12 Short Ombre Hair Color Ideas & Formulas
When you're coloring short hair, every single stroke of your tint brush counts. You want vibrant shades and hair color techniques that enhance your client's cut, whether they're craving depth, volume or dimension. And there's one current trend that guarantees all three: ombre on short hair. With a gradient of complementary tones, it lets your client give their bob, curtain or pixie crop a glow-up – and keeps harsh demarcation lines at bay.
So, let's explore 12 contemporary ombre color styles for short hair, whether your client wants a subtle gradation from light to dark or an impactful color transition. Here's the inspiration you need...
Warm Cinnamon Ombre
Image Credit: @emilycooper_hair
Skimming the chin and waved to perfection, this rich cinnamon bob is the dream for short-haired clients who love fiery tones. It's not always easy to transition shades in the red color family, but here's a combination that truly delivers. Start with copper in the roots, using Color Touch 7/0 + 8/0 + 7/4, while BlondorPlex lightens up the mid-lengths and ends. Then, after rinsing both formulas, glaze the lifted sections with SHINEFINITY 00/00 + 08/34 for strawberry blonde tones that make hair shimmer. Want extra glow? Add subtle face-framing highlights, as seen in this radiant red masterpiece.
Rose Pink Ombre Bob
Image Credit: @gretawagner_
This beachy tone is pastel perfection, featuring dirty blonde hues in the roots and a pink pop of color through the mid-lengths and ends of a chin-skimming cut. It's a great example of an ombre balayage bob, where the hair fades in a gradient but the baby highlights are still visible. Plus, if your client has fine hair, it's an effective way of giving their short cut the appearance of volume, as those slivers of pinky blonde stand out to boost dimension. Try it by toning a pre-lightened bob with Color Fresh CREATE in Nu-Dist Pink, a radiant rosy hue. Then style the finished look with EIMI Sugar Lift, a texturizing spray that dials up lift and shine, while giving locks a grippy feel.
Caramel Honey Ombre Bob
Image Credit: @shelbyragazzo and @kayla_barrett86
If sun-kissed sleekness is the goal for your client's brown base, pair straight hair and a collarbone-grazing cut with a gradual fade to this luxurious caramel shade. It's one of the most coveted ombre hair color pairs around, featuring dark roots and the blonde shade that suits everyone, whether they have a cool complexion or warm undertones. Start by shading the root with a brown tone, like Color Touch 4/71 + 1.9%, while BlondorPlex lifts the mid-lengths and ends to create a honey blonde canvas. Once you've reached the correct underlying tone, apply 9/97 + 7/86 + 1.9%. This creates the perfect shade of caramel; smooth, rich and undeniably glossy.
Lilac Frost Ombre Bob
Image Credit: @hairbyelisajohanna
The purple hair trend gets a bob-cut update in this lilac-tinted subtle fade, with the bluntness of the ends and the sleekness of the lengths letting the luminous colors take center stage. If your client wants to embrace pastels this season, show them this cool-toned ombre hairstyle. Then, get your tint brush ready and mix up two Color Touch formulas. On the roots, the darker color comes courtesy of 8/81 + 10/6 + 7/86 + 3/68 + 1.9%, with the level 3 shade adding depth to a spectrum of blonde and gray hair hues. Meanwhile, the lengths and ends are set aglow with 10/81 + 10/6 + 1.9% for a blend of violet-tinted blondes with a stunning touch of silver. A color this cool needs extra special care, so suggest to your client that they take INVIGO Blonde Recharge Cool Blonde Shampoo home.
Icy to Navy Blue Ombre
Image Credit: @anthonycolesebastian
For clients with short, coily and curly hair types, create multidimensional color with a front-to-back ombre style. Paint a lighter color through the front and top of the hair, and a dark color from the crown section down to the nape of the neck. You can work with any hues, but this blend of blues is a stunning choice for black hair. Lighten with BlondorPlex +4 % first, and then tone with two formulas: Koleston Perfect 10/0 + 10/8 + 0/88 + 1.9% for the lighter blue, and 10/8 + 0/88 + 1.9% for the deep shade of navy. To enhance this masterpiece at home, remind your client to use deep condition masks at least once per week. NutriCurls Deep Treatment gives curls and coils frizz-defying nourishment and texture-enhancing definition.
Golden Brown Ombre Curls
Image Credit: @soupedrotavares
These shoulder-length curls fall just inside the short category, but we couldn't miss the opportunity to show off one of the most covetable ombre styles we've seen. Chocolate brown roots melt into golden tones for an expensive brunette that's brimming with shine, and if you want to recreate it, our cult classic permanent hair color, Koleston Perfect, is your go-to. On clients with a natural brown shade for their base, use the Special Blonde palette. These high-lift colors give you bleach-free lifting and toning in a single step. Try 12/03 + 12/7 through the mid-lengths and ends for golden brown ombre hair. You'll get a brightening boost that makes your client's dark brown curls glimmer.
