Taking Care of Ombre Hair
I've had ombre (or dip-dye if you aren't down with the kids...) since about 2012. If you are down with the kids or are one of these hardcore bloggy types, then equally you'll probably be there thinking that ombre is like sooo 2012 and balayage is all the rage, but hey, i'm a crazy kind of cat and I have never exactly been described as much of a trend setter so if you're here for the up to the minute hair trends, I am most certainly not the girl for you...
Anywho, as i've been residing in the ombre camp for quite some time now I like to think that i've got this whole hair care thing down. Couple that with the fact that I had somewhat of a blonde ambition at the age of 18 that left me with little more than dead, frazzled locks and resulted in a very long road to get my hair back to an even vaguely healthy state, i'm pretty well versed in saving dry, damaged hair from the point of no return. I'm going to try and cover all of the bases on this one from shampoo's to treatments, conditioners to brushes in the hopes that I can create my list of the products that have worked the best for me and give you cheeky people some little tips and tricks for your own lovely locks.
| SHAMPOO |
Bleaching the ends of your hair, which by their nature are pretty dry anyway, can do some serious damage if not treated properly. We're talking split ends, breakage and brittleness and none of those are good things, so you need to get as much moisture into your hair as you can and that starts with a good shampoo. Pretty much ever since my blonde disaster took place and I was politely informed by a hairdresser that although I had somehow managed to get my hair to an impressive shade of white (no yellow tones here people) if I didn't find some way of injecting some moisture into it pronto it was essentially just all going to break off, i've stuck to the same little miracle worker of a shampoo and in fact a miracle worker of a brand - Aussie.
I've used their Miracle Moist shampoo for years and years and although sometimes i've drifted away in the shampoo aisle to other formulas, usually sticking to the Aussie range, i've always gone back to Miracle Moist, without fail, time and time again. When they say miracle, they mean miracle. This little baby is packed to the brim with nourishing oils, which not only combine to smell absolutely amazing but they also act to pack as much moisture into your hair as humanly possible. It lathers super well and leaves my hair feeling squeaky clean and looking all swishy and healthy... can't go wrong with that can you?!
| TONING |
Although ombre is a brilliantly low maintenance hair colour in that theres no need for root touch-ups and you can pretty much colour it once and leave it be, especially if you're a natural brunette like me, it does have a tendency to go a little brassy and start to err on the side of ever so slightly ginger. Especially in the summer months, I like to make it as light as I can and one way to do this without reaching straight for the peroxide, is to use a toning product, the easiest of which i've found to be a toning shampoo. What you're looking for is something with a purple tone, they're usually located around the hair colour aisle and they work, in effect, by counteracting the yellowy, orangey tones in your hair, think of that colour wheel from school, purple is opposite yellow and orange.
One that i've been particularly loving lately is the Bleach London Silver Shampoo, now if you've never used a purple shampoo before, i'll warn you, the colour looks horrifyingly drastic, but don't panic, you're not going to end up looking like an escaped member of Seasame Street...unless thats what you're going for, in which case, rock on. This particular offering does have a shade reminiscent of Primary School poster paint, but it's absolutely brilliant. You just use it every other wash as an ordinary shampoo (I use it as a kind of pre-wash before my Aussie shampoo) lather it into the ends of your hair (or all over for those full on blonde ladies) and it knocks all of the unwanted brassy tones leaving a much lighter, more ashy blonde shade.
| CONDITIONING |
Now I'd go as far to say that conditioning is the most important step when taking care of your ombre, it's one of the best ways to give your hair a real moisture boost and keep it in tip top condition. I use Aussie Miracle Moist conditioner, smoothed through just the mid-lengths and the ends of my hair to avoid any flatness, leave it on for a few minutes and wash it all out. On top of that I'm a huge fan of the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle intensive conditioners, in fact, it pretty much saved my hair from the depths of platinum blonde purgatory.
