DIY Highlights & Ombre Kits at Home!

Today I will be sharing with you my two favorite at home kits. Now before we get to the product just a couple of disclaimers- 1) Both coloring kits have bleaching powder which means that it will damage your hair so you should take as much pre-caution as you can , but in the end you'll probably want to get a trim 2) Both products are used on Dark brown - soft Black Asian hair so the development will be different if you have different shades/types of hair.

Highlighting Kit 
The first product is a highlighting kit that I personally used on my hair which is the - Revlon Frost & Glow Highlighting Kit in Honey . I picked it up from Target this time around for $8.99 (check for coupons!).

This is the second time I used this product. It comes with the highlighting cap/hook/cover, and all of the developing ingredients which includes the liquid + bleach powder and conditioning cream. For this kit, it's pretty much impossible to do alone, so you will need a friend to help you (I asked my mom to help). In total it took about 90 mins to pull my hair through all of the holes. The instruction will tell you which holes you should pull the hair through for different types of style (I did full highlights). After you pull all the hair you want to highlight, you want to make sure you tuck all of the hair underneath the cap under a towel or protective cover. Make sure you apply the products evenly. After applying the solution, you want to cover the highlighted hair with the plastic cover and let it develop. I checked my hair every 10 ten minutes for the first 30 minutes and then every five minutes until I'm satisfied with the color. I would wipe a small strand of hair with a clean towel to see if it's as light as I wanted it to be.

Here are some before and after photo:

Before

Immediately after highlighting process

First week- styled with curling iron

 Two months later! :) 

As you can see, it does a pretty good job of giving my dark hair subtle highlights. I could have let it develop for a probably another five minutes, but I really love the final result.

At home cost: $8.99+ labor of friends/family 

Salon cost: $100 or more 

Ombre Kit

The second at home kit I actually applied on a family friend (let's call her 'A') who actually went to a salon paid for $60 and the ombre did not set at all. Ombre is a time consuming and scary process. I was really afraid that it wouldn't take but I think the finish product is quiet beautiful. Again, similar with my own hair, she has a Dark Asian hair and we basically maxed out the time allotted by the company. 

The kit is L'oreal Paris Feria Wild Ombre. It comes with everything you need plus the "expert brush" that was pretty much useless. This kit was $12.99 at Rite Aid Pharmacy. We picked up this one because they did not have the kit for dark brown hair.

So the first thing I did was figure out where she wanted the ombre to start. It should start around your mouth or right above your chin. I then divided it into three different sections to mark the gradual change in color. From the tip of the hair I took about 4 inches of hair for the lightest color, and then 2.5 inches for the subsequent sections. The lightest part of the hair needed more length because you need it to be longer in case you want to trim it. I applied the first portion and let it develop for ten minutes, when the time's up, I would rub it upward so it blends with the next section. I continued applying the product and rubbing it upward for the next two sections for a total of 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, rinsing, and style this is the finish product- 

So as you can see the result is pretty awesome considering her hair did not developed at all in the salon AND the fact that this kit was for dark blonde hair. Since we both have dark hair the highlighted/ombre hair are going to be this brassy red color that some people might not like. If you have dark hair and you don't want to end up with this shade, you can get some purple shampoo to cool down the brassy red. 

At home cost: $12.99 + labor

(Failed) Salon attempt: $60 + Tip

Final Thoughts:

So are the at home kits really worth the savings? For me it was more than just about saving some money. I actually don't really like going to salon and sitting for 2 hours to get my hair done which is why I learned to trim my own bangs and hair. While getting my hair done with my mom, I was able to talk to her, watch some movies and do some cleaning while I wait for it to develop. When ombre-ing A's hair, we were able to talk about her upcoming prom and hang out while watching a bunch of YouTube videos. My point is saving the money is great, and it's a lot of fun doing it with people you like, BUT you also need to accept that it might not come out as great as it would if you get it done with a professional. If you have the friend/family, time and willingness to give one of this kit a try, I think you might be pleasantly surprise by the result!

As always, if you have any questions please post them below!

Until next time,