The Ombre hair trend that’s been sported by a bevy of Hollywood beauties shows no sign of dying out this spring/summer. But what is Ombre Hair? And will this dip dye hair trend look as good on us mere mortals?
What is ombre hair? Ombre Hair (or dip dye hair) is a French born hair trend that refers to the gradual lightening of the hair strand, typically fading from a darker, more natural hue at the roots, to lighter hair highlights through the ends.
Celebrity ombre hair fans: Lily Aldridge (pictured) Alexa Chung, Blake Lively, Cameron Diaz, Jessica Biel, Drew Barrymore, Elle McPherson, Rachel Bilson and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Is ombre hair the same as balayage? No. Balayage means “to paint”. I.e With Balayage, the colourist paints vertically with the tip of the brush in a horizontal nature to coat the front and back of the hair strands, creating more subtle sun kissed highlights.
5 Things to consider when going ombre…
1. Ombre hair looks best on medium haircuts to long hair styles with layers. Prep your hair with a good hair cut first. Lighter ends look best with the movement of fresh layers.
2. Choose hair shades that will compliment your skin tone and natural hair colour. Blonder ends, ash tones and golden caramel hues look great with olive skin tones, whilst paler skin tones should opt for a more demure, darker tones like rich browns, deep reds and coppers.
3. Generally, it’s best to start the ombre highlights around chin level. The colour should only coat the last two to three inches of each hair layer.
4. Maintenance: Boost hydration and keep colour treated hair from fading by using colour safe shampoo and conditioner (we love the strand strengthening Matrix Repair Reparation Shampoo RRP $15 and Conditioner RRP $15 sold in salons nationally). Also, we recommend using a hydration boosting Argan hair oil to keep hair strong, shiny and healthy (we love HERA Argan Oil RRP $55.00 Stockists Ph. 1300 799 709–as it won’t fade blonde highlights like other hair oils can).
5. Do your research and choose a great colourist. When dyed by an expert colourist, ombre hair looks natural, sun-kissed and lovely. But it can also go very wrong if the lighter colour through the ends are too blonde and brassy.
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