Ombre/Balayage - pros and cons

This week’s post will be about one of the most popular and most talked about colour techniques those days.

And this is Ombre or Balayage.

My opinion is that, It has more cons then pros. ( Straight to the point:)

It does look natural if it’s done well and the colours that are chosen are no more then 2-3 shades difference. 
It doesn't need regular maintenance and its’s easy to grow out too or just to cut it off.
To me though, it can look like grown out colour that has been left with no maintenance for a long time. 
Some of the cons I found, are that a lot of people complain about the condition of the hair after the bleaching process ( especially if the hair is naturally or coloured very dark and you are trying to achieve very light ends) . That’s why the after care and the choice and regular use of good quality products- shampoos, conditioners, hair masks and heath protection sprays or creams is essential and so important.
Often after 2-3  times bleach applications, the ends might brake and split, or just look very dry and brittle. 
Most of the time there is need of few applications of bleach to achieve the result you are dreaming of , so it can be damaging for your hair and for your pocket too.
After the bleaching process it is very difficult, almost impossible to deposit other colour on the top. That’s why if you get fed up with the blond tips you should not try to colour it yourself at home as you might achieve green or blue results. You should pay a visit to your hairstylist and ask for advice and let them do the colour correction.
The hair needs to be toned regularly as the toners fade quickly and the hair might look orange and brassy.

You should not even think of perming your hair after having Ombre.

But I have to say, that if it’s done well can look very flattering and fresh.

Please girls, don't try to do it at home!

I have found a lot of tutorials on youtube for DIY Ombre, but believe me, it’s not that easy as it looks and to achieve good results as in everything else you need a professional touch…My advice anyway.

Here are some photos of lovely and some =…not so good Balayage results.

I really don't like the reverse version of the idea...

I have no words for Lady GAGA's hair. What a contrast with the photo next to it...

                                      These two have gone terrifically wrong....

OK, finished with the horrible Ombre results, here are some lovely and very natural looking ones too.

You can see that it looks better on wavy or curly hair then the straight version.

                       

I would love to know your views and opinions on the subject. So please share what you think and if you have it done- do you like it and would you recommend it too?

Curls? You must be the lucky one!

I’ve decided that my first post will be about curly hair as I have always been asked by my clients and friends with the sexy waves: " I don't know what to do with it...it always goes nuts...it is so frizzy...what products would you think will work on it...ANY TIPS???"- with that desperate look on their faces.

What I've found over the years working with curls ( bare in mind that my mum has very curly hair so she is my oldest client and i do experiment with her hair all the time) is that most of the girlies with those sexy hair make a mistake with the very start- when they wash it.  

Products? Yes! They are very important, but the most important thing is how they dry it. 

Girls, avoid towels and rubbing your hair with it is a BIG NO! That's where you get it frizzy and static. 

Never comb your hair once it's dry!

You should comb it when you apply the conditioner ( under the shower) and then rinse gently. Avoid leaving too much conditioner as this will make it look limp and get dirty quickly. ( All the dust will stick to the oil based conditioner).

I know there are lots of you that would leave the conditioner on and not rinse it at all.Instead of that, try to use a serum, cream or light oils that are meant to be left on. There are some leave - on conditioners too, which are more suitable for this purpose.

Next is -  Applying products.

Again, I have seen ladies rubbing and rubbing it in and pulling and stretching their lovely hair. 

It almost looks like revenge to me...

Ladies, just put a few drops of the product in your palms, rub them( the palms, not the hair) together and apply it about 4cm away from the roots gently, with care and love, just smooth the waves down and let them go between your fingers. 

Best Is to use wooden, wide tooth comb that will not pull your hair out and will not make it frizzy too.

Drying?

Some people prefer to leave the hair to dry naturally. This is perfect for very big, naturally dry and frizzy hair....and of course if you have the time to wait.

(I really don't like to see women with dripping, wet hair outside...on the way to work, for example...but that’s my opinion)

I think it looks lovely when it's defused and big, soft and defined.

Care for the curls on the next day?!

If you have used a product before you dried it, it is still there on the next day. So all you need to do is to spray some warm water and very gently put it back to place without combing it or drying it. Once it’s dry it will go lovely and defined again. If needed you could put some of those creamy product in your palm and add a few drops of water for those frizzy ends. Do not really product over product though.

Have I forgotten anything?

Oh… the most important thing…

THE CUT

Most of people think that curly hair can take the bad haircut. 

No!

It shows every wrongly scissors attempt. Wrong choice of layering can be vital. It may make your hair look “square”, thin, limp, mushroomy…

I am sure most of you have had bad experiences.

Do not allow your hairdresser to use thinning scissors, fi you don’t like your hair to look frizzy and to split in two weeks.

Most of the stylist who are not very confident with curly hair, they think- “Ahhh lots of lots of hair..lets thin it” and they take out the razor or the thinning scissors…

There are lots of different techniques that could thin your hair, but those ones are not the right ones, I am afraid. Chanel cutting, undercutting, slicing…these are some of them.

Well, I am sure I have missed something but if you have any questions please ask:)

I will be more then happy to help

I have chosen this one to show you that you could just blow-dry and straighten just the fringe and leave   the rest of the hair wavy.

This one is very natural and the colour helps the curls to look soft and defined.

I love this funky approach to curls and how we can achieve different look without the hair to look like "rat tails" and too thin

                                           And this is how the curls should not look like.

                                    This is very old-fashioned and dated, stiff and unnatural.