How to do dip-dye hair :: Dip-dye ombre hair colour trend

Sebastian Dip Dye

The trend for dark roots and lighter ends started early last spring in Hollywood with A-listers such as Rachel Bilson and Leighton Meester debuting long sun-bleached locks that had graduated colour from the roots to the tips. Soon people were talking about the ombre hair and the dip-dye hair trend. Over here cool celebrities such as Alexa Chung and Fearne Cotton followed suit, and before you knew it dip-dye hair was here to stay.

The idea behind dip-dye hair is that it should look effortless - it's just sun-bleached hair that's grown out - but it's enhanced with subtle rainbow of streaks of colour to give the hair a multi-tonal effect. Dip-dye hair needs to look luxurious rather than ratty and beach-worn, which is why celebrities often keep the colour fresh with a glossing treatment.

If you fancy trying the dip-dye hair trend yourself here are our top tips:

Don’t try this at home because when dip-dye hair goes wrong it looks really obvious - and that's the whole point of dip-dye hair, it's meant to be incidental, not accidental!

If you're going to try the dip-dye effect find a picture of exactly the effect you'd like. See our gallery of celebrities with dip-dye hair for inspiration.

Have a thorough consultation with your colourist first, ask if he/she's done this technique before and how he/she achieves it. Some hairdressers use a technique called baliage, where they paint bleach on to the hair freehand for a natural result.

If you're not sure about the dip-dye trend go easy to start with and just try a few lighter strands around the face, or just get the tips of your hair done. If you like the effect you can go back for more.

Keep your hair in good condition, although this trend is about beachy hair with a touch of rock 'n roll attitude, knotted dip-dyed hair with split ends just looks trashy - and not in a good way!

Get your hair trimmed as usual, don't leave your hairdressers appointment for longer than usual because you don't want your coloured ends chopped off, your dip-dye hair will look ratty.

Keep your colour bright and golden in between visits to the hairdresser with:
Sebastian Professional Color Ignite Multi Shampoo, £12.50 and Conditioner, £14.50. A unique whipped formula that uses the latest hair care technology to seek out the most damaged hair strands and still covers every strand of hair evenly, so colour is kept vibrant and condition is the same all over.
Don't forget dip-dye hair needs gloss and texture. Yes, this may sound like a contradiction but see the point above. Use a texturising product on the mid-lengths to the ends, and if you have fine, limp hair use it on the roots too. We love Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Leave-in Cream, £3.99, which encourages natural-looking tousled texture.

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