Lets talk balayage

Balayage, I’m sure many of you have heard of this color term by now. I know I have heard it being used from just about everyone, even though they aren’t even sure what it is or means. So here’s a little background about what it means, how to do it, and decide if it’s the right color technique for you and your hair.

The French word Balayage, literally translates to “sweeping”. When done correctly a colorist will take a small section of hair sweeping color on the top of the hair’s surface. Then, he/she uses a paddle to apply more color toward the bottom/ends. This method of lightening the ends gives the colorist more control. Balayage creates the most natural-looking results because the colorist paints on the highlights by hand, and can scatter them throughout your hair in a more truly “sunkissed” and haphazard pattern.

If your looking for more of a grown out effect like we often see on numerous celebrities, fashion and makeup bloggers, then you would want to lean more towards getting a balayage ombre. This technique is extremely popular not only because it looks natural, but since the grow out at the roots isn’t as obvious, you can wait a litter longer before getting a touch up. Foils usually require a visit to the salon every six weeks, but with balayage ombre, a client can go eight weeks or even a little longer.

Balayage and/or balayge ombre can be done on any hair color. However, if it is done on brown or black hair, it will take multiple sessions in order to get the balayage ombre pieces to a level 8 (dark blonde) or higher. Darker hair colors have stronger orange/red pigments which are very difficult to pull out. This is why you often see colorists isolate every painted section with foils or cellophane to help create heat induction from the foil that allows the lightener to lift higher in a concentrated area.  Because the pigment is stronger in brown and black hair, clients need to be re-toned every 6 weeks to prevent the hair from looking brassy. The brassy color is the hairs true pigment color resurfacing and becoming more predominant from the toner slowly rinsing out with each wash.

No matter which style you choose, balayage or balayage ombre, neither is going out of style anytime soon. There are so many different variations of each, that possibilities of style and shades are almost endless. Either way, I personally feel that you can’t go wrong with either one. The best part of all, is that since both balayage and balayage ombre are both freehand techniques, even if you used the exact  same formulation on two people, they always look different since no head of hair is identical to one another.