The original is absolutely fab, but they've recently brought out 3 Minute Miracles for most of their other ranges and the ones that i've used have been equally as amazing. I use it every other wash, again on the mid lengths to ends. I like to leave it on for about 5 minutes, sometimes longer if I'm having what my dad has coined a 'Hollywood Shower' - aka anything over the 10 minute mark, but 5 works just as well. I don't know what it is about this conditioner but it's just an absolute saviour and one I'd more than recommend for girls with coloured hair or locks that can tend to be a bit on the dry side.
The original is absolutely fab, but they've recently brought out 3 Minute Miracles for most of their other ranges and the ones that i've used have been equally as amazing. I use it every other wash, again on the mid lengths to ends. I like to leave it on for about 5 minutes, sometimes longer if I'm having what my dad has coined a 'Hollywood Shower' - aka anything over the 10 minute mark, but 5 works just as well. I don't know what it is about this conditioner but it's just an absolute saviour and one I'd more than recommend for girls with coloured hair or locks that can tend to be a bit on the dry side.
| TREATMENTS |
These have been an absolute godsend since taking the ombre plunge. My go-to's come in the form of the Aussie Take The Heat leave in conditioner, generously spritzed through freshly washed, damp hair before blow drying. Not only is it an extra boost of moisture but this snazzy little product also contains heat protecting ingredients to protect your hair being damaged by heated styling tools. Think of it as a kind of insurance against heat damage with next to no effort whatsoever!
My next must have is a hair oil, now I do tend to go between hair oils and I'm not quite as fussy with brands. One thing I have found is that whether you splash the cash on something like Morrocan Oil or go for a cheaper option, they all serve the same purpose. What you're looking for is a product containing something like Maccadamia Oil, Almond Oil or Argan Oil- essentially , something that contains natural oils which are super moisturising for your hair. You need the tiniest 5 pence piece sized amount- remember we want moisture, not grease - smoothed through mid lengths and the ends of your hair. It's obviously fab for treating your hair but it also cuts drying time dramatically which for all you busy blogger types, can never be a bad thing now can it?!
| TOP TIPS |
• Avoid brushing hair when wet. It will encourage snagging and lead to breakage, if you absolutely must though, invest in a good brush, something like a Tangle Teaser that gently teases out knots rather than pulling at them. Failing that, a wide toothed comb works just as well.
• When brushing, start from the very tips of your hair and slowly work upwards towards the roots, teasing the tangles as you go. The temptation is to start at the root but all you'll be doing is causing yourself pain and snagging your lovely hair. It's a common mistake, but your hair (and scalp!) will thank for you for it!
• This one is obvious, but with hair prone to dryness, heat tools will do you no favours! Ditch the tongs, the straighteners and even the hair dryer as much as you can and when you do use them ensure you're using a really good heat protecting spray. If I absolutely must blow dry, I dry it on a low heat until it's about 70-80% dry, then I just leave it to air dry while I do my make up or something along those lines. It's good to give your hair a little break.
•A fab homemade hair mask can be found courtesy of the humble coconut. Coconut oil is about £5 per jar, from the world foods aisle of your local supermarket. Just spoon a little out (it's fairly solid at room temperature), warm it in your hands and apply to ends of your hair, pop it in a bun (or a turby towel) and potter around the house for a couple of hours. It takes some work when it comes to washing out, but a little shampoo and a lot of patience will do the trick. Your hair will be super soft and really moisturised and plus it's a total bargain!
• Reverse hair washing has been all the rage on the blogosphere recently, and despite being pretty sceptical, I had a go and it's the best thing I've done for my hair in years! It's exactly what it sounds like in that you turn your usual washing routine on its head and go for conditioner first, followed by shampoo (to ensure my ends don't dry out too much though I do cheat a teeny bit and pop a tiny amount of conditioner on the very tips right at the end). Sounds a bit odd, but my hair is so much more manageable, volumised and no word of a lie takes about half the time to dry. Have a go, you might surprise yourself!
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