Stretching color on hair: what is it and how to do it correctly?

When the color stretching service appeared everywhere in hairdressing and beauty salons, a huge number of women breathed a sigh of relief. There is no need to tint the roots every month, which do not always merge with the color of the bulk of the hair even after dyeing. Everything has become easier, because now the unevenness of color is in favor, when from dark roots the shade lightens to the very tips.

Stretching (or stretching the color on the hair) is a popular dyeing technique today, in which a smooth transition is made from darker shades at the roots to lighter shades at the ends. In most cases, the master takes the natural color of the hair as the base. The specialist retreats from the point of hair growth from 3 to 10 cm, and then begins a smooth transition. All well-known and fashionable techniques - ombre, sombre, shatush - can be attributed to the methods of drawing out color.

Most of the stretching techniques involve complex dyeing of dark hair. It is interesting that previously dark overgrown roots were considered bad manners, now, with a softer and more technically perfect presentation of the transition from a natural root to a light mass, the same unpainted roots look well-groomed and actual.

Undoubtedly, the most beautiful example is stretching on straight long hair. This coloring allows you to demonstrate the beauty of a complex transition.But even if your hair is short, this does not mean that you can cope with stretching the color at home on your own. The procedure is not easy, not even every master undertakes it.

Any coloring is a matter of taste. Someone follows the fashion, fearing to miss the next trend, so they decide to stretch without question. Someone understands that the fashion for such coloring will pass, but they want to be true to their style.

It is worth noting the main advantages of the technology.

• Naturalness. When the color is stretched from the roots to the tips, the transition (gradient) is smooth and soft. The hairstyle looks organic and natural. Even the effect of stretching cannot be compared with coloring or highlighting. With good work of the master, the most natural transition will be obtained, beautiful and combined with the peculiarities of the client's appearance.
• The ability not to touch the "root" hair. If you want to grow your color or just “try it on” (grow a little to assess the quality of the image), stretching is the best option. The master makes the transition, the roots remain natural. For the coming months, you don't have to worry about their color.
• The effect of burnt-out strands. Some women have serious hair fading in the summer, and it is at the ends. And although in fact this is not the healthiest way of transformation, many beauties would gladly agree to such a natural stretch. It is beautiful and often rejuvenates and refreshes. The technology allows you to achieve the same effect, but not only during the summer season.
• Respect for curls. The master preserves the natural root, and selects the softest dyes for lightening. They are not always super resistant, but hair trauma can be avoided.
• Visual volume. Due to the color transition, the hair appears thicker and more voluminous. The hairstyle looks more dynamic.

And now about the disadvantages. They are very subjective, conditional, for someone they can be significant, but not for everyone. Whatever it is called, this is coloring. Natural hair is chemically attacked. If the natural color is no longer there, the hair is dyed again. It is always trauma. It will just be negligible with a mild dye.

The next moment - the fashion has passed, I'm tired, I want everything back. And this happens, especially with those who have decided on the transformation of natural hair. And recoloring curls is much more difficult than cutting. Therefore, before deciding to stretch, think carefully. Finally, it is worth focusing on the complexity of the procedure... If it is performed by a beginner or non-specialist, the result may be far from expected.

Let's dwell on the demanded techniques in more detail.

• Ombre Is the most popular and classic stretching variation. Hair is dyed in two tones: as dark as possible at the roots and light at the ends. The transition from light to dark is as smooth as possible. There is practically no horizontal transition line, but the color contrast is preserved.

• Sombre - this method involves creating slightly noticeable highlights on the hair. The roots are 1–2 tones darker than the main length; the transition is practically invisible.

• Another interesting technique is called balayazh. She does an excellent job of adding brightness and depth to her hair. It turns out a soft transition from a native color to an artificial one in a vertical solution. The tips should be colored 3-4 shades lighter than the root.

• Many specialists pay attention of clients on overflow - Possibly the softest of the color bands. It is called a highlighting option, only soft and gentle on the hair.

• For those who do not like half measures, such coloring has been created as degradation - the color transitions in it are quite clear and contrasting, but in some cases it looks elegant and bright. Rather, this technique will work for women with dark, very thick and heavy hair.

Be sure to take into account the natural data - keep the main guideline on your color type. Natural hair color, iris color and skin tone are taken into account. It is worth dwelling in more detail on the selection of colors.

• Blondes. They can count on all but the lightest blonde shades. With white, the transition is rarely smooth, in exceptional cases it looks organic. You can also dodge towards cold light brown, ash, wheat, straw.

• Fair-haired... These representatives can safely turn to such shades as caramel brown, mocha, chocolate, copper, amber. At the base of the roots, the master can replace an inexpressive natural color (or, for example, a color with noticeable gray hair) with a chocolate or coffee warm shade and stretch the color to copper, wheat, red, gold, red.

• Brunettes... There are several options here, but more often clients resort to brown-chestnut colors, chocolate, cinnamon. Sometimes from black there is a stretch of color to a fashionable bright ash shade.

Stretching on short hair is the worst option. Simply put, the master has nowhere to play out, the transition will be either imperceptible or ridiculous. If you have short hair with bangs, you should find another way of dyeing, or at least grow the curls to the length of a square.

If you are growing a short haircut, your hair has grown in order, it is difficult to give in to normal styling, stretching the color will help to distract attention from the growing hair. But it will be conditional, not as bright as with full stretching. There are really few successful options. And this is explained simply.

