The 5 Best Ombre Hair Dyes to Help You Get the Look

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Ombre hair dye is all the rage right now. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about ombre hair dye, from how to do it at home to the best products to use. Whether you’re a beginner, just looking for some advice on how to take your ombre game up a notch, or looking to add a pop of color to your hair, ombre hair dye is the perfect solution!

 

How to Dye Hair Ombre at Home

Unless you’re a professional, coloring your hair at home is generally not recommended. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be done or that it can’t turn out beautifully! You just need the right products. Here’s what you need to dye your hair ombre at home. 

• Vinyl gloves
• Dye brush
• Bleach (you can purchase these in packets)
• Volume developer (check which level you need according to the darkness of your hair)
• Hair dye in the color of your choice
• Hair toner
• Hair clips
• Foil

After putting on an old shirt or cape you don’t mind staining, separate the section of hair you want to color away from the rest of your hair. You’ll need to do small sections at a time, so it might be best to start from the bottom under layer of hair, clipping three quarters of hair up top out of the way.

If your hair isn’t very close to light blonde, you’ll need to lighten the hair for any color to show up. Start by mixing the developer and bleach together (you can use an old or plastic cup for this) according to the package’s exact ratios. Use the dye brush to “paint” the mixture on small sections of hair, wrapping in foil afterward. Check on your hair every 15 minutes, until it appears to be lightened enough. Note: the maximum time you should leave the bleach on your hair is 30 minutes.

When you’re through lightening the sections of hair you want to be ombre, wash and dry your hair. Using a clean dye brush, apply toner to the sections of hair you lightened – toner takes out any yellowing. You can sit with the toner in your hair for about 15 minutes, then wash it out, avoiding conditioner.

Now comes the fun part! When your hair is completely dry, go ahead and apply the hair dye to the lightened sections of hair. Let the dye sit for at least 30 minutes, then rinse! Be sure to condition to restore the moisture you just took out with bleaching. 

 

Best Ombre Hair Dyes of 2023

“Ombre” is a French word that translates to “shadow.” Ombre hair color is a technique that blends one color at the top of the hair to a different (often lighter) shade towards the bottom.

One of the great things about this gradient coloring technique is how low-maintenance it is. Since the hair color isn’t applied right from the base of the scalp, you don’t get that harsh root line that forms when your hair grows out. As a result, you don’t need to go for touch-ups as frequently. It’s a win-win either way you look at it.

We tested some of the leading hair coloring kit brands on the market to bring you the 5 best ombre hair dyes for 2023.

1. L’Oreal Paris Colorista Bleach Ombre – Best Overall

Top on our list is no doubt L’Oréal Paris’ Colorista Bleach Ombre. One of the major things that stood out to us is the “goof-proof” coloring tools it comes with. While we prefer to leave the color treatments to the professionals, we were impressed by how easy it was to create customized looks using the DIY kit. It makes it pretty hard to mess up.

We were equally impressed by the results. You can use it to bleach all your hair, do some flirty highlights, or create an ombre effect – whatever hair color idea floats your boat. It works particularly well for individuals with medium-brown to dark-blonde hair.

The Colorista Bleach kit comes with developer cream, bleaching powder, lightening Cream, and conditioning shampoo, each labeled 1 to 4 in the order they’re to be used. There’s also an applicator brush to make DIY applications easy.

Specs:

• Permanent
• Contains hydrogen-peroxide
• Cream form
• Medium-brown to dark-blonde hair

Pros:

• Ideal for full bleaching, highlights, or ombre
• Affordable price point
• It is fast-acting
• Ideal for DIY or professional application
• Works on all hair types

Cons:

• Individuals with darker hair tones may require more than one box

 

2. Best Ombre for Medium-Brown Hair

The Superior Preference Ombre from L’Oréal Paris is superior in every way. The versatility you get with it is simply unmatched. Whether you want to create subtle brown ombre hair highlights that frame your face or would rather go bold and have the entire lower section of your hair a lighter shade, this color kit is designed to do just that.

While attempting to DIY face-framing highlights might seem like a monumental undertaking, the Superior Preference comes with a convenient, expert touch applicator to make things easier as you try to achieve your desired ombre hairstyle.

Simply slip it on your gloved fingertip, dip it in the dye, and run it over your sectioned hair to create subtle highlights. The dark-to-light luminous results looked surprisingly professional for an at-home coloring treatment.

