Hair coloring is always up-to-date and does not go out of fashion, but modern techniques acquire new principles every time. Now you can hear such names as "ombre", "balayazh", "shatush", "sombre" and others, but they all imply a smooth transition of color from dark to light. Hair gradient can be reproduced not only in hairdressing salons.
There are techniques that allow you to independently reproduce hair dyeing with different colors at home and get a decent effect.
Recommended for?
The hair gradient from dark to light is a more gentle technology for dyeing hair, since it is not supposed to dye all the strands, but only their lower and central parts. Moreover, variations in color stretch can be different, including those combined with a natural base shade. Most technologies allow you to make the border of the color transition almost invisible.
For a smooth transition of color on the hair, various shades and colors can be used. These can be natural light and dark tones, or bright unnatural ones. A great combination of red and black, or dark with blue or purple.
Coloring with a similar technique is suitable for every woman of any age and base shade of the strands. An important rule in this case is to harmoniously choose a combination of colors and tones, taking into account the individual characteristics of appearance.
It is very common to see women with dark hair who have made a gradient with light tones of paint on the ends. Lightened curls rejuvenate the face and beautify the look. You can also make the effect of "burnt hair", which looks no less beautiful, although almost imperceptible.
For blondes, lightening the tips is almost impossible, so they resort to bright, unnatural tones. Instead of lightening, you can use darkening the strands.
The correct choice of gradient also depends on the age of the fashionista. Young girls use mostly non-standard colors (crimson, red, pink, blue). But it is not recommended to use such experiments on older women. It is advisable to choose shades closer to natural, according to their color type.
There are several gradient techniques, they are all similar to each other, but they have important distinctive features that affect the overall appearance of the hairstyle.
Several famous gradient coloring techniques:
| Technics | Description |
| Ombre | Painting occurs with smooth soft transitions from one tone to another. In this case, the stretch turns out to be quite effective, the transition line is clearly visible. Dyeing is done by distributing the hair into small curls, with confident clear strokes. Hair that is dark at the base tends to stretch smoothly into lighter ends. Looks unbeatable on hairstyles with long curls, emphasizing its integrity. |
| Balayazh | Coloring is carried out using French technology, which gives the impression of burnt hair. Dabs of paint are applied in a chaotic manner, with jerky movements. First, the side curls are painted, then the lower ones. |
| Shatush | The gradient is made using Italian technology. It consists in creating solar reflections on the hair by lightening some individual curls. Before the procedure, the hair strands to be dyed are first combed. Painting is done with arbitrary strokes; after applying the solution, foil or polyethylene is not put on.The method perfectly emphasizes the delicate image. Suitable for both long and medium curls. |
| Degrade | The degradation technology is in many ways similar to ombre and sombre, but at the same time the technology provides for a smooth stretching of the tone using bright unnatural shades. |
Advantages and disadvantages
The hair gradient from dark to light will perfectly adorn the image of every woman, be it a young girl or a woman of age. At the same time, the color stretching technique can be performed for any type and oval of the face, for any hair color as well.
In recent years, this technology has become increasingly popular, because the main advantage is the ability to decorate your appearance and attract attention. In addition, gradient coloring visually rejuvenates a woman even in adulthood.
Benefits:
- the appearance becomes more elegant and bright;
- the face becomes defined, the lines are clearer;
- hairstyle visually rejuvenates a woman;
- you can no longer follow the ends of the hair so carefully, because they will only serve as an adornment for the main hairstyle;
- creation of a unique, graceful and inimitable image;
- the admissibility of experiments with different shades, often change the image.
Many women prefer this dyeing technique, because it makes them brighter and more beautiful. The hairstyle only emphasizes and improves the appearance and creates a new unique image.
Disadvantages of technology:
- the difficulty of performing this painting technology on your own;
- ideal only for long strands; on short hair it looks ugly, sometimes clumsy;
- on strands with a dark base shade, the gradient looks more beautiful, which is why brown-haired women and brunettes can use it without restrictions, but on light curls, such a technique will not always be successful.
Even taking into account these disadvantages, the advantages of gradient coloring are many times greater. The transition from dark to light shade looks very impressive and natural.
Color selection rules
The gradient on the hair and the choice of color depends on several factors: shades of eyes and facial skin, base hair color, age, length of curls. Dark to light is the most optimal gradient. But even if the technology is performed by blondes, you should choose light tones so that they are in harmony and together create a new natural image.
To properly stretch, you need to adhere to some recommendations:
- if one cold color is chosen, then the second should also be cold, and vice versa;
- cold colors go well with the same type of skin (pale, marble), as well as with a cold eye tone (blue or gray);
- warm tones of paint go well with a warm skin tone (peach or dark) and with the same eyes (dark and green).
