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Ombre Hair Extensions: When your client already has ombre hair
Ombre hair has been a very popular trend over the last few years and seems to be becoming a staple in the hair colour industry. Once thought to be a fad, this popular style looks set to stick around as a great way to add some colour and dimension to flat coloured hair, however in the world of hair extensions, ombre hair can be tricky to get right.
The reason ombre hair is so difficult when it comes to hair extensions is due to the fact that some clients will approach you with hair that is already ‘ombre’ and others will come with non ombre hair looking to achieve this via dip dye hair extensions.
So how do you approach these 2 very different types of client to achieve the ombre style they desire?
In this picture Rachel Bilson has already ombred hair. Her hair transitions from a medium brown (colour 4) through to a honey blonde which looks to be a mix of colour #16 and #20, with perhaps a little #8 for the bits that have not taken on the dye as well as the others. We can completely disregard her top colour of number 4, as this will not meet the hair extensions, it is only the lighter ends that will. By fitting a mix of 16/20/8 you will continue her existing ombre style without adding ombre hair extensions.
The key piece of information to take on board is that it's the where the hair meets the hair extensions that must match, therefore if your client has shorter hair than this example of Rachel Bilson, or has shorter layers, be sure to section off the top layer of hair and check the colour here as well.
As with hair that does not already have an ombre effect, it is best practice to try and add a variety of colours where possible to add some more dimension. With the example of Rachel Bilson a single colour of 16 would probably do the job, however by adding some 20 and 8 into the mix this will create a far more natural look.
When it comes to colour matching ombre or non ombre hair the number one thing to remember is that just like matching normal hair extensions, try to add a little variety and creativity in terms of the colour. Hair colour very rarely is one dimensional, and therefore if you are even only adding another colour which is very similar e.g. 16 and 20, or for darker ombre 6 and 8 as shown in the image of Khloe Kardashian, this will break up the colour for a beautiful, natural finished look.
Clients with non ombre hair looking to achieve colour through hair extensions.
When a client comes to you looking for an ombre style, but does not already have this applied to their hair, i.e. their hair is all over brown, it is very easy to achieve an ombre look for them. First you will need to establish the type of look they are wanting to achieve, and often this is best done through the use of images if they are able to show you an example. Once you have established the colour of ombre they are looking for, e.g. their hair is dark brown and they are looking for a gradual transition to a golden blonde such as our dark brown to blonde dip dye extensions , you can then discuss the length and over all style they want to achieve before purchasing the correct amount of hair for your clients thickness. One important thing to remember with ombre hair extensions is the level of ombre that has been applied to the hair. At SimplyHair we have listened to the feedback from our customers who explained to us that although they love the ombre look, often the hair is split into 50/50 colour, i.e. half brown and half blonde, which is too much of a contrast and does not look natural. For this reason all SimplyHair ombre hair extensions have a 75/25 dip, meaning that only the ends are lightened, making for a much more natural effect. It is also important to remember that for a natural effect you should purchase not only the ombre hair extensions, but also a pack or 2 in the single colours, e.g. for our example above 1 pack of #2 and another of #20 from our 18" stick tip range. These can then be placed randomly throughout the ombre fitting for a natural transitioning colour which will break up the line that can sometimes form when using ombre hair extensions between wear the colour changes from one to another. Often hair extensionists will simply fit the ombre hair extensions alone which will not give the overall look the client is hoping to achieve. It is essential to use your creative eye in the same way you would when fitting non ombre hair extensions with the mind-set that adding a few extra colours will help to break up any monotony or patterns that form to make the colour look unnatural.Client with already ombre hair
If a client approaches you for ombre hair extensions, but has already applied an ombre effect to their natural hair, although daunting this is in fact a very easy client to have. You will not need to purchase ombre hair extensions, but will in fact need to match your colour ring to the tips of your clients hair. The reason for this is that it is the tips of the hair that meet the hair extensions, and therefore it is only key that these colours match, any variations in colour above the tips can be ignored. Let's take the following picture as an example.In this picture Rachel Bilson has already ombred hair. Her hair transitions from a medium brown (colour 4) through to a honey blonde which looks to be a mix of colour #16 and #20, with perhaps a little #8 for the bits that have not taken on the dye as well as the others. We can completely disregard her top colour of number 4, as this will not meet the hair extensions, it is only the lighter ends that will. By fitting a mix of 16/20/8 you will continue her existing ombre style without adding ombre hair extensions.
The key piece of information to take on board is that it's the where the hair meets the hair extensions that must match, therefore if your client has shorter hair than this example of Rachel Bilson, or has shorter layers, be sure to section off the top layer of hair and check the colour here as well.
As with hair that does not already have an ombre effect, it is best practice to try and add a variety of colours where possible to add some more dimension. With the example of Rachel Bilson a single colour of 16 would probably do the job, however by adding some 20 and 8 into the mix this will create a far more natural look.
When it comes to colour matching ombre or non ombre hair the number one thing to remember is that just like matching normal hair extensions, try to add a little variety and creativity in terms of the colour. Hair colour very rarely is one dimensional, and therefore if you are even only adding another colour which is very similar e.g. 16 and 20, or for darker ombre 6 and 8 as shown in the image of Khloe Kardashian, this will break up the colour for a beautiful, natural finished look.
