(this effect was purple ion brights and magenta ion brights ombre effect)
A few years ago I started dying my hair all sorts of crazy colors. For me it fits my personality and lets me get creative which I love. So many were asking about how I did the original ombre look, so I decided to write up a quick tutorial for you all. Please keep in mind I am not a hairdresser, I've never been to beauty school . I merely have lots of experience dying my hair along with some friends here and there. I am a very visual learner, so I researched many videos on youtube before I even tried it for the first time. (like 8 hours worth) :) ( I will show my favorites at the end of this post)
So to start you need a clean palette. Wash and condition your hair the day before you are wanting to dye it. If you have fragile hair or virgin hair (never been colored) I would suggest you do a strip test to see how the color takes for you. This can be accomplished by dying one small strip of your hair to get a reaction without doing your whole head. That way if your hair reacts poorly, you haven't damaged all your hair.
Here are the supplies I use. I get them all from Sally's beauty supply store. The employees are very good about helping so don't be afraid to ask questions.
Aside from this list you need a few towels that you do not mind messing up, and a shirt to wear that you also don't care about or a plastic cape. Also a bottle of conditioner that is white in color. Doesn't matter about brand so long as it's white.
I have dark hair so I have to bleach out my original color in order to achieve the ombre effect. If you are blonder you can skip the bleach. My preference is the argon oil creme lightener mixed with the number 30 developer. I mix 1/4 of the bottle of creme lightener (from the box) with one packet of bleach (also in the box) along with about 2oz of developer. This is one fourth of the box contents. If you have really long hair, or you want to dye your entire head mix more (the directions are on the box)
After you have mixed your bleach, section off your hair with rubber bands. This is the easiest way for me having shorter length hair.(pardon the phone photo, hubby was gone when I did this) Ignore the pink bangs thats another story :)
I like to put old towels where I'm standing in case of drip.
Even out your rubber bands just where you want color. This helps me to know where I should stop applying bleach. This can be a lot, or as little hair as you decide. After your bands are even all the way around, put on your gloves and start applying bleach. I like to clip the front pieces up and start in the back since the back takes longer to hold or remove color. Put a foil behind the hair and apply the bleach, then flip the hair over and apply to the other side. After this I take the foil off and work it through my fingers. This is just to make sure I get through the entire piece. (I'll link a video that helps explain this better)
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Keep in mind I recently went from pink tips back to brown, so your hair will not show pink like mine. It will just be bleached. I leave it on for about 15 minutes then keep checking every 5/10min after that.
After you get the desired lightness rinse your hair out in warm water then remove rubber bands. Rinse again and shampoo (do not condition)
I like to let my hair air dry (it's better for your hair) So this is a long process for me. Most times I actually wait until the next day to color after I bleach it. (again pay no notice to the pink yours will not be pink)
If you have longer hair or wish to have a more staggered look rather then a line, get a friend to help you in the brushing method without using the rubber bands. (see video below)
Now that your hair is dry, use the same rubber band technique you used to bleach except put the rubber bands just before where the bleach starts. Make your pieces thinner pony tails this time adding less hair to each rubber band.
Now pull out your mixing bowls put your first color choice into one (about 1/4th of the tube) and the second choice into another. (Same 1/4th of the bottle) now squirt a tiny bit of the bottles conditioner into each. This will help thin out the dye a little. I comes out quite think from the tube. Now mix both using separate applicators thoroughly.
Remember to wear gloves and put something down on the floor before you start. It's messy sometimes.
Time to apply color.....
Pin the front rubber bands up and out of the way again and start with the back ones. With a foil behind your hair, apply the first color from the top of rubber band to about half way to the bottom. Flip hair then add color to the other side. I like to make sure it's done right the first time, so I do this by a sink. Here is my process.
After applying the first color, I put the applicator down and work the dye in with my fingers. (make sure your wearing gloves) I work it in until the stop point making sure to get all the layers of hair. This working in the dye method makes it so that I do not have bleach spots later. It ensures color throughout. You do not need the mixing line to be straight. In fact I prefer that it's not.
Now wash your gloves off and apply the second color.
Work the dyes in together where they meet in the middle and apply the second color all the way down to the bottom tip of hair. Again, work the dye with your fingers well to ensure coverage. Wash gloves again them fold your foil bottom upwards to cover ends then fold left to right.
After you have covered all your pieces, remove your gloves and let it settle for 30/40 min .
Tick tock tick tock tick tock..........
Times up! Put your gloves back on and removes the foils. Rinse hair thoroughly with COLD water until the water runs clear. After water is fairly clear work conditioner into the colored pieces. Let sit about 2 minutes then rinse out. Ta da!
See the ombre effect?
Pretty cool huh?
This photo really stinks (I'm sorry, bad lighting) The color turned out great though. I had a few bleach spots that I touched up, but this almost never happens) The top is pulled up in a headband, but when not pulled back you can see the ombre detail in the lines.
The colored dye I use is Ion Brights. It's about 5.00 a tube and is semi permanent. There are currently no permanent dyes in these bright pigments. For this tutorial I used ion brights in purple and fuchsia.
Because this is a semi permanent dye wash every other day with cold water for the longest lasting color. This is a much easier process if you have another person to help you so keep that in mind if you decide to try. The back is really hard to get perfect if you have shorter hair like me.
Thank you for Reading and I hope you get to try it. Just a reminder, WEAR GLOVES it stains badly.
Here are a few resource videos I really liked and they helped me come up with my process.
I found this one later and love her method for long hair.
HAPPY DYEING!
