Not Another Hair Technique on Gimp for Beginners by a Beginner

Okay, so basically I just started learning digital arts and encountered a lot of different tutorials on howto's and whatnot's. I did learn their techniques, but it just isn't working for me. I do get confused and sometimes even irritable when it's taking me too long to get the shades right. I was never really fond of a lot of layers. With my blood, sweat, and tears on the line, I'm going to post it here so that I won't forget.

The most common technique (and easiest to understand) is probably the two-layer technique where there is the base color then the shadow or light color. I choose shadow. 

And here's what's confusing: What is the best shade to use? I don't think that there is a best shade, since it really depends on your preference. There are a lot of techniques on the net, you can just search it right now. But I prefer the fewer clicks the better, so I suggest using the burn tool... clicking on the base color 3-4 times then use the color picker tool and get the darker shade. Undo the burn and fill the shadow layer with the shade that you just got.

I place the shadow layer on top and from here on it's basically the same thing. With the shadow layer, use the path tool or pen tool and run through the hair. Always remember the Selection from path and hit delete. Do this for all the layers you'd want your hair to have. 

When you're done, duplicate the base layer. Then go to Colors > Hue-Saturation and go for a higher level of Lightness. Use the color picker to get the lighter shade. Delete the duplicate layer. Use the spray tool to draw a curve throughout the base layer. The output is as shown below:

Note: 
1. Do remember that this shading may or may not be the best option for your coloring scheme.
2. Base layer > Shadow layer may be interchangeable to Light layer > Base layer. 
3. There is a total of 2 techniques used in choosing shades used, either one may be favored.

Once I get a new coloring technique that works for me, I'll post it here.