15 Useful Tips for Achieving a Flawless DIY Ombre on Dark Hair ...

1. Get Educated

First thing's first – the only way to have a fab DIY ombre hair is to make sure you actually know how to do it right. Hop over to YouTube, find a few good tutorials for diy ombre on dark hair and pay close attention. Find an ombre-ing technique you can pull off at home and take note of the products other dark-haired girls used to get great results.

2. Find an Example

Have an example of exactly how you want your hair to look and study it before dying your hair. Sure, you’ve seen ombre on celebrities and friends, so you have a general sense of what the style looks like, but it's best to have an exact role model to follow. Do you want a more Khloe Kardashian style or Lea Michele? There are so many variations on ombre that you shouldn't go in blind, or else you might end up with a style you don't love.

3. Choose the Right Highlight Kit

Once you've decided how you want to dye your hair and are relatively educated on how to do it, head over to Target or your local beauty store in search of the perfect highlight kit! Make sure you buy one designed for dark hair, because that really makes a difference! Also, try to find a dye with bleach built-in, so that you don't have to bleach and dye your hair separately, which damages your hair a lot!

4. Use Foil

One of the most important tips for a DIY ombre you’ll be proud to show off is to apply your bleach and dye generously and use tin foil to prevent them from drying while doing their magic on your hair. Failing to fully saturate your hair will produce a patchy, uneven result and the same will happen if the product is allowed to dry. Now try to imagine how bad-looking this is… especially on dark hair! Don’t risk it!

5. Separate Your Hair

Don't try to tackle all of your hair at once, especially if you have thick or long hair. Separate your hair into at least two layers. Then, highlight the ends of your bottom layer of hair, taking your time and remembering to cover each highlight with foil. Once your bottom layer is complete, move on to the top layer.

6. Make Each Foil a Different Length

If you make each highlight start at the same point, you'll lose the gradual effect of ombre that you want. It will just look like a half-brunette, half-blonde head! Make some of your foils long and others short, that way it looks like your hair gradually lightens rather than abruptly.

7. Pile on the Dye towards the Ends

The very end of your hair should be the lightest part. At the top of each highlight, lightly brush on the dye, however, once you reach the bottom of a highlight, really pile on the dye. That way you get the full ombre effect!

8. Don't Bleach Too Much

If you can't find a dye with bleach built-in, you'll probably need to bleach your hair first. Pearly white strands can look absolutely stunning on dark hair, but they also may look too harsh and even cheap if not done correctly. Google Drew Barrymore’s ombre to see what I mean and you’ll agree that harsh, sloppy ombre is not the first thing that comes to mind whenever great celebrity ombres are being discussed. Do not process your hair too long, therefore - you don’t want it to turn too white or to become over-processed. Settle for a medium lift you’ll then tone or dye, all depending on the color you want.

9. Highlight & Blend

Your DIY ombre hair will look professionally done if you add a few random highlights around your face. Use a weaving technique (pointy tip of your dye-brush/teasing comb) to pry out teeny-tiny strands above your ears, on your hairline or any other spot in which your hair gets naturally lighter in summer.

10. Check Highlights

Everyone's hair is different, so if you're a first time ombre-er then you probably don't know how long it will take for the color to set. So check one of your highlights to see if it has reached the shade of blonde that you desire. If it seems like it's taking too long, you can blow dry over the foil to speed up the process.

11. Tease

Go to YouTube, take a look at a few pro videos, and you’ll notice most stylists choose to backcomb slightly before they start applying bleach. My suggestion would be to use this simple technique even if you didn’t plan on doing so because it isn’t complicated yet helps your natural, dark hair and dyed light ends blend in seamlessly.

12. Curl

Once you’re done ombre-ing your hair the best thing you can do is curl it! Curls will help mix your natural-colored and freshly dyed strands, making your ombre flawless even if it’s not, giving you a chance to get used to the change and preventing you from getting the urge to re-dye. Ombre really takes some getting used to and it may even feel wrong at first but you’re seriously going to love it the moment you curl your hair. Go heatless with those gorgeous, headband curls, keep curling for a week or two, then blow dry your hair straight and reassess your coloring skills.

13. Don't Wash Your Hair

Of course, you should wash your hair right after you dye it! However after that, for at least 24 hours, leave your hair unwashed. After you've exposed your hair to so many chemicals, it's a good idea to give your hair a chance to restore itself. That way, the ends can get replenished by your hair's natural oils!

14. Use Purple Shampoo

Purple shampoo is a valuable tool for women with dyed hair! Purple shampoo tones your hair, so if your hair turns out brassy or a shade other than your desired shade, just hop in the shower and use a purple shampoo! This will give it a more natural, pretty tone!

15. Own It!

What I’ve learned from my experiences dying my hair is this: if you love it, so will everyone else. The most useful tip for making a DIY ombre look flawless is simply to believe that it is flawless! If you’ve followed all of the other tips, there’s no reason your hair shouldn’t turn out fabulous. Own your hair hairstyle with a flare of grace and confidence, and everyone will agree that you look incredible.

I hope you’ll find these tips for a DIY ombre super helpful, lovelies! But tell me, have you thought about giving ombre hair a try? What other tips do you have for dark-haired beauties trying a DIY ombre for the first time?