DIY Ombre Hair

Ombre! No, I am not speaking Spanish or some other language, this is the new hair trend that everyone is raving about. Last year, it was all about the dramatic blond-blue-pink-yellow-whatever combo, but now it is all about the gradual change from brown to light brown to blond tips or from the black to brown to light brown tips. This look is so low maintenance because you don't have to keep visiting the hairdresser for your monthly touch-ups, but rather, this hair trend will only cost you a couple of dollars if you do it yourself + maintenance (every 4 months or so).

So, I have been wanting to get my hair dyed this style for ages and I've been asking salons how much it would cost me and they are not cheap.. costing more than $200 for the length of my hair.. SIGH!

But not to worry.. DIY Ombre is doable! So doable that even non-professional hair stylists can do it with their eyes closed (as long as they don't leave the solution on their hair for too long :P).
So I ventured into the local supermarket and grabbed me a box of lightening kit from Schwarzkopf called Nordic Lightening Creme L1 Ultra Intensive Lightener, which comes in a box like this:

I have really black hair and hair dyes don't usually work when I use them. One of my biggest fears when I was lightening my hair was that it might turn ORRRAAANGE! I knew this was a possibility but I still decided to go through with it. 

Here are the steps to achieve DIY Ombre:

1. Make sure your hair is dry and all the tangles have been brushed through.
2. Decide the gradient mark to know where to start applying the lightener.
3. So what I did was, I only lightened half-way through the lenthgs of my hair, although you also have the choice to start 3/4 from the tips to the roots or leave a couple of inches from the roots to start. 
4. Apply the lightener to the chosen length of your hair and distribute it evenly right down to the tips.
5. Keep on applying it till its all gone and make sure it is more concentrated down at the ends of your hair for that sun-tip bleach look.
6. Leave on for about 30-45 minutes if you have dark hair like mine or 20 minutes if your hair is already light.
7. Rinse and blow dry using the lowest heat setting (and don't forget to use a heat protector before blow drying, as your hair is now more prone to breakage and damage caused by the chemicals).
8. If you're not happy with the result, if it's not lightened enough, you can repeat the whole process again but this time lessen the time you leave it on since its already bleached).

I love the result I got and I will definitely be doing it again when it needs retouching.

Ombre Hair Care Tip:


Now that your hair is bleached/lightened, it is now more prone to breakage and damage, make sure that you condition your hair regularly using shampoos and conditioner rich in protein to keep your hair looking beautayfull!

L'Oreal Elvive Shampoo and Conditioner

I've been really busy this year with my studies and with that thing they call life and as a result, at the start of the year I have been neglecting my hair of the care it needs such as deep conditioning and heat protection when I'm styling it using my GHD or whatever. I noticed my hair become very dull, dry and lifeless which were all warning signs that I have to do something before it gets even worse. So I searched and searched in the pharmacy for what seemed like ages and found................... L'Oreal Elvive Shampoo and Conditioner!

Finding the right shampoo for your hair is very important if you want to have luscious shiny locks. What I love about L'Oreal Elvive is that not only do they create shampoos and conditioners that actually works, but they also smell super nice :) The smell stays in your hair until you need to wash it again (promise!).

These are my favorite L'Oreal Elvive Shampoo and Conditioner:

Elvive Anti-Breakage

I came across this product when my hair was breaking easily probably due to styling and all that crazy rituals I do with my hair. The shampoo claims to "Help repair brittle, damaged hair and split ends by replenishing the hair's natural cement." 

Now, I for one agree that ever since I started using the shampoo and conditioner, my hair has been noticeably shinier and healthier than ever. As I have recently lightened my hair (ombre hair), I know I will need to take extra good care of it due to the bleaching process. So far, I am satisfied with the result :)








Elvive Re-Nutrition

This product I love also, but not as much as the previous one. This gets the second prize for revitalizing my damaged hair from root to tip! I am a sucker for awesome smelling hair products and this one I must say is like the milk and honey of all the nice smelling shampoos and conditioners ever made (no exaggerations intended..haha).

This shampoo and conditioner contains "Royal Jelly + 10 regenerating nutrients". What's Royal Jelly you may ask? According to the internet, "Royal Jelly is considered by many a potent anti-oxidant. Produced in the beehive for the nourishment of the queen bee, it is a complex substance that cannot be recreated by man. When examining its properties and considering the source of its documented benefits, many conclude that it is its high amino acid content that make it such a special rejuvenating substance."

Enough said.


Hair tip:

When washing your hair, always use cold to luke warm water - never hot, as this can damage the cuticles of your hair making it look dull and dry.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Schwarzkopf OSiS+ Dust It Mattifying Powder

So I heard about this product that can make your hair all "boofed-up" without the use of the ol' hairspray and teasing comb. This intrigued me and I definitely wanted to try it.

My first impression of this product was that the packaging was a little smaller than I expected. Haha.. the hairdresser showed it to me and I was like, "That's it?" Osis Dust It costs about  $36 NZD at your local hairdressing salon.

How to apply it:

Make sure your hair is DRY.

1. Put a little bit of the powder on the palm of your hand.
2. Sprinkle some of it using your fingers on the roots of your hair (where you want it to be lifted).
3. After, sprinkling it, rub it several times until the powder is not visible.
4. Scrunch the roots of your hair where you've applied it to get that messy texturized look.

PROs

• the packaging is very stylish and it is small enough to fit in your handbag whenever you need to touch-up
• the powder is very fine and it doesn't leave visible residue when you put it on the roots of your hair
• it lasts for a long time as you don't need a lot of it when you use it
• it doesn't have a funny smell

CONs

• the product stays in your hair even after several washes
• you have to keep on "scrunching" the roots of your hair a couple of times a day to re-activate the effect
• it doesn't work well on people with long thick hair (mid-past shoulder like mine), as I think this is especially created for people with short layered hair
• I hardly use it as it doesn't really give me the volume I want but it is great if you want that extra oomph after styling

Product Tip:

When I am styling my hair for the "messy up-do" I sprinkle a bit Dust It on the top of my hair to give it a texturized finish. Also, I sprinkle the powder on random parts of my hair to add extra volume that screams "I just woke up from bed and my hair already looks fantastic" haha..

Rating: 3.5 out of 5