How to Hack Ombre Hair Without Actually Coloring It
It’s that time of year, ladies, when we get the itch to bring in a new spring hair color. We’re all craving that sun-kissed look — going lighter with your locks may sound appealing, but not everyone wants to commit to busting out the bleach! This day and age, it can be just as satisfying to try a look without the full-on commitment. With ombre hair still high on the trend charts, we have a little hack that can take you there with little investment and prep. Get ready to lighten and brighten your hair and your spirit with this no-color hair hack!
A whole new look without any damage to your hair!
Materials and Tools:
- two tones of hair extensions
- comb
- small elastics
- hair cutting shears
- hair cutting razor blade
How to Place, Cut + Style Your Ombre Extensions:
Placing Your Extensions:
Step 1: Using a comb, make a horizontal line right at your occipital bone in the back of your head. Place a small elastic on a section of your hair in the center of your head — this is going to act as an anchor for the clip on the extension to hold onto. Be sure to start off with the lighter of the two tones of hair you picked out.
Step 2: Clip the center of the first piece of the extension onto the anchor you just created. Then line up the other two clips to the left and right, placing another elastic like you did in the first step for each clip.
Step 3: Attach the clips to those two anchors.
Step 4: Place a new horizontal part in your hair just a quarter inch above the first layer. Repeat the same process with the elastics and clips as you did in round one, until the left, right and center extension pieces are attached.
Step 5: Pull down another layer and do the final layer of extensions with the darker color you picked. Then pull down all your hair to make sure none of the clips are showing. If they are, you can start this process over and lower everything down an inch or so on your head so you have more hair on the top to cover the clips.
Cutting Your Extensions:
Step 1: Comb through your hair and have a friend help you to use haircutting shears to point cut (which means to cut with the scissors pointing in a vertical position rather than horizontal) the longer pieces of the extensions and even out with your hair length.
Step 2: Blending the hair in with your own can be tricky, so you’ll want to have help from a friend again to make sure you don’t mix your hair into the cutting process! Take small sections of the extension hair, again being careful not to mix your actual hair in with it, and make twists so you can gently slide the hair razor down the outside of the twisted hair. You will do this a few times around the twisted hair to make tiny layers that will take out the weight of the added hair so it will blend nicely. Do this throughout.
Styling Your Extensions:
Step 1: Use a medium to larger size wand — we went with a favorite here at B+C, the 1 1/2-inch barrel from the Whirl Trip T3 Interchangeable Barrel Kit ($270). The trick to blending the extensions with your hair is to mix the two together when curling. Also, be sure to curl your hair away from your face for a softer, more natural look.
Step 2: Add your favorite styling aid like IGK Rich Kid Coconut Oil Gel ($27) mid shaft to the ends of your strands for a piecey, textured shine. Shake your hair out and you’re good to go!
Flawless no-color color!
So pretty!
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Art Direction/Hair + Makeup/Styling: Misty Spinney
Model: Paige Sager
Photography: Kurt Andre