Platinum Blonde to Pastel Pink Fade
Image Credit: @jhair_stylist
How satisfying is this comb-through? If your client has platinum blonde hair, add a punchy color twist with a pastel ombre or vibrantly dip-dyed ends. We love this pink take, which you can recreate on super light locks with the Color Fresh Mask in Pink. Smooth the mask through the mid-lengths and ends of a bleach blonde bob, allow it to develop for 10 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly to reveal a contemporary twist on pink. Then, when it comes to styling hair, go for a sleek style so the vibrant ends stand out. EIMI Glam Mist completes the look with megawatt shine and a veil of UV protection.
Rainbow Ombre Face Frame
Image Credit: @augustoallencar
Who says you have to go ombre all over? If your client loves the color block trend as much as we do, this rainbow ombre face frame with vivid roots is guaranteed to be a hit. Taking bright colors to new levels, it sees neon orange segue into a vibrant violet. It's a job for Color Fresh CREATE, our semi-permanent color with a multicolored, intermixable palette of brights. Lighten locks first with Blondor Soft Blonde Cream; a gentle lightener that's ideal for brightening delicate front sections or painting close to the scalp. It takes hair up to seven shades lighter, so you'll still get the pale canvas you need. Then reach for Infinite Orange for the roots to mid-lengths, and Pure Violet for the mid-lengths to ends. Don't be afraid to go wide with your face-framing highlights. This color technique is all about taking it bold.
Ocean Blue Ombre Bob
Image Credit: @lauren_bickerton_hair
When you hear the words 'mermaid hair', you probably imagine long, luscious, pastel-toned waves. But with the right colorful hair blend and an ombre technique, you can still work an ocean-inspired look through a lob haircut. Case in point: this modern twist on azure blues; bright on the roots and pastel on the ends. You'll need a light base for this look, so start with BlondorPlex + 6% and pre-tone hair with Color Touch 10/0 + 10/6. Once that's been rinsed, apply Color Fresh Mask in Blue to clean, damp roots, and dilute it with conditioner on the ends. Comb through for a seamless blend. After 10 minutes, a rinse, a blow-dry and a spritz with salt spray (we love EIMI Ocean Spritz), your client will be rocking a wavy bob that screams 'summer'.
Cedar Blonde Ombre Balayage Hair
Image Credit: @joanaportal
This look fuses two hair coloring services in one, giving your client the painterly effect of a balayage style with the subtle transitions of an ombre finish. It's a great choice for ombre newbies, blending dark hair hues through the root with alluring shades of cool blonde, so mid-length and shorter hair boasts a lived-in, effortless appearance. Start with a dark base, keeping the hair roots their natural shade while you lighten the lengths and ends with BlondorPlex + 6%. Once that's developed and been rinsed, follow with SHINEFINITY 07/13 + 09/61 for a cool, ash tone. This cedar blonde is one of the most popular ombre hair colors around.
Copper Red Subtle Ombre Bob
Image Credit: @hausoflt
Here's proof that a subtle ombre can also be a statement-maker. While the dark to light fade is soft and gradual, the base color is bold, so this shorter hairstyle packs a vibrant punch. Create the look with the Vibrant Reds palette of shades in the Koleston Perfect portfolio. Some of our favorites for an ombre this warm include 0/43 and 7/43 (for the dark root), and 99/44 (for the ends). Then make sure your client keeps their red locked down with a protective shampoo for color-treated hair, like INVIGO Brilliance Color Protection Shampoo. Boosted by antioxidants and the Metal Purifier, it maintains that supermodel color and shine.
Platinum to Mint Ombre Bob
Image Credit: @jhair_stylist
Does it get fresher than this? Rooty lightness meets minty brightness in this platinum and pastel bob, with Illumina Color delivering the coolest blonde on the roots. Hair was pre-lightened with BlondorPlex first, and then the light root was created with the shade 10/1, before hair was rinsed and neutralized, ready for that aqua blonde color pop. Finally, Color Fresh CREATE Super Petrol was mixed with Tomorrow Clear for a pastel tone, and swept through the mid-lengths and ends to give a hyper blended color transition. If you're creating the look, finish with a bouncy, wavy style and a generous misting of EIMI Dry Me for gutsy texture.
Whether you're painting dark ombre hair through a pixie cut or melting a soft root into pastel brights, don't forget to share your looks with us on Instagram by tagging @WellaHairUSA. We can't wait to see your short ombre haircuts!
