This post has affiliate/referral links. Learn more.
Ombré is a hair coloring technique that fades your hair from darkest at the top to the lightest at the bottom, or vice versa.
While it isn’t new to the hair trend scene, it’s an awesome hair color you can try. The trend has been around since 2008 and gaining more popularity.
The ombre hair trend is in part because of its low maintenance. You don’t need to touch up the roots “all the time”.
And if you are trying to cover grays, ombre lets you do a color melt or root shadow to blend in the grays. This color gradation prevents the look of harsh lines in your hair
Although trying a new highlighting style is intimidating, with some technical know-how, you can also make your hair ombre.
Read on to learn more about the ombré hair trend and how to achieve the style.
How to Ombre Hair
For ombre, you’ll use foils to get the color gradation. Select your color and the bleaching intensity for your color. If your hair is blonde already, you can simply use hair color instead of bleach. Mix the bleach powder with the developer according to the instructions on the kit. Divide your hair into sections. Use a brush to apply the bleach to your hair and foil the sections. Start from the bottom of the hair length, reaching up to the faded area. To get the perfect ombre color on your hair, follow the time given on the label of the kit. Wash with water and shampoo to rinse off the bleach.
What You Need
- Professional Salon Kit – Dye Brush, Comb, Bowl, Tint Tool – Buy on Amazon >
- Clairol Pure White 20 Volume Developer – Buy on Amazon >
- Loreal Quick Blue Powder Lightener (I used 2 packets for medium-long hair) – Buy on Amazon >
- Hair Conditioner & Toner, for Blondes – Buy on Amazon >
- Or Keratin Conditioner, Hair Smoothing Treatment – Buy on Amazon >
- Aluminum foil
- Hair clips – Buy on Amazon >
- Gloves – Buy on Amazon >
Step 1: Choose Your Color
First, you need to choose the color that you want for your hair. With ombre, you can go a few shades lighter than the base color of your hair for a subtle change. You can also try blonde if you’re a brunette or bold shades like pink.
Then, you decide where you want the color to start. Generally, ombre hair color is darker at the roots to the mid-shaft. It then gradually gets lighter from the middle of the hair shaft to the ends. This is also best if you are looking for a low-maintenance style.
Step 2: Prepare
This part separates ombre from balayage. While balayage is hand-painted in a way like the sun kisses your hair, the ombre fade uses hand-painting and foil.
The foil method traps heat to process the color faster with less mess.
Grab the aluminum foil from your kitchen.
Measure the length from where you want the ombre to start. Add 4-6 inches in the length so that you have space to fold and work.
You will need 9 pieces of cut foil.
Step 3: Mix the Hair Bleach
Once you’re done that, get changed into your spare clothes.
For those going from dark to light ombre, you will be using bleach.
It’s time to prepare the hair bleach mix!
Grab your disposable gloves.
Combine the developer liquid with the activator powder in a plastic bowl.
Hair developer comes in 20, 30, and 40 volume.
– 20 volume will lighten the color of your hair by 1 to 2 levels
– 30 volume will lighten the color of your hair by 3 to 4 levels
– 40 volume will lighten the color of your hair by up to 7 levels
Make sure the ventilation is on and follow the instructions on the kit.
Step 4: Part Your Hair
Brush your hair so that there are no tangles.
Then, with a teaser comb, part your hair the way you normally do every day.
Then section your hair into equal sections:
– 3 sections in the front, left side
– 3 sections in the front, right side
– and 3 sections in the back
Use hair clips to keep them in their sections.
Step 5: Bleach Your Hair
Decide where you want the ombre to start. This is usually a few inches from the base of the hair, with gradual intense color from around your chin level.
If you already have the lightness that you need and want to go darker on the ends, do this part with your hair dye instead of bleach.
Do one section at a time. Hold a piece of aluminum foil under the section.
Use a brush to paint on from the bottom ends to the middle of the ombre. Make sure to blend it.
Look at the way it’s painted on because that’s what the result will look like.
Then, use a comb. As you comb through, it will pick up some bleach. You will put it where you want the ombre to start. High up in the hair shaft has the least bleach.
As you go down the hair section, you want to gradually, saturate more of the bleach into your hair.
Finally, take a gob of it with your fingers and saturate the ends. That gives the intense bleach at the ends of the hair that you want.
When you are done painting that section of your hair, you will fold in the ends of the aluminum foil. Make sure it feels secure.
Do this for all 9 sections of your hair.
Optional for the first left and right section: You can add a face-framing highlight around your face where the hair parts. This brings more dimension and brightness and works well with the ombre hair color.
Leave the bleach in your hair according to the level of color lift you want on the kit.
Wash with water and shampoo to rinse off the bleach.
Optional: Color Your Hair
Dry your hair.
You will want to prep (see Step 2), mix the color (see Step 3), and part your hair (see Step 4).
You can also use this coloring step to add more blending to your ombre with a small brush or a makeup spoolie.
It is also a chance to do a color melt.
Then use the technique in Step 5 — apply the hair color with a dye brush.
- Professional Salon Kit – Dye Brush, Comb, Bowl, Tint Tool – Buy on Amazon >
Leave the product in your hair according to the instructions on the kit.
Wash with water and shampoo.
Related article: If you’ve got hair dye on your skin, check out how to clean it off your hands.
Step 6: Condition Your Hair
You will want to condition your hair as soon as you wash off the shampoo.
Leave the conditioner in for 3 minutes. That helps you maintain the ombre color and protect your hair strands from the bleaching and coloring process.
Bleached hair can be dry, so for everyday hair treatment and to avoid brassy, orange color in your hair, you can use
Takeaway
With the right tools and blending technique, you can achieve ombre hair. These simple steps can help you to get the best results for coloring your hair ombre.
Related article: Check out proven tips for repairing bleached damaged hair.
I hope you found these steps helpful for DIY at home.
If you like this article, please share it with friends to try coloring their hair at home.
Or leave a comment below on your favorite ombre color!
Once we do pre-lightening with sections and foils
1- if the result patchy, zebra lines how to make that proper (if bleach bleads in foil)
2- if root glow happen how to correct it
3- once pre-lightening done with our desired undercoat then how to deposit desired color and if client wants global color with highlight and after washing bleached hair and depositing color what’s the time need to leave color on bleached hair.