Formulas > Hair Color > How-To: Crimson Ombré
Last updated: December 27, 2017

How-To: Crimson Ombré

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  • Natural/Starting Level:

    Previously-colored Level 5 + 2 inches of Level 4 regrowth

  • Formula A:

    L’Oréal Professionnel Efassor + 20-volume developer

  • Formula B:
     L’Oréal DIA Richesse 4 Brown + 9-volume developer
  • Formula C:

    Crazy Color Cyclamen

How amazing is this vivid, crimson ombré?! Yeah, we thought so, too. So we sought out the artist behind the look—Sophia Hilton (@notanothersalon), balayage specialist and owner of Not Another Salon in Brick Lane, London. When it comes to “the perfect bleed,” Sophia’s a pro. Here, she breaks down the technique for achieving the smoothest blend in town.

 

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Sophia’s Booking Advice
“I find it’s best to make long process clients a team effort and split the bill. It takes so much time to do, and working as a team really takes the pressure off.”

 

Who Did It

Colorist: Sophia Hilton

COLOR FORMULAS

  • Natural/Starting Level:

    Previously-colored Level 5 + 2 inches of Level 4 regrowth

  • Formula A:

    L’Oréal Professionnel Efassor + 20-volume developer

  • Formula B:
     L’Oréal DIA Richesse 4 Brown + 9-volume developer
  • Formula C:

    Crazy Color Cyclamen

FORMULA STEPS

1. Start by cleansing the canvas with Formula A, softly smudging up to the regrowth line. Process for 45 minutes, until a yellow undertone is achieved. Rinse and dry.

 

2. Apply Formula B to the roots, extending down 1-inch. Right away, use a board and smudge the color into the midlengths in super fine sections. “I always say you need it to be ‘evenly uneven,’” notes Sophia. Then rinse and dry.

 

3. Apply Formula C to midlengths (about 1-inch between the regrowth and prelightened sections). Process for 10 minutes, then smudge the color down, rubbing as much as you can but not adding any more color.

*Note: Where the Crazy Color has developed on the midsection, it will become creamy and most of the deposit of the tone will have happened in this section. This leaves a softer, less pigment-infused mixture for blending the ends.

 

4. Finish with a Redken Chemistry Shot Phase Extreme Deep Treatment. Rinse and dry.