Ombré Hair Gets a New Breath of DIY Life

Surfer girls, Australian beach babes, Gisele, and the generally lazy have been doing the dark-to-light ombré hair look for ages. More recently, when the recession drove blondes to cancel color appointments, the look became cool by thrifty default. Soon enough every red carpet was dotted with dark-to-light subtly streaky heads.

Now thanks to L’Oréal Paris, come February, everyone from your neighbor to your Granny will be mimicking the look that Alexa Chung, Beyoncé, and Drew Barrymore made famous. Their new Féria Wild Ombré at-home hair color treatment comes with a patented lightening agent and comb, for hopefully mistake-free dip-dye jobs. The company’s consulting hair colorist, French stylist Christophe Robin, convinced the brand to get onboard with the in-demand look. “Do a mask to condition and prepare hair a week before to mend the ends,” he advises. “Also turning the brush horizontally might look too defined but if turned vertical, you will get a more natural look.” For those with short hair, he suggests back-combing the product into follicles from the ends to mid-shaft.

To jog your memory and perhaps spur some inspiration, click through our slideshow to see some of the best ombré heads like Gwnyeth Paltrow, Rashida Jones, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jessica Biel.