It is a little pricier than some of the other ombre coloring kits in the L’Oréal range, but having seen the results of this ombre style, it’s certainly worth it.

Specs:

• Permanent
• Contains hydrogen-peroxide
• Cream form
• Medium-brown hair

Pros:

• Ideal for professional or DIY application
• It doesn’t alter the hair’s natural texture
• Generates a warm, subtle ombre
• Gentle on hair
• Long-lasting results

Cons:

• The kit does not come with a toner

 

3. Best Hair Dye for Ombre Blonde

The Revlon Color Effects Frost & Glow is an all-time favorite. The ombre results we got from testing this kit were mind-blowing. We’re talking salon-inspired, sun-kissed, natural-looking, and all that good stuff.

Aside from generating remarkable ombre results, this dye coloring technique can also be used for balayage highlights, highlighting, and even frosting hair. It’s as versatile as they come.

The thing we liked most about this blond ombre technique was how gentle it is on the hair. Blonde hair dyes aren’t exactly known for leaving hair in the best of conditions. Not the Revlon Frost & Glow, though. It leaves hair feeling soft, silky, and moisturized. We believe that this has a lot to do with the fact that it is ammonia-free.

Ammonia happens to be the number one culprit in blonde dyes that causes dryness and breakage, so bonus points for that.

The kit comes with a cap that has a pull-through hook to help you achieve salon-quality blonde ombre hair highlights without having to go to an actual salon to get them. All in all, Revlon is a certified winner in our books. It’s certainly worth trying out.

Specs:

• Permanent
• Ammonia-free
• Cream form
• Blonde, honey, and platinum hair

Pros:

• Ideal for several different hair types
• Easy-to-use kit with pull-through cap
• Suitable for a wide range of coloring techniques
• It doesn’t cause dryness or breakage
• 25-minute processing time

Cons:

• It is a bleaching product and therefore doesn’t add color

 

4. Best Red Ombre Hair Dye

If you want a dramatic and, dare we say, fiery change to your overall look, the Splat Fire Ombre hair color might be just what you need to switch things up. The best thing about it is – it’s a semi-permanent hair treatment that lasts roughly 30 or more washes.

This dual-color kit gives you two different tones to achieve that coveted ombre color gradient. Each pack comes with developer cream, bleach, shampoo, color, and deep conditioning to restore moisture and add shine to your finished look.

Spat hair color doesn’t contain ammonia, sulfates, parabens, or PPDs, and only takes 30 minutes to lift the pigment off the strands of your hair.

Specs:

• Semi-permanent
• Ammonia-free
• Liquid form
• All hair colors

Pros:

• Last 30+ washes
• It comes with a deep conditioner for moisture restoration
• It is gentle on the hair since it doesn’t contain ammonia
• Ultra-vibrant hair color
• Ideal for home or salon use

Cons:

• It may stain the skin during application

 

5. Best Hair Dye for Ombre Metallic

Got2B’s range of metallic hair dyes is certainly a head-turner. We particularly like the Dusty Silver shade that delivers outstanding results in ombre color treatments. There’s something mesmerizing about the radiant metallic shine the Dusty Silver gives your hair. It complements brunette hair remarkably well as it gradually fades into silver.

The kit comes with a developer lotion and color cream, as well as a conditioning treatment, to restore moisture and leave your hair feeling soft and looking shiny. If you have longer hair, you might need to use two boxes to achieve the desired tone, depending on how far from the roots you want to start your ombre.

The applicator bottle makes it convenient to DIY if you don’t want to get it done at the salon. All in all, the results were pretty impressive.

Specs:

• Permanent
• Contains ammonium hydroxide
• Lotion and liquid form
• Dark hair

Pros:

• Vibrant metallic color
• Easy application
• Suitable for home and professional use
• Special anti-fade effect
• Bleach lifts color easily

Cons:

• Requires longer processing time to achieve the desired result

 

Get the Best of Both Worlds

There you have it – the best ombre hair dyes of 2023. The great thing about the products we’ve reviewed in this guide is that they are all DIY kits. You don’t have to go to a professional to achieve salon-inspired ombre-colored hair at home.

Nonetheless, we do have to caution you to be extra careful when handling bleach. While you need to leave it on for your natural pigment to lift, you need to ensure you don’t end up over processing your hair. Leave a comment below and let us know which product worked well for you.

 

Related Topics:

• Which Red Hair Dyes Are The Best?
• Our Favorite Dark Brown Hair Dyes Revealed