Let’s be honest. Most of us play around with hair color, and the results don’t deliver the perfect makeover. When you’re dreaming of sun kissed locks that give depth to your mane, then Balayage is a famous hair technique from France that you should consider. When done by a salon pro, the effects look natural and gorgeous with less noticeable regrowth lines.
Balayage has been around for a few decades in the United States and is an exceptional technique that uses a brush to “paint on” subtle ribbons of highlighted tones that work with your natural base hair color and skin tone. In other words, it is a highlighting process tailored to your uniqueness that looks not only at the base color but at your hair’s texture, length, and where to begin placement and gradation.
By the way, balayage is pronounced like “baa – lee – ahge.”
Balayage is not a stripy kind of color highlight and is applied delicately to accentuate the hair’s movement and even to soften facial features. It looks natural while adding pops of brightness and contrast throughout your hair.
Balayage is all about painting only the top layer of the hair, and there’s a real artistry to its results
Fans of Balayage rave about the sun-kissed effects and its low maintenance routine. You don’t have to fuss with your roots so often. When a coloring expert performs Balayage, you can expect the results to last anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks or even far beyond that.
For example, some Balayage clients can get away for as long as 6 months without making a salon visit for touch-ups.
No, Balayage, as it’s technical term, does not involve using foils to encase the highlights to do its magic. Your hair is not wrapped in anything.
Some stylist prefer “FOILALAYGE”, which can achieve a similar look as Balayage, but with foils. Some hair does appear better from being enclosed to ensure optimal lightness.
With Balayage, your colorist will use a special brush to paint on your highlights to achieve the proper placement and saturation. Then, the lightener will process in the open air. Some stylist prefer to put plastic wrap underneath the colored strands to separate the colored hair from the bare hair. It can also help keep heat in if the client needs an extra boost to make sure the hair lightens to where the colorists would like it to be.
Balayage will never go out of style and is a major trend once again. Cinnamon balayage is a glamorous look that spices up brunette locks with a warm brown lift.
Chocolate chai is another balayage trend that features a brunette mane with pale brown or chai-toned highlights around the face.
Golden topaz is another amazing mid-light that creates a chic balayage tone on the hair.
Celebrities like Chrissy Teigen enjoy playing around with balayage for that sun-kissed dimension.
If you’re looking for natural brightness and contrast throughout your hair that is perfectly blended without the harsh lines, then balayage will deliver.