Balayage has been all the rage for the past five years, but is it an option for you?
Balayage is a French word that means “to sweep”, so when we apply the term to hair color it loosely translates to sweeping product onto the hair. A lot of times it’s used to describe a look when in actuality it's an application technique. We paint hair with color or lightener and then blend it so it sits on the surface of the hair. This creates a more lived-in natural look. Using this technique we often avoid the scalp as that’s a hot zone, due to body heat, and we can end up with splotches. So, if you like your highlights to your root, this might not be for you.
There is another option though! Its called American Balayage and it’s all over everyone’s Pinterest feed. It’s done by using traditional foils all over the head and then hand painting or “balayage-ing” the ends that are left out of the foils. This creates a multi-dimensional look. Most often this is how you create the blondes you see in your feed. It’s a very time consuming and tedious technique, which is why it can be expensive. It can take up to 3 hours or more (depending on density and length of the hair) to apply, tone, and then cut or style.
We can often mimic a Balayage look by using traditional highlighting options and then using two different toners and blending the two colors by melting them together. It’s usually done with a semipermanent that’s very close to your natural color, applied at the root, then melted into the desired tone you are looking for on your lightened hair.
An educated and trained eye will be able to