DIY Ombre hair

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Last week I went a little crazy about changing up my hair. You know how it goes. You get the idea in your head and you obsess over it until it's done. You need a change and you need it now! Since I couldn't wait any longer and I couldn't trust anyone to touch my hair- I only go to the salon like twice a year when I'm in Madrid- I didn't give it too much thought and decided to do it myself at home.

I'm not an expert by any means but after watching quite a few videos I got and idea of how I wanted to get it done. It might not be perfect but I actually really like the result as it turned out exactly how I wanted it to be.




A little heads up about my hair prior to the "change". I've been wearing highlights since December last year. I've toned them a few times and do retouch on my roots once. This was the first time I've done any chemical treatment to my hair in at least 5 years and the first time I've ever had highlights all together. I liked them for a while, specially with my wavy/curly hair. It gave light and volume. But that's the thing. I liked the look on my ends but not how it was looking at the top of my head.

I guess it wasn't looking that bad but I had the impression that my hair had some "old color" look to it, specially at the top. My roots were a lot more visible than what you see on the pictures.

I have to say that despite the "gross" condition of my hair at that moment, my hair was and still is quite healthy- whoop, whoop for no split ends!!

So this is what I used and how I did it:

STEP 1: To hide my highlights and even out the color of my hair I used L'oreal's Excellence Créme un n°5 (Chatain clair/medium brown).

I've used this color before, back in the day when I liked dying my hair and this was the dye that helped me go back to my natural hair color. I didn't want any other reflections or highlights to the color so that's why the n°5 was the perfect much for me.

This kit contains:
- A deep protective serum with ceramide to use before the coloring. I really like this step because I think it really helps protecting the hair.
- The coloring cream with pro-keratin and the revealing cream. I mixed them together and applied it to my roots first. Then to the length of my hair and I kept it in my hair for 30 minutes.
- Then I rinsed it and used the intense conditioner with collagen which left my hair feeling really soft and nourished.

I dried my hair straight and this is the final look of my first step.

I don't know until what extend you can see but the color turned out quite nice, like the color of my roots before dying. The camera is picking up a little bit of the highlights but in the mirror the were barely noticeable to me. I really like that the color was brown but not flat and there were actually some reflections to it. And sorry for the frizzy almost fried look. That's how my hair looks if I dried straight without a brush and straightener after, but I promise that it was still soft and healthy!

STEP 2: To creat my ombré look I used Préférence WILD Ombrés Tie and Dye effect in n°1 brown to dark brown hair.

This kit came out at the beginning of the year to help you create a luminous dark-to-light finish yourself as easy as a brush stroke. Because it is the expert brush that comes with the kit that makes all the difference and helps you get an uneven look for a more natural and flawless ombré look. 

I parted my hair in two and tied up the top of my hair. I started working on my bottom layers starting from the back to the front and then did the same thing on the top part. To get and extra natural look I tease every strand a little bit with my hand before applying the dye.

I left it in a total of 45 minutes. What I liked about it is that you can actually decided where your ombré starts and what final color you will get because you can actually see your hair going lighter. After 45 minutes, I rinsed everything and washed my hair with the conditioning shampoo that comes with the kit. Then I applied a little bit of purple shampoo from the silver line from L'oreal's professional to avoid brassiness. Then I used again the intense conditioner with collagen from the first step and I let it air dry to my natural wave.

And here is the final result! This is the same day when I was letting air dry.

Well, I'm happy but I know it isn't perfect. The color turned out exactly how I wanted but I don't know if the color didn't picked up correctly in the back or simply I didn't put enough in that area and the ombre is less noticeable. But you can actually keep the mix to use it again. I have a little bit left and I might do a touch up in few weeks depending on how it develops.

And this is how it looks almost a week and a wash later with regular shampoo and then purple shampoo only in the ends. (This photos were taken with natural light on a cloudy day. This is my natural hair with some random pieces curl with my curling wand which I only use when my hair doesn't curl properly).

My hair feels soft and it is still healthy- I don't have split ends! I've noticed the color being less honey and slightly more blond. Almost, like if it had fade away a little bit. It might be the purple shampoo- I'm not quite sure- but from now on I'll use it only every two or three washes. 

I love the look and now I understand why everyone went crazy about it and is still on trend! the top of my hair looks more natural but the ombré gives warmth and lights up a little bit, gives an extra something. Besides is really low maintenance! And I'm all the way for that! The best part is that it still looks somewhat natural.

I hope the color stays true for a while. Anyways, not bad for experimenting at home.

Are you changing up your hair for the new season? what are you doing?
Do you think that ombré hair is still on trend?

Thanks for stopping by!