As an American Board Certified Haircolorist (ABCH) Educator and Master Haircolorist, I've had the opportunity to teach ombré techniques to colorists across the country. The recent 2015 ABCH Energizing Summit was one of the best ever. This year the stylists who attended had some experience in doing ombré, but wanted to fine tune their skills on this hot hair color trend.
For years I've included balayage techniques in conjunction with ombre in my own practice. Why? Simply, because they work so well together. I’ve found that by merging the two techniques I’m able to achieve even better results than using just ombré alone.
Understanding Your Clients Ombré.
In the past few years, ombré has morphed into many different looks. So in order to avoid mistakes, you need to understand exactly what your client wants. The more ombré photos you have to reference, the better you’ll be at determining the perfect final result for each client. Make sure that you’ve communicated clearly with your client and that you are in agreement on both the look and kind of ombre the client is looking for.
1. Does your client want a horizontal look or a ladder look?
Horizontal. A horizontal look creates 2 or more distinct zones of color with a horizontal appearance.
Ladder. The ladder look creates 2 or more distinct color zones with a consistent distance from scalp application (about 4 inches) to achieve an all-over grown-out “root-y” look.
2. Does your client want ombré or sombré?
Ombré. Ombré is a bold result where ALL of the hair is colored.
Sombré. The sombré is more subtle - a softer ombré where some of the hair (between 30-70%) is left uncolored via weaving.
Application.
Now that you’ve determined the look and kind of ombré your client wants, the next step is figuring out how to make it happen. The question I am asked most frequently is: How do I create that delicate transition from one color to the next?
Well, ombré means to fade, so a subtle inception is key to achieving the transition between colors. Once you've mastered a few techniques you'll be on your way to creating an A-list ombré every time.
1. Tease. Softly tease the hair (make sure not to pack) from scalp to line of color separation. This will diffuse and blur the line between colors. The biggest mistake occurs when bleach is placed into the teased section. To avoid a blotchy transition, feather your bleach below the teased section.
2. Balayage. Hand paint and sweep color onto the surface of the hair with a variegated inception to a fuller, more saturated end. The biggest mistake in balayage happens with the bleach. The bleach needs to be thick and creamy like whipped marshmallow. To avoid under lightening (because bleach stops working when it dries), increase your developer to achieve the desired level of lift.
Variegating the inception requires varying the starting points to help colors look like they fade from one to the next. This will ensure a stunning ombré every time!
About Monica
Monica Byrne, owner of Monica Byrne Studio LLC, is an American Board Certified Colorist (ABCH) and ABCH Educator, and recently earned the Chromastics Master Colorist certification presented by her mentor, Tom Dispenza. Byrne is an artist; she starts with the basics and creates innovative methods, better techniques, and reaches new heights with color. Unafraid to explore, her curiosity and creativity have made her a recognized leader in the industry, one whose expertise is sought-after and whose techniques are emulated with confidence and predictable results. Her eager manner, enthusiasm for teaching, and mastery of haircolor opens up new possibilities to those who share her passion for color. Always a believer in giving back in order to inspire the next generation, Byrne leads by example as one who continues to learn, test and look for new and reliable ways to create beauty.