That is, of course, unless you’re me and the ombré you’re sporting is not at all strategic and, in fact, the result of old, dyed-over highlights that are not so dyed-over anymore. (“Lightened hair continues to exist under any color that’s put over it, and over time, even a permanent color can discolor and fade, especially when underneath that color is highlighted hair,” Hannam explains.) But considering that it looks more like the new ombré than my 2010 ombré, it’s a much happier accident than I originally perceived it to be.
If you’re considering giving ombré an intentional shot, Ionato recommends asking your colorist to put highlights only towards the ends of your hair and not to lift them to bleach blonde or go too far away from your base color. Hannam adds that pictures always help communicate what you’re going for, especially considering how much ombré has evolved.
“Ombré can be construed as anything from the tips being light to a rooted highlight, so an inspiration picture lets your hairstylist point to certain aspects and ask questions like, ‘Do you like this tone? Do you like how low the lightness starts? Do you like how subtle or high-contrast this is?'”
Granted, 13 years ago, I probably said yes to all of those things while showing my stylist a picture of any number of celebrities who took a similar journey of questionable judgment. (Did I mention I added a matching feather extension a few months later?) But this new, more grown-up iteration of ombré makes me think we’ll look back on the selfies we take today with a lot less hair-color contrition.
More ombré inspo:
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