Perfect Ombre with Halo Hair...

Afternoon ladies!

This is such a late post!! In among all the carnage of me moving to London I'd only gotten round to taking half of the photos, and then once i actually GOT here i just never got the excuse or time to style myself up all nice and take the rest! So i'm writing this post with the previous Instagram images i took of the style! The product in the spotlight is, of course, my beloved Halo Hair Halo....

I have posted about the Halo before. However, due to hair colour changes and a little growth spurt, it was just no longer suitable. As my hair has been ombre for quite a while now i opted for the 20" Halo in Dark Blonde (#18). The Halo is made up of 100g of Indian Remy Human Hair. And NOTHING else. 

There is another major difference between this Halo and my previous Halo other than the longer length. And that is that Halo have come out with the FABULOUS idea of making the wire adjustable to fit any wearer like a glove. It works very similar to the way you would adjust a handbag strap. I must admit i am a total clutz and managed to snap off the very end of mine so i have a random piece of wire that i now have to carefully tuck away each time i wear it. 

Above is the mini instructional you get on how to fit the Halo. It really couldn't be simpler and, once you've adjusted it to your perfect size, takes less than a couple of minutes to put in and take out. 

The colour match between my hair and this Halo wasn't exact. As a hairdresser i am well aware of the tonal NIGHTMARES that come with lightening hair. Naturally, as is often the case, my ombre ends were slightly darker and brassier in tone than the Halo which, although warm in tone, was lighter than i had expected it to be. It really wasn't that much of an issue though, and it only took a careful ombre with a medium/dark blonde semi permanent tint to get them blending. Once my hair was curled (in the photos below i used my Diva Hot Tong) it produced a really lovely tonal blend!! 

These photos are merely Instagram snaps as, every time i have done my hair recently (for weddings etc) there has just never been time to take proper photos. The photo above was the Halo as i received it and the one below was after i had darkened it down just a little. Please note that the filter used below may effect how well you can see the different tones.

If you would like to know how to ombre hair extensions i will be doing a post VERY soon on how to do this, as i have just dyed over my own ombre with a golden brown and, therefore, need to darken down the Halo ombre too. I like the idea of ombre that i can put in and take out whenever i like, so will be doing a step by step tutorial-style post on the best way to get this effect with hair extensions. 

I was a little nervous on how hair extensions would work with my ombre. I thought i would have to pay big bucks to get fancy pre-dipped extensions, but luckily i was able to stick to my beloved Halo! I really do love Halo for their service as well as their products. They are super nice and take every opportunity to help. This has always been my experience of them. You can keep up with them on Facebook or keep an eye out for their next Giveaway on Twitter (they have them often). 

You can also get 10% off your own Halo by using code HALOLOVESLISA at the online checkout. Just because i love you all so much!!

Impromptu Hair Ombre...

Afternoon my lovelies!!

Thought i'd do a hair post today as i haven't done one in a while. I had intended this post to be a Sunday Salon post but i wasn't fit for ANYTHING on Sunday so it has only just been compiled. Some of you might be aware that i recently did an ombre/dip dye job on my ends. This was intended just as a pre-lightener for an all over colour as my ends were dark compared to the rest of my hair but.... I actually quite liked it so it has stayed ombre!!

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 Okay, so its not one of those DRASTIC 'dark-to-blonde' type ombre jobbies, it's only a subtle shift, but i love that it's a bit different!! Some might say it's a bit ginger but i really like the colour of it and haven't felt the need to put another colour/tone over it at all. 

I will share with you how i did it... BUT!!!

Please note that i am a hairdresser and i understand completely how to use these products, exactly what they are likely to do to the hair and had a pretty good idea from the start of the end result i was likely to get!!! If in doubt GO TO YOUR HAIRDRESSER!!

1) My mixture was as follows... 

- One large scoop of powder lightener

- 30vol (9%) creme developer

- A slosh of water

- 2 pumps of a hydrating shampoo (I used TIGI Headshot)

(I would have used a lower strength developer but i had run out so had to dilute to the strength i wanted)

2) Section the hair away leaving just the very bottom layers and apply the mixture to the hair, concentrating at the ends and spreading it up until about halfway up the hair  length (this point will vary with different lengths of hair - mine is medium length)

3) Bring the rest of the hair down section by section and repeat the process.

4) Depending on the position of your layers you may, like me, want to leave the very top layers out. 

5) I did not leave the mixture on for a set time, i just watched it like a HAWK! I think it was around 45mins in total. Uncoloured hair will lighten a lot faster and very dark hair will probably take 2 or more applications to get the same level of lift. 

6) Rinse thoroughly, condition and style as normal.

I'd like to put it out there that i DESPISE using bleaching products on my hair and normally avoid it like the plague. It's not something that you should undertake without careful consideration because, in the wrong hands, IT WILL RUIN YOUR HAIR!! 

Here are a couple of photos of it in natural light so you can see the tonal differences a bit better...

So, all things considered, I'm very happy with my new two-tone look!! Yeah, i had to overcome my aversion to lighteners in order to do it, but i think it's pretty AWESOME!! 

Have you done a DIY ombre?? Do you have any bleaching HORROR stories?? What is your current colour crush??