For The last two years fashion has seen an uptick of exposing the natural root color of clients.
This trend is called Ombré… Meaning a graduation of lightness that goes from darker into the root area to the lightest at the hair ends.
There is definitely an advantage to adding more darkness into your roots, for it pushes the distance between root touch ups farther away (assuming you don’t have too much grey), saving the client money and precious time.
When is Ombre wrong? The two pictures of celebrities I have selected show the contrast of what I consider a perfect Ombre and one that has gone wrong.
In a perfect ombre there is never a harsh line of disconnect between light and dark.
The lightness graduates with an irregular line proceeding to the lightest area which would be the tips of the hair
Ombre is intended to intensify or exaggerate the effects of sun on hair, meaning the newest hair and healthiest hair or root hair is darker, while the oldest and longest hair, which would of been affected by the sun for the longest period of time, becomes the lightest.
In the above picture of Drew Barrymore, her Ombré is patchy and overly lightened giving a very strong line of demarcation. The demarcation line between light and dark is prominent and not blended well, the sharp line is equally light from its beginning to its ends.
Although the tone suits Drew, the entire job has not been executed correctly.
In Jessica Biel’s hair, the opposite happens and is what I consider to be the perfect Ombre and the height of today’s fashion trend.
The darkness of the roots blends to the lightness giving her a subtle look that softens her face. The tonal quality gets lighter as the hair gets longer. And most importantly, the entire look has the appearance of a month at the beach.
Ombre to me is the perfect choice of color when one can not keep up with their roots and wants a look that is new and beautiful. It can also be a great choice for women over 50 even with some gray hair as the look could last for many months with just minor root touch-ups.
Find a colorist who understands the subtle shade variations is what makes Ombre your perfect choice.
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