NEWSLiking the Ombré? OK! Tried Out the Hair Trend That All the Celebs Are Rockin'
It all started with a personal hair experiment.
For two summers in a row, I wanted highlights, and I tried everything that hair stylists tell you not to do and probably the stuff that tons of girls do anyway. Despite objections from many, the lemons were in my beach bag, along with lots of other handmade and bought hair-lightening spray concoctions. Sorry, I really don't know why I just didn't go get the highlights the fool-proof way.
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The result? Highlights that grew out over a year's time and, well, just weren't right. Not my proudest beauty decision, but I can live up to it. But I still knew I wanted to rock a lighter hair look. When the ombré trend hit the beauty world and spread like wildfire—seriously, so many celebs wear it—I was intrigued. I'm aware that everyone knows about the wonders of ombré, but getting it done is always a little daunting.
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So who do we always look to for beauty inspiration? The wonderful, gorgeous celebs, of course! Jessica Biel has been known to wear it well and Lauren Conrad got a light version of this darker to lighter 'do—we really did like her pink, too. Tia Mowry in our OK! Google+ Hangout told us she even got the reverse ombré. The inspiration helped. I mean, Jessica Biel got Justin Timberlake, soooo.
I traveled over to the Frederic Fekkai Salon in the SoHo neighborhood of NYC and got in the know about the trend that so many celebs are sporting.
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Fekkai Colorist David Michaud's genius started the hair transformation. What I found out from him is that the ombré trend is actually supposed to be very subtle, and it's not about dying half of your head a different color. It's actually a pretty easy look to maintain.
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"It is a very natural color effect similar to the color you may have had as a young child, and there aren’t any definitive roots when your hair grows," says David.
To get the look, David used bleach and blended it to the middle of the hair shaft. Less bleach was used in the back. He says that bleach is the best way to control the process of lightening the hair. After he applied the it, he placed a plastic wrapping over my head for the waiting period, which is supposed to lift the color. In his terms, "maintain oxidation of the bleach from occurring." Sounds fancy, eh? I trusted him.
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After a wash and a blow-dry, I was set with subtle ombré locks. I saw how precise the process was and am glad I didn't try to DIY this. I doubt the celebs do either. With the summer months on their way, and knowing that it's completely impossible to keep me out of a pool or the ocean, I needed to know how my color would change and how to care for it.
David says that using a specific shampoo and condition, like the Fekkai Salon Technician Color Care line, is really important, and the Anti-Fade Top Coat will keep the 'do looking fresh too.
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Still wondering about that pool water, the sun, and all that jazz? He says it may get a little lighter. Since I am a brunette, I have the risk of it turning a brassy color. That can be fixed with the Anti-Fade Top Coat or just going in for a touch up.
They knew their stuff!
Would you try a celeb-inspired look? Tweet @OKMagazine and leave a comment below.
