Creating a gradual blonde ombre dip-dye at home

Sure, the dip-dye is hardly a new or unique trend in the hair world, but that hasn't stopped oh, just about everyone jumping on the bandwagon. I myself went through a phase of sporting a bright pink dip-dye a few months ago when I still had my super-long hair (check out how I did it here.)

Please excuse the selfie. I hate them, hence the awkward pose, but I felt it was unavoidable for a hair post.

But then I chopped off all the pink - pretty drastic for me, having had long hair for as long as I can remember - and haven't looked back. I feel far more grown-up with shorter hair. However, this is not a blog about having shorter hair, oh no. It is far more exciting. This is a blog about how I've created my own blonde ombre dip-dye on a budget (as you can see in the above pic.) And I'm pretty damn pleased with it.

If you're not sure what I mean by "blonde ombre dip-dye", here are some delightfully chic looking celebs who have also fait partie de le trend:

A little bit of Jessica Alba for ya...

And good ole SJP. (pics from marieclaire.co.uk)

It's a pretty look because it's subtle. I'm not a fan of dip-dyes where there's practically a straight line between the bottom block of colour and the top - I'm all about the blending. The ombre. And no, I'm not sure how you're meant to pronounce that either. (Is it like the French? Should it be ombré? Suggestions in the comments please!)

Au naturel, my hair is a light brown colour, but it tends to get a lot lighter by itself over the summer - give me a couple of weeks in the Algarve every year and BOOM! Out comes Goldilocks. But until then, whilst still here in good ole sun-challenged England, I've taken matters into my own hands. And readers, it is so simple, so effortless, and SO CHEAP! Don't go booking yourself into an expensive hair salon until you've finished reading this.

My secret? John Frieda Go Blonder Controlled Lightening Spray. According to John Frieda himself (well, maybe not, but the website anyway):

The lightening formula with citrus and chamomile works with heat tools for gradual lightening and brightening blonde hair by up to one and a half shades in 3-5 uses.

WONDER PRODUCT

It's a really easy-to-use product - simply spray on to towel-dried hair, brush through for even distribution and then use your normal heat products. It's the heat which somehow makes it work. I personally only use a hair-dryer on my locks, but if you're a straightener/curler kinda gal the effect may be even more striking. Of course, ideally you'd go out into the blinding sunshine and natural heat would amplify the result. I dare say it does if you use it whilst on holiday somewhere sunny.

However, I should add that the spray should apparently only be used on already blonde hair (I have some very old, largely grown-out highlights, I confess), so don't try and use it on jet-black locks or anything.

To create my dip-dye, I've been careful to only use the spray on the bottom few inches of my hair, and it's as simple as that. Over a few weeks, it's gradually got blonder, creating the exact look I wanted for summer. Hoorah! AND said lightening spray is currently a mere £5.20 in Superdrug, which is a bit of a barg if you ask me. The bottle is lasting me forever too. SO GET ON IT, GALS!