As a new Spring/Summer season starts off, new trends begin to emerge as always. Although it has just begun, the hottest trend for this season already  seems to be the dip dye and vibrant ombre trend. The original ombre hair style became quite popular the fast few months and is a great way to add a touch of light to your hair. The ombre style starts with a darker color at the root of your hair (usually your natural color), and then slowly fades to a shade or two lighter as it approaches the tips. It was seen everywhere the past few months from celebrities to regular women out shopping at the mall, and it has only increased in popularity as time has gone on. The latest and most vibrant version of the this trend has recently emerged, and it seems to be just as hot as the original!

The vibrant version of the ombre trend is exactly how it sounds- vibrant! The original trend started with your roots and encompassed your whole head of hair, but this trend focuses mainly on the bottom few inches of your strands. The other main difference between this style and the original ombre is that the lighter shade is closer to the top and the darker is closer to the tips of your hair this time. You can choose to focus on one color and just use many shades, or combine more than color and use all of the shades.

If your hair is dark, you might want to consider starting with bleach to allow your hair to soak up the maximum amount of color. As always, you can try and bleach your own hair at home, but I would never personally recommend doing so. Bleach is an extremely harsh and damaging product, and professionals are the most well equipped for dealing with these kinds of chemicals. Either way, you should only use the minimum amount of bleach necessary for the job at hand. Separate your hair into small sections that you want color added to, and then apply the bleach to the bottom 3 inches of these sections.

Once the bleach has been fully heated and rinsed, separate your hair into the original sections again. If you’re using more than one color, pick whichever one you want and start with the lighter shade of the two (if using blue, start with the turquoise instead of the navy, if using violets, start with the pink instead of the purple). Apply the dye generously to the entire bleached area. If not applied generously enough, areas may be left without dye, and then the bleach will show through and you’ll wind up looking like a cheetah with spots. Wrap your ends in foil and let set for a few minutes.

Once the first shade has been thoroughly rinsed and dried, separate the hair into the original sections again. Take the darker shade and brush it onto the bottom half of the strand that has already been dyed with the first shade, but make sure to allow half of the original color to remain showing. Let set for a few minutes, rinse out, and voila! You officially have vibrant ombre hair. If you want a multicolor ombre affect, repeat these steps using two shades of another color, but make sure you don’t accidentally dye hair that you have already dyed with the first color.

For less damage during the dying process, you can skip the rinsing step between the first shade and the second shade of the same color. Apply the first shade to the entire bleached section, then apply the second shade right on top. Let these shades both set for a few minutes, then rinse entirely. However, by using this method, you run the risk of the shades blending together and creating sort of a marbleized effect. You might want more of a marbleized effect anyway, though, so choose whatever you think is best for your own hair!

As always, make sure to condition your hair after the dye has been added to make sure your hair endures the least amount of damage. Bleaching, and dying in general, involve harsh chemicals, and not all hair responds well to these chemicals. For the best results, I always recommend seeking out professionals to help with the dying process. Whether you want help with the dying, or if you just want advice on where to find the best conditioners and dyes to apply to your hair, try one of my favorite pittsburgh salons, Verve 360!

Happy dying beauties! Show us what the tips of your hair have to offer!