on top of my head just above my forehead, then applied a second ponytail holder about 2 inches above the ends, squished the ManicPanic Crimson dye through those ends, then bagged them in plastic and left the dye overnight. Since my hair is layered, the crimson ends fall in layers.

Seeshami

August 23rd, 2015, 11:31 AM

Wow Seeshami
That last bun you showed is just pure perfection. It looks almost like a white chocolate with caramel in the middle.
I guess if I say you look good enough to eat it's gonna sound real creepy huh?
:rollin:

But seriously it's the most interesting bun I've ever seen.
Just smashing! ! :flowers:

Smashing :rollin:

agree with @hennalonghair
delectably awesome..:) !

The Naughty mess says, "but I am poisonous"

Hush Mess no one is going to eat you. I have been looking at that bun trying to figure out what it is and i have absolutely no idea. At first I thought it was a Jamie Leigh but the middle is my ends....

DollyDagger

August 23rd, 2015, 12:06 PM

it needs no name..it just "is" :)

meteor

August 23rd, 2015, 12:54 PM

Manic panic fades, mine had hot hot pink, vampire red, and purple haze in the spring/summer of 2012. It does not in my experience fully leave. This is specifically for the red-based dyes I have no experience with blue and green ones.

Thanks a lot for sharing, laceyfairy! :flower: That's great info to keep in mind. :D
I guess sometimes (on some hair) certain direct dyes are practically permanent and other times they barely show and fade right away. :bigeyes:

Wow Seeshami
That last bun you showed is just pure perfection. It looks almost like a white chocolate with caramel in the middle.
I guess if I say you look good enough to eat it's gonna sound real creepy huh?
:rollin:

Ha-ha! Every time I see this thread somebody's comments are making me hungry! :yumm: :lol:

How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections? There isn't much of a difference except I use more detailer on the length.
[...]
10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition? Concentrating conditioner and detailer on those ends!

Thanks a lot, VanillaTresses! :flowers: And may I ask: what's a detailer?

I made a ponytail on top of my head just above my forehead, then applied a second ponytail holder about 2 inches above the ends, squished the ManicPanic Crimson dye through those ends, then bagged them in plastic and left the dye overnight. Since my hair is layered, the crimson ends fall in layers.

Oh wow! I would never have guessed it could be so easy to achieve this gorgeous and intricate-looking result, spidermom! Those fiery ends are just perfect - great match with the layers! :thud:

The Naughty mess says, "but I am poisonous"

Hush Mess no one is going to eat you. I have been looking at that bun trying to figure out what it is and i have absolutely no idea. At first I thought it was a Jamie Leigh but the middle is my ends....

You know, when I saw that gorgeous updo my first thought was that it looks like a very neat Braided Lazy Wrap Bun? Could it be that?
By the way, what's the name of first bun? It's so stunning!
Your updos are incredible, Seeshami!!! :thudpile:

Seeshami

August 23rd, 2015, 01:03 PM

it needs no name..it just "is" :)

:rollin:

You know, when I saw that gorgeous updo my first thought was that it looks like a very neat Braided Lazy Wrap Bun? Could it be that?
By the way, what's the name of first bun? It's so stunning!
Your updos are incredible, Seeshami!!! :thudpile:

I think it is probably a messed up rose bun because everything else would have blond in the middle. It probably didn't flip right anyways I will have to try some of these thoughts and figure it out.

The first one.... It could be a wrongly done disk bun (because I can't do them right) or my bastardized nautilus. I will go through my pictures to see if I can find one that looks like it that I can remember doing.

meteor

August 23rd, 2015, 01:13 PM

^ Thanks a lot, Seeshami! :flower:
They are both such stunning styles! :applause

I would guess the second style would likely be one of the braided buns that involve a loop, so maybe a nautilus or a LWB or something like that, because the henna-ed ends would create that red center/base out of the ombre ends? Whereas a rosebun would likely have red areas around the bun instead of in the middle? :hmm:

(I love hairstyle mysteries! :eye: :popcorn: )

Seeshami

August 23rd, 2015, 01:28 PM

We will see. I do my rose buns from the ends up so the color is in the middle. You might be right and it was a very controlled wrap bun but I generally do them sloppy and call it good busines because they are fast and easy