For blondes, paint colors are selected according to the type of blond:
- for girls with a light skin tone, platinum, ash or pearl curls are perfect;
- if a woman has a warm skin tone, she has dark or green eyes, it is advisable to choose coloring compositions of a wheat or golden hue;
- for representatives with light blond strands, it is recommended to choose a caramel or amber shade of the coloring solution.
For blond hair, the dim-out gradient technique is mainly used.
For brunettes, darker tones of the coloring composition are selected, mainly in a light brown palette:
- for natural dark blond hair, it is better to choose dyes with a golden tint;
- calm, non-aggressive shades are perfect for natural brown-haired women;
- natural light brown hair color needs lightening by 3-4 tones;
- gradual lightening of curls to blond is perfect for bluish black hair.
The dark color of the strands also allows for multiple experiments.For example, try a combination with such contrasting compositions as purple, blue, red. But the red strands should be shaded with such paints: bronze, gold or copper.
Recommendations for different hair lengths
A gradient on the hair from dark to light is done, taking into account the length of the curls. The consonance of the combination of colors and the integrity of the appearance of the hairstyle depend on this factor.
| Length | Description and optimal painting techniques |
| Long | Long strands are a great base for making gradients in which to recreate the most original and eye-catching ideas. Any gradient technique can be used. Some technologies look great on cascaded hair. In addition, on long strands, you can combine not 2, but several shades of paint, which will add dynamism to the overall look of the hairstyle. |
| Average | This length of strands is considered universal, since full and short gradients look great on them, you can also use contrasting and smooth transitions of shades. If a woman has a cascading haircut, Venetian highlighting, shatush will suit her. If the haircut is a bob with lengthening or a bob, then you can use the sunlights or babylights technique. |
| Short | It is impossible to perform a smooth gradient on short strands, they are not able to reveal their full potential and uniqueize the image of a woman. A good option in this case would be contrast staining by the degradation method. For too short haircuts, accents of bright color on the hair at the temples or bangs are suitable. |
| With and without bangs | If there is a bang, you can always focus on it. You can paint it with a gradient and achieve a chic effect using the degradation or babylights techniques. If there are no bangs, the emphasis can always be made on any technique, based on the length of the curls. |
Choice of materials
Many are already mastering the gradient coloring technique on their own at home, but it can be done correctly only with the appropriate materials.
It:
- paint of the desired shades or a set for a gradient;
- several containers for the preparation of paint solutions;
- comb for separating curls;
- a brush or soft sponge for applying the solution;
- gloves (several pairs);
- a special film or piece of fabric that needs to cover the shoulders and torso;
- hairdressing clips;
- shampoo and balm.
It is worthwhile to dwell on the choice of paint more carefully, choosing a shade suitable for the color type of the skin and the base hair color. There are whole kits for gradient staining on sale, but you should not opt for cheap manufacturers, only high-quality solutions are able to recreate an unsurpassed result.
It is impossible to use foil to perform this dyeing technology, since it clearly delineates the transition boundaries.
Algorithm at home
It is very difficult to perform staining with this technology on your own, without outside help. The basic rule is that the solution should be applied quickly enough to the strands, and then combed with a comb.
The instructions for such staining will be as follows:
- Distribute hair into 3 parts: side strands and back of the head, pin them with clips or hairpins. It is convenient for dyeing hair with fine strands.
- Open the package with the coloring composition and the oxidizing agent, squeeze about 1/3 of the substance into a container. It is not worth using large volumes of paint at once, since the coloring matter dries up quite quickly.
- Visually divide the hair into zones, choose half of the length of the strands that you want to dye, and apply a diluted dye solution and wait about 30 minutes. To dye your hair more evenly, it is recommended to divide it into strands.
- After the specified time, wash off the paint with warm water using shampoo. Dry the curls with a hairdryer.
- Now, again, dilute the paint with an oxidizing agent and paint with it the entire area of the strands necessary for coloring. The tips are also re-dyed.The composition should be kept for no more than 10 minutes.
- Rinse your head again with shampoo, dry with hot air.
- Dissolve the remaining dye again in a container and paint the ends of the curls with it, but this time is shorter than the original staining. This time should be kept for about 5 minutes.
- The paint is washed off using shampoo and balm. The curls are dried with a hairdryer.
- If the gradient is performed in two shades of paint, then the compositions should be diluted in separate bowls and use different brushes and gloves. In addition, an important recommendation should be taken into account: darker tones are applied to the upper part of the hair, and lighter ones - to the ends.
Today, the gradient on the hair is one of the most popular dyeing techniques, it is used in many countries and women of different age categories.
The transition of color from dark to light creates an elegant and unsurpassed image, emphasizes simplicity and lightness. However, having decided to make such an image at home, it is worthwhile to study in detail the instructions for performing the technique and choose the right shades for the individual hair type, eye color, shape and shade of the face.
Gradient Coloring Videos
Master class on gradient hair coloring with smooth transitions: