Ombre, Sombre, Balayage… Oh My!

You’ve probably heard of ombre hair colouring. It’s one of the most popular trends this year; however, you might not be as familiar with ombre’s faded twin sister, sombre, or perhaps her more natural sister, balayage.

Ombre

It’s not surprising that both celebrities and us average folk are racing into the stylist to take part in the new gradient hair colouring known as ombre. The term ombre is derived from a French word meaning “to shade”. It is usually a darker colour on the roots of one’s hair that gradually blends out to a lighter tone. This colour scheme is great for keeping the maintenance low as you don’t have to worry about touching up your roots. However, some individuals don’t stick to their “natural” colours – we see many people getting creative with their locks and rocking colourful ombre looks such as purple faded to pink or bleach blonde “faded” to black. This look may take your usual amount of upkeep but it’s a unique and beautiful new style!

Whatever you choose to do, it is a trendy ‘do that is likely to say on-point for quite some time, due to its usual low maintenance (and, comparatively, low commitment) style and its versatility.

Sombre

A little newer to the scene is ombre’s sister style, sombre. Sombre is not “somber” but instead is a loose translation to “subtle ombre”. With this look, the lighter dyed areas start a little higher than the ombre, and there is more dark tones blended into the ends of your hair to give a truly natural, low-maintenance look. Some extra highlights may be added into around your face as your hair grows to help brighten it up.

Balayage

Finally, growing on the even more natural end of the family tree is balayage. Balayage also steals itself from a French term, meaning “to sweep”. Although it does keep the “ombre” theme in place with the dark-to- light goal in mind, it is closer to what some may call “chunky highlights”. But these aren’t your mother’s 80’s chunky highlights! As the word implies, highlights are swept into the hair (usually using no foils) to give a natural, sun-kissed transition of colour that needs little, if any, touchup. You could just as easily let your natural hair grow back out with this style without any worry!

If you’re getting bored with your current hair colour but you’re a little too scared to take a giant leap, then taking a small jump into the world of ombre may be for you. We love to see the creative rainbow gradients; however, ombre (and sombre, and balayage!) was definitely “made for” those individuals looking for a natural, low-maintenance style.