Emma's Ombre Hair Story

I've had a few readers ask about my hair lately so I thought I'd share how I landed on this ombre look. It all started when I volunteered to be the first participant in Makeover Story. Part of my journey to updating my look was that I got my hair dyed blond. Very blond. It was just something I wanted to try and I thought it would go well with the 1970s vibe that I was wanting to incorporate into my style. I loved being a blonde. I sometimes miss it. What I don't miss is the constant upkeep and expense of being that blonde. I would often let my roots grow a little longer than I probably should have. I just didn't always have time to get my roots freshened up, nor did I enjoying the added cost. So, there's that.Then I dyed my hair blue for my sister's wedding. Again, this was just something I wanted to try. And, you know, YOLO or whatever. So myself and Hope (one of the flower girls) got our hair dyed blue, and we were the something blue. I actually really enjoyed having blue hair. It was quite a shock the first night I got it done. I had that moment where I thought, "Oh my gosh! What have I done!" But then I chilled out and realized that looking like an X-Men was pretty cool. Maybe a little weird. But it was something fun I did for my sister's wedding and I don't regret it for a second. But I had never planned on keeping my blue hair for long. So a week or two after the wedding and I started thinking: What am I going to do with my hair now? I didn't really want to go back to being blond, and I wasn't sure I could anyway. There was a good chance the blue wouldn't completely come out, so I thought about darker options.I had been intrigued by ombre hair. It was sort of trendy at the time and I wondered if it would look super dated after a few months. And honestly, I had probably already missed the peak of the ombre obsession. I don't really know. It's hard to know what's in and what's not. I'm just not that cool. I liked that it was a darker option but still incorporated some blond (because I love blond) and I thought the gradient effect might just work in my favor since I was coming off crazy blue hair. So I went for it. My hair dresser had to strip the blue out first, this involved some bleaching. Bleaching is not good for your hair. I know. But sometimes its a necessary evil. So that happened. Then she added two different shades of brown, one to the top of my head and one in the middle. The tips we left bleached and just added blond toner. My tips actually still had a few faint shadows of blue left in them for the first couple of weeks.And ever since getting ombre hair that first time I've never looked back. It has turned out to be my favorite hair ever and I plan to keep it for a long time. I just got my hair touched up last week and here was the process: The top 1/3 gets 5N mixed with 5A, this is a medium brunette color with an ash undertone. The bottom 1/3 gets lightener added to it, foiled in to keep the colors from blending too much. My hair naturally lightens in the sun so the color does change during the months in between salon appointments. That's right, I said months. I get my hair freshened up 3-4 times a year, making it a super low maintenance and affordable hair color. Not only does it suit my busy lifestyle (and cheap disposition) but I also love how it looks. I love the beachy, laid-back look of it left long with a few casual curls. I also love how when you braid it all sorts of color gradients shine through. I have multi colored hair, and I love it.For me, maintaining my hair in between salon appointments is super simple. I use a brunette shampoo on the top 2/3 of my hair and a blonde conditioner for the tips. Using the blonde conditioner, couple with the fact that my hair naturally lightens in the sun over time, allows me to skip bleaching the tips as it grows out. And that's how it works for me. Everybody's hair is different so if you are planning to go ombre I highly recommended having it professionally done the first time. But you do what you like. It's just hair. Have fun! xo. Emma

Comments

[Sacha]

This color style looks great on you! Thanks for sharing <3

~Sacha

[Diana]

Such a great post! Love it!

[Isla]

I love your ombre hair! It's stunning! :)

[Ashley]

I love it! I have wanted to do something similar for a long, long time, but I'm not sure I could pull it off.

-Ashley
abingdonavenue.blogspot.com

[Kate @ A Creative Cookie]

I've always loved your hair, emma! But I think you can do any color!

http://acreativecookie.blogspot.com/

[Ida]

wow :) I love your blue hair and also your ombrehair
I'm thinking of doing a ombreloock to...but not blonde,maybe blue :D

[Rebeca Lake]

I absolutely love all of the hair style tips and tutorials that you all post! I alternate between long and short hair. As it is currently a messy pixie cut I can only dream about the day it is long enough to do some of these fun styles with. I was wondering if you would consider doing a hair blog on different ways to style short hair. Thanks for an amazing site!

[Carlee]

I love your ombre hair! And I can't believe you died your hair blue! That is super crazy. You look fabulous though! I love you at an ombre the best!
Carlee
http://almostendearing.blogspot.com/

[The Life of Clare]

What a perfectly timed post! This is my next planned die, so Emma, I hope you don't mind but I saved your pic for inspiration, to show my hair dresser! I'm just waiting for it to grown out a little more!

[Stephanie May*]

Love love love it! It looks so great - and goes with your skiin tone so perfectly! http://www.maydae.com

[Christine Woods]

So lovely. So Brave. So Inspiring! After having the same hair stylist.... forever. I recently moved and am nervous about finding a new one. I think this will be a good option for me.

Christine Woods
www.woodsyblog.com

[Tegan @ Teganias Thoughts]

Thanks so much for telling us the story! I think ombre hair looks amazing on you, definitely keep it for awhile longer!

[Lara]

Love the whole Ombre hair trend, it looks gorgeous on you too! I want it to do for such a long time, but i never get to it. Maybe this week! (:

http://bravebrunette.blogspot.com

[Kacie]

Very helpful. I just chopped all my hair in to a pixie cut after having it red for several months. Not sure what to do next but I love your hair. Will be saving this!

Kacie

[Sabrina]

Ooohhh the blue hair is amazing! I love the ombre hair on you too, glad you found the hair colour you love and want to keep. I've been a redhead for the past two and a half years and have no intention to change it in the near future. I love it so much.

x
Sabrina
http://apixiesviewonfashion.com

[Elizabeth Beattie]

Your timing is impeccable because I have been planning on doing exactly this. I want something that is affordable to maintain. Thanks for all your tips!

[Victoria]

Dude. The ombre hair style looks great on you. Thanks for being an inspiration as I try to figure out my personal style!

[Rahel]

I really love the shade of blue you had. It's amazing and yet chic! And I love your ombré look, as you said, very laidback and easy. <3

[Stephanie]

I have been craving ombre hair for a while! I think I'm gunna take the ombre leap before Christmastime, hopefully it will still be "in" then, if not, oh well!

Stephanie
owlsinmyheart.blogspot.com

[Sarah]

I think I say this on all your posts but I am absolutely in love with your ombre hair!
I'm a red head and recently gave myself a bit of a blonde dip dye which I love! It makes me look like a fox haha!

Sarah