Watch Jamie Chung's Hair Transform With Soft Highlights

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Because we all can't hire celebrity colorists for house calls, Color Me! is a new column that delivers everything you want to know about your favorite celebrity's hair color from the person who created the look: her hair colorist. Each column dissects what it takes to achieve the perfect shade, if you're a good candidate for the color, plus what to tell your own colorist — including formulations.

Jamie Chung has an impressive career: she voiced Go Go in the Academy Award-winning animated feature Big Hero 6, kicked butt alongside Vanessa Hudgens and Jena Malone in Sucker Punch, married Ed Helms in The Hangover Part II, and played Mulan in Once Upon a Time. Not bad! And you might not remember, but Jamie first stepped into the limelight when she appeared on The Real World: San Diego. She wasted no time turning herself from reality TV cast member to full-fledged movie star and fashion It girl.

Jamie recently colored her strands at Andy Lecompte Salon with colorist Denis De Souza, whose clients include Lily Collins, Kate Mara, and Jenna Dewan-Tatum. We got the scoop on how he helped her achieve her warm, face-framing highlights.

Jamie's Natural Color
Sara Jaye Weiss | StarTraks Photo

Jamie's Natural Color

Denis explained that he wasn't trying to change the integrity of her hair, but rather brighten it up a bit. "[Jamie is] Asian, and that means her natural [color] is on the darker side — between levels four [medium brown[ and five [lightest brown], similar to dark and milk chocolate, respectively. I softened her hair up by using the sombré technique."

Find your own hair color level.

The Color Process
Sara Jaye Weiss | StarTraks Photo

The Color Process

First, De Souza lifted the hair. This not only helped create highlights but also made strands ready for depositing lowlights. Her rich hue was complemented by toffee and dark ash-blond shades.

The highlights were lifted with a cream lightener and processed to a golden blond. They were then glazed to give her mane a shiny finish.

The Formula and Process
Sara Jaye Weiss | StarTraks Photo

The Formula and Process

De Souza utilizes the sombré process of color, which is a mix between the balayage highlighting technique and ombré. It focuses on the ends, giving it a more natural finish than the dip-dyed effect. Because of the balayage, the color doesn't hit the root of the hair, meaning the grow-out phase appears natural and avoids a heavy stripe at the root.

Formula
Highlights: Joico Vero K-PAK Color High Lift Ash (HLA) and 30 Volume Veroxide
Lowlights: Equal parts Joico Vero K-PAK Chrome Demi-Permanent Crème B6 (Toffee) and A7 (Dark Ash Blonde) with Chrome Activator Ends: Joico Vero K-PAK Crème Lightener and 10 Volume Veroxide
Glaze: Joico Vero K-PAK Chrome 3/4 oz. CLEAR and 1/4 oz. V9

Issues Most Colorists Encounter
Sara Jaye Weiss | StarTraks Photo

Issues Most Colorists Encounter

Many times, you can take in a photo to a colorist, but you may not walk out with the hair you had hoped for. Denis suggests that in order to replicate his look, you should keep the highlights away from the roots and avoid overly bleaching the ends.

"Some colorists start their highlights too close to the roots, making the overall look a bit stripy," Denis said. "You have to be careful about adding too many brighter tips, as this will give the client a look that has just been dipped in bleach. You have to be very cautious of the blending and placement. Once you have that figured out, you can achieve an effortless look."

How to Maintain the Color
Sara Jaye Weiss | StarTraks Photo

How to Maintain the Color

Oftentimes, brunettes who go blond can get brassy or even turn to an orange shade. Denis explained that it pretty much happens to everyone. But, much like blondes use a purple shampoo to eliminate brassiness, there's a shampoo shade brunettes should give a go. "If you are a brunette who is going lighter, you have experienced an orange, brassy tone that is inevitable," Denis said.

Joico Color Balance Blue ($16 Each)
Sara Jaye Weiss | StarTraks Photo

Joico Color Balance Blue ($16 Each)

Denis is a fan of Joico's Color Balance Blue Shampoo & Conditioner ($16). "It is a color-care product that is a blue-pigmented shade to immediately neutralizes any orange," he noted, adding that blue and orange oppose each other on the color wheel. "This is a must to help maintain your hair hue. I would do it once a week, depending on how often you wash your hair."

The Best Candidates For This Color
Sara Jaye Weiss | StarTraks Photo

The Best Candidates For This Color

"The great thing about sombré is that it works on everyone," Denis noted. "It softens every natural shade! But Jamie's color in particular — anyone who is at levels five or higher — is [an] ideal [candidate]." To break it down: if you have blond to medium brunette locks, you're a fit for this coloring process.

Additional Products and Suggestions For Maintenance
Sara Jaye Weiss | StarTraks Photo

Additional Products and Suggestions For Maintenance

When it comes to maintaining your color, it depends on how often you cut your hair, but touch-ups are usually required every eight to 12 weeks, according to Denis.

You should keep a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner on standby to use when you're not washing with a blue shampoo, and also invest in a treatment to help restore the health of your hair.

Looking Gorgeous, Jamie!
Sara Jaye Weiss | StarTraks Photo

Looking Gorgeous, Jamie!