P.s. first one is more likely a disk bun done stupid

meteor

August 23rd, 2015, 01:36 PM

^ Or it could be the new Seeshami bun ;) , or the Naughty Mess Bun, which, ironically, doesn't look Messy at all! In fact, it's perfectly neat and majestic! :D

Seeshami

August 23rd, 2015, 01:38 PM

His Majesty's Bun

The naughty mess, "I hate it"

You hate everything.
P.s. we'll start the experiment at a lazy wrap and see what happens. Because its a pretty good center hold bun for me which that one is.

spidermom

August 23rd, 2015, 03:17 PM

Next time I do my ends, I'm doing rainbow. I don't quite have it figured how I'll do it exactly, but do it I will.

meteor

August 23rd, 2015, 03:55 PM

^ Wow, spidermom! :applause The rainbow sounds like a really awesome idea! :agree:

Seeshami

August 23rd, 2015, 04:34 PM

From left the right or up and down?

spidermom

August 23rd, 2015, 05:53 PM

Seeshami

August 23rd, 2015, 10:07 PM

I would take a road trip to visit Pastina. That is super gorgeous but I cannot imagine how complex it will be.

Crystawni

August 23rd, 2015, 10:38 PM

Holy heck, I love the rainbow effect, spidermom! Great inspiration pic! Gaaaaah. I need a blank canvas, though. *whimpers* I wanna be all white... Naow!

Gotta admit, this thread is full of my favourite heads of hair. I have a real soft spot for artsy goodness. :D

Seeshami

August 23rd, 2015, 10:42 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v190/BrokenCagedBird/c2e42533-6c9a-4c7c-8bc6-be64a03316a4_zps494bc412.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BrokenCagedBird/media/c2e42533-6c9a-4c7c-8bc6-be64a03316a4_zps494bc412.jpg.html)

Braided Lazy wrap bun. One golden Internet to Meteor!

The Naughty Mess says, "The blessings of the mighty hair monster his majesty The Naughty Mess TM upon the most devoted Meteor for seeing my glory and knowing it's configuration."

You're ridiculous.

Lianna

August 23rd, 2015, 10:50 PM

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors (e.g. balayage, highlights/lowlights, dye grow-out, color-melt, dip-dye, reverse ombre with henna or direct dyes, etc)?

Some form of easy balayage, I just backcomb the ends to mid shaft and scrunch the bleach in for 5 minutes. So my hair is light brown at the roots with blended honey streaks.

2) How long do you like your ombre to be (virgin length vs. color-treated length)? Do you like it chunky or fine? High-contrast & bold or soft & subtle? Dip-dyed or thoroughly blended?

Soft and suble and from the eyes down.

3) What are your long-term goals for your ombre? (e.g. Transitioning to virgin color or some other color? Experimenting with new color without commitment? Low-maintenance way of experiencing color variety? Giving hair a break from processing? Or anything else?)

I plan to keep it exactly like this, since I barely have noticeable roots and it's an easy style to do and keep.

4) Your ombre evolution: are you retouching color, intensifying it or blending it in? If so, how and how often? Or are you just letting it grow out?

My hair was darker and I just wanted a few honey bits. I'll retouch just the mid lenghts when it grows out.

5) Do you like to sometimes change up the color of the ombre-ed ends? Please share techniques/details on how you do that.

Nope.

6) How do you maintain the color and keep it fresh (toners, special shampoos, color-depositing conditioners, topping up dyes, etc)?

Toners aren't needed and the color hasn't faded lighter yet.

7) How do you maintain the health/condition of your ombred hair (any special treatments, serums, oils, routines, micro-trimming, etc)?

I use oils several times a week, a moisturizing leave-in everyday, a protein treatment once or twice a month, and microtrim every 3 months.

How are you handling the differences in textures between unprocessed and processed hair? Do you use different products/amounts/routines/styling methods on these sections?

Styling cream only a little on the roots, but that would happen regardless of ombre.

9) Do you find that your ombre is enhanced with added texture (e.g. waves/curls) or cuts (e.g. layers or specific shape) or hairstyles (e.g. braids or mini-accents)?

My hair is wavy and that's the only way I wear it, and it suits it well. I also have some bottom layers that look cool with the ombre because it seems like more of my hair is honey colored. It also displays the thickness well because the eye is drawn to to ends.

10) Have you found any tips and tricks for care and for preserving those ends in top condition?

