Nostalgic moment, coz that photo was taken in Newcastle. And yes, L'Oreal should send me a gift...hehe!
Since some wanted to know what hair color I used, I thought I should do a post, and "explain" that it's not just one specific color, or two, for that matter. Read on to see my journey to Ombré.....
Please note that this is just what I did, and I'm sure there are much better ways to do it. Also, the same colors may not turn out the same for your hair. Results will vary depending on hair types.
What I Used:
- Hair Color 1 : L'Oreal Excellence Crème 8.1 Natural Ash Blonde ~ This was my base color, before I decided to go ombré. It came out at least 2 shades darker than the model's hair.
- Hair Color 2 : (Ombré) L'Oreal Preference Wild Ombrés 3 ~ This is an ombre kit that comes with a comb brush that made it quite easy to color only the tips. You squeeze the cream on it, and then comb it through the ends of your hair from chin down. To give the color a gradient effect & avoid an obvious line where the ombré begins, you simply backcomb upwards. If you're using a regular hair coloring brush, try to do the same. I think a toothbrush would work well for this method, too.
I somehow forgot to take pics of the kit. This is what the brush looks like
But it came out too orange, as you can see. That's my least favorite hair color on me, and I was horrified!
*TIP: If you're going to use this kit, don't leave it on for too long. Keep checking it. If you see that it's made your hair a light ash brown, wash it off ASAP! Because within seconds, it will strip off all the brown pigment in your hair and reveal the underlying orange. It's what happened to me, it looked fine when I checked in between.
- Hair Color 3 : L'Oreal Récital Préférence 10.1 Helsinki Very Light Blonde ~ The kit comes with a generous tube of conditioner, and a High Shine Elixir that you put in the mixture. I picked this shade because I thought the ash in it was going to lighten the orange to a cool blonde. I used it all over my hair, starting with the ends. Unfortunately, it did not do much, and the color looked pretty much the same.....
Although I clicked when my hair was still wet (because it was getting dark), you can make out my hair's still orange and didn't change much. I think this works only on hair that's already very light. *Therefore, an unnecessary step.
- Hair Color 4 : L'Oreal Sublime Mousse 600 Pure Light Brown ~ In the end, I turned to old faithful light brown, and the orange turned a light ash brown. I applied this all over my hair, as well. I was not impressed with the 'mousse' , because it's more watery than mousse-ey (It's not all all like the Liese Bubble Hair Color) but I was happy that it toned down the orange.
For weeks the color looked uniform, showing little ombré-ness, but eventually the ends of my hair got lighter after every wash. That's why it's better to judge a hair color after a week or two. I did everything in March, and until May, this is what it looked like.....
If you want to see more pics, please click here
In the end, I was quite happy with the results, and even though the L'Oreal Wild Ombré kit gave me a brassy orange headache, it was what made the ombré possible.
If I had to it all over again: I think I would use the Ombré kit first, and then use the 1st base color L'Oreal Excellence Creme 8.1 (or a 7.1) all over. I think.
When hair turns orange: I won't use warm colors, like shade numbers with .3 (golden), .5 (red), .4 (copper), as they'll add more warmth. I'll stick to natural colors, like shade numbers with a whole number, like a 6 (light brown) or 7 (dark blonde) OR cool-toned colors with .1 (ash/green). I would also use something blue-toned, like .2 (blue/violet), to neutralize the golden orange (blue is opposite orange in the color wheel). But then again, even hair coloring is an art, and to get it right means the right mixture of this & that. Correcting colors don't all come in at-home box hair colors, that's why people still go to salons.
Presently, my dark roots have grown out about 2-3 inches, and the ombré tips look a little brassy, so I'll be using something cool-toned soon just to touch-up & tone it. I'll try not to pick L'Oreal again! =D