If you darken the root zone by 1–2 cm, it will look sloppy. Needed the minimum indent is 3 cm, and preferably 5-10 cm, so that the stretching really can prove itself. And even if a complex coloring works out, with a high probability you will have to do complex styling, curls, the effect of wet hair, so that the hairstyle looks fashionable and stylish. But it is, of course, easier to grow hair to a square.

A bob, a bob, an elongated bob to the shoulders is a more suitable base for creating a gradient. A square, reaching to the shoulders, looks interesting on thick hair without bangs with an increase in the darkened part of the hair. This means that the master retreats the root dark hair as much as possible, leaving the ends really short. But it’s one step from brilliant work to failure. And the shorter the hair, the more difficult it is for the artist to work with the gradient.

In the case of medium-length hair, coloring begins along the line of the middle of the face - in this case, the hairstyle does not lose its harmony, the stretch will be expressive and complementary for the woman.

Long, straight hair is the perfect base for stretching. With curly hair, everything is not so simple. If the curls are large or small, but persistent, clear, which are difficult to cope with, the stretch may go unnoticed or look sloppy. Long straight hair below the shoulder blades without bangs is already a good option. But, of course, the important initial data remains the condition of the hair, the reaction to the dye, the need to cut the ends, and so on.

Taking the risk of stretching at home is not a matter of courage, but recklessness. Even with some knowledge of the basics of color, it is virtually impossible to do stretching outside the salon, without the presence of special equipment and a certain amount of experience. The cons of painting at home are as follows:

• you may not find harmonious combinations when choosing shades, for example, a cold tone is combined with a warm one, an obvious dissonance is obtained;
• with illiterate discoloration, a color may turn out that is far from the intended one;
• ignorance of the basics of color can lead to unacceptable chemical reactions that will cause serious damage to the hair;
• It is impossible to achieve smooth tone-to-tone transition at home without professional skills.

The main technological points of the procedure are as follows:

• you cannot wash your hair before the procedure, so that the clarifier does not have an extremely negative effect on their structure;
• if a woman uses styling products every day, her head can be washed the day before staining (be sure to tell the master about this);
• the oxidizing agent is chosen according to this principle - for light hair 3%, if the hair is relatively light, but denser - 6%, for thick dark hair - 9-12%;
• when staining using the ombre technique, foil is used;
• in the shatush technique, a preliminary comb of hair is required or the use of a brush-brush, which is moistened in a dye;
• hair before dyeing is divided into zones;
• in order for the stretch to really turn out smooth and soft, you need to make a graduated hairstyle and profile the ends before coloring.

As an illustrative example, we can consider the essence of coloring in the ombre technique, the most popular of the presented color stretching variations. The following items are required:

• dye with a clarifier from a professional line;
• non-metallic container for diluting the mixture;
• convenient brush for painting;
• comb for uniform distribution of pigment;
• foil;
• hairpins / elastic bands.

The scalp should be divided into zones: there are two lateral and one occipital region. The strands are fixed with elastic bands. The composition, diluted according to the instructions, is distributed at the end of the hair with a brush. The ends are wrapped in foil or polyethylene. The shutter speed takes 20-30 minutes, depending on the tone you want to get. Then the transition itself is created - 5 cm recedes from the ends, and the composition is applied again, but with a subsequent exposure time of 10 minutes. Rinse curls with shampoo using an air conditioner.

This is a simplified version that does not focus on painting details. If you follow it, it seems that everything should work out at home. But with self-dyeing, even the most correct recommendations do not always work: stripes and dirty color spots form on the hair.

After dyeing, I want the updated hairstyle to remain as beautiful as possible. But lightening, and this is no secret to anyone, always harms the structure of the curl.Therefore, care must be systematic, regular and correct. It is worth adhering to several recommendations.

• you need to wash your hair with a special shampoo for colored hair; it contains components that cover the hair scales and hold the dye in the hair shaft;
• it is very difficult to refuse a hair dryer, iron and curling iron, but try to use them less often; the thermal effect negatively affects the dye, which, under thermal influence, leaves the hair even faster;
• do not overuse styling products, they also correlate with color fastness;
• once a week (but not earlier than 10-14 days after stretching) carry out hair restoration therapy; masks, mousses, balms and oil compositions do a good job with this function, but use oils specifically no more than once a month, they very quickly wash out the pigment from the dyed hair;
• never comb wet hair, this breaks it, because after dyeing it is especially vulnerable;
• try to use a comb with a natural bristle that does not injure the strands; watch the frequency of the comb;
• you should not wash your hair every day, the sooner you wean yourself from this, the better for the hair and scalp; at first it will seem that the hair quickly becomes greasy, it is impossible to walk like that, but after a month and a half you will notice that it does not become greasy so quickly, that the curls remain fresh for longer and longer;
• cut the ends every 1.5–2 months; do not rush with the next staining, at least 3 months should pass between procedures.

Many are interested in the question of what to do if the ombre is tired. In reality, not all ladies are ready to get used to a new look. To some, newfangled stretch marks do not seem very elegant, to others, growing roots of a slightly different color haunt them. The easiest option is to cut off the light ends. If it is impossible to completely remove the blond, they can be tinted to match the main color.

If you do not part with the length, but simply cover everything with dark (or, conversely, light), it will not be easy to achieve uniformity. Over time, the color will begin to wash off, you will have to paint more often, carry out correction.

For information on how to stretch the color on your hair, see the next video.