Don't over process it, each hair will have a tolerance for how light you can go. Honey/golden is as far as I will go, and my hair doesn't break easily, looks healthy and has almost no split ends (though I believe that's genetic). Protein treatments and oils help a lot.

11) What's the best thing about having ombre hair? And what's the worst?

The best thing for me is how natural it looks and don't have to worry about roots. I've often had some sort of chemicals in my hair and the few times it gave me "trouble" was with super light highlights and when I relaxed it. I can't say there's a worst part of ombre because my haircare would be the same if I didn't have it. My haircolor didn't change drastically and that's key.

meteor

August 24th, 2015, 09:16 AM

I want the rainbow-ness to blend so I'm thinking more up and down so that the different colored layers interplay.

This is my inspiration picture, but confined to the ends in case I have to find a job and look conservative.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/spidermom/4e80e415-f568-479a-b248-22e3af63414e_zpsmzodwsoa.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/spidermom/media/4e80e415-f568-479a-b248-22e3af63414e_zpsmzodwsoa.jpg.html)

Oh my God! :thudpile: That's incredible!
Though I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be to achieve that kind of seamless rainbow color-melt! :bigeyes:

Braided Lazy wrap bun. One golden Internet to Meteor!

The Naughty Mess says, "The blessings of the mighty hair monster his majesty The Naughty Mess TM upon the most devoted Meteor for seeing my glory and knowing it's configuration."

You're ridiculous.

Yay! :cheer: Thank you, Your Majesty! ;)
I must admit, I figured it must be braided LWB, because that's the bun I love and wear the most, so I see its ins & outs. I think it's the best, most protective bun ever. :) And His Majesty, the Naughty Mess makes it look simply INCREDIBLE!! :thud:

1) How was your ombre achieved and with what colors (e.g. balayage, highlights/lowlights, dye grow-out, color-melt, dip-dye, reverse ombre with henna or direct dyes, etc)?

Some form of easy balayage, I just backcomb the ends to mid shaft and scrunch the bleach in for 5 minutes. So my hair is light brown at the roots with blended honey streaks.

Wow, that's amazing that you can do that on yourself with backcombing and balayage and all... It's pretty tough to do. Are there any tutorials/blogs you followed for the technique? :D

Lianna

August 25th, 2015, 01:21 AM

This is pretty much what I do, without the foils.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwebngqJZHI

Johannah

August 25th, 2015, 10:10 AM

Now I want to ombre my hair because of this thread, lol. Maybe I'll do this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ppXrsw-yTc)some day when I reached my goal.

meteor

August 25th, 2015, 12:08 PM

This is pretty much what I do, without the foils.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwebngqJZHI

Thanks a lot for sharing! :flowers: It's so cool that you can do such intricate technique on yourself, Lianna! That takes some great skill to work with foils/handpainting in the back! :applause

Now I want to ombre my hair because of this thread, lol. Maybe I'll do this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ppXrsw-yTc)some day when I reached my goal.

He-he, didn't mean to start a thread to enable, oopsie! :oops: And your hair is so beautiful as it is! What's your length goal after which you are considering ombre, Johannah? :)

That henna ombre you've linked looks so gorgeous! :crush: (And if you aren't sure if you want henna permanence, red temporary direct dyes are another option to try - plus you have multiple shades as options). You are so lucky to have that gorgeous blonde hair - pretty much anything will show up very well without any pre-lightening at all! ;)

Johannah

August 25th, 2015, 01:29 PM

Thanks a lot for sharing! :flowers: It's so cool that you can do such intricate technique on yourself, Lianna! That takes some great skill to work with foils/handpainting in the back! :applause

He-he, didn't mean to start a thread to enable, oopsie! :oops: And your hair is so beautiful as it is! What's your length goal after which you are considering ombre, Johannah? :)

That henna ombre you've linked looks so gorgeous! :crush: (And if you aren't sure if you want henna permanence, red temporary direct dyes are another option to try - plus you have multiple shades as options). You are so lucky to have that gorgeous blonde hair - pretty much anything will show up very well without any pre-lightening at all! ;)

Aww, thank you! :flower:

Well, I change my length goal every five minutes so I'm not sure, haha. Probably 36", but there's a chance it'll change to 38" or so. That's the magic of this forum, I guess. :p I'm not even sure if I dare to dye my hair since I'm not familiar with it. But I keep it in mind if I ever get bored with my hair when I'm not growing it anymore. It's a waaaay better option than cutting it and regretting it! ;)