Monday, November 3rd, 2014
Last week, my dear friend and Cheap Bitch contributing writer Hannah let me give her pastel purple ombré hair. She’s a brave soul, letting me touch her Manic Panic virgin locks. But it turned out SICK (like, good sick, not gross sick) and here’s how I did it.
It’s worth noting that Hannah’s hair is not naturally blonde. We didn’t use any bleach on her hair before coloring it, but her hair had been previously dyed by a professional. If your hair is naturally this light, you may need to leave the dye on for a longer period of time, as your hair will not be as porous as chemically lightened hair.
First, Hannah and I team-worked on braiding her hair into small sections. We tied the braids with soft hairbands at the point where she wanted the ombré to end. We tied her hair into braids instead of ponytails so the purple faded into the blonde, versus creating a flat line where the purple ended.
Next, we mixed up our dye using Manic Panic Cotton Candy, a tiny dab of Ultra Violet (this sh** is intense, so be careful with it if you’re looking to achieve more pink than purple) and diluted it to a pastel color with white hair conditioner.
Then we applied the dye from the ends of her hair to the hairbands. Since Hannah’s hair is super thick, I applied several coats and rubbed each section between the palms of my hand to make sure it was fully saturated.
We let Hannah’s dye sit for 40 minutes. I then removed the hairbands. When you pull the hairband over the dyed section of hair, it removes the light-colored remnants of dye and conditioner. The dye and conditioner is lighter because the pigments have attached to the hair. It’s a good sign!
I used these less-concentrated dye leftovers at the top of each ombre section to create a natural looking fade. I ran my fingers through each section and let the dye sit for another 15 minutes.
Then I rinsed and blow-dried Hannah’s hair. I felt like a fancy hair dresser. It was fun. Here’s the final results:
So much sass. Can’t handle. **Dead**.
