DIY Ombre Hair

Creating an ombre look at home is fairly easy with the right equipment and a little patience (an extra set of hands doesn't hurt either!).  Whether you want to create the popular light-to-dark ombre as modeled here by Jessica Biel, or something more bold like the pink I added to my bleached tresses the steps are the same.  It just takes some dye (or bleach), some strips of foil, and a paint brush.

I bleached and toned my hair before starting.  Then I used a crazy bright pink dye to achieve the ombre effect.
These are the materials I used:

• Hair Bleach (peroxide)
• Toner to make it less brassy
• Dye brush
• Squeeze bottle (you could use a mixing bowl or cup)
• Splat hair color in Pink Fetish (they also make blue, red, and purple) - this kit comes with bleach
• Plastic wrap
• Aluminum Foil
• Deep conditioner

Scoochmaroo is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Step 1: Sectioning

• Section off the area of hair you want to change.
• Protect the rest of the hair from getting bleach or dye on it. In my case, we slathered deep conditioner on the hair we wanted to leave blonde, and then wrapped it all in plastic wrap!

Step 2: The First Layer

• Using a comb or the opposite end of the dye brush, section off a thin line of hair.
• Place foil underneath hair.
• Apply dye or bleach to entire length of this section of hair.
• Wrap in foil.

Step 3: Ombre Layers

• Repeat process, leaving more and more hair untreated as you move up, until you are just painting the tips.
• For a very subtle ombre, apply dye to tips of hair, rinse brush, and blend color further up hair towards roots
• Let dye or bleach process for recommended amount of time.
• Remove foils, but keep rest of hair protected as you rinse the product out.
• Condition well.

Step 4: Go Nuts!

If you're using a bold color like mine, understand that some of it will rinse out with each wash, and designate a special towel for this purpose!  If you're bleaching from dark to light, then you won't have a problem.

Have fun and be sure to post your pictures if you try it out!

Comments

[waruineko666]

Hey all..new here. Need some help. I want to continue w the black i dye my hair with, but want to do either ombre or thin highlights w the splat teal/green. Im lost as to the order in which the dye goes. Is it dark first on un highlighted areas first then the bleach and colour or is it the other way around? Also when rinsing how would you go about not mingling the colours or wasting all that precious time just spent? Tyvm

[scoochmaroo]

It might be easiest to section off the parts you want to be teal, then dye the rest black, then do the bleach/teal sections since they'll already be separated. I'm not really sure, but I know you'll want to be really careful with your foils. Best of luck!

[chocolatechip]

How long does this last?

[groovymama]

I did this a looong time ago. Not only should you designate a separate towel, but you have to be careful when washing if you use a bold color and the rest of your hair is bleached. I had bright red on bleached hair. It looked awesome! For a day. Washed it like normal. Put in a 3 minute conditioner. Towel dried and and voila! Pink all over! I hate pink. My job hates it more.

[Dusk Shadows]

Dyeing your hair a new colour soon???

[logitech537]

very nice! like mine but slightly less aqua

[Kitana Kellaway]

I think that should be your profile pic very fashionable =)

[Kitana Kellaway]

This is so cool i might make my hair pink or dark blue something bad-ass

[Dusk Shadows]

That's really cool I've been thinking about green hair or maybe purple..yeah so great ible!!

[Kitana Kellaway]

That would be soo hot!!!!!!!!!!

[scoochmaroo]

Awesome. It's really fun, and it all washes out eventually!

[Dusk Shadows]

Cool I might try it only i can't send you a photo cuz i don't want my picture all over the internet

[sherrycayheyhey]

This last picture made me literally lol but the ones in the second step were pretty funny too.

[angelabchua]

want.

this looks so good. I wish i could do that! Reminds me back when i didn't have a "real" job and did fun things with color.

[scoochmaroo]

You could do the more traditional dark-blonde fade!

[Doone valley]

Looks stunning

[scoochmaroo]

Thanks you :)

[dchall8]

Have you tried using Jell-O as a hair coloring? I'm told the girls at my daughter's college mix it with hair conditioner, comb it through, let it sit, and rinse like your Instructable.

[scoochmaroo]

Oh that sounds cool. I think I have heard of that!

[anniemagz]

any color dye would look RIDICULOUS with my red curly hair, so i'm living vicariously through you. your hair looks great! and awesome 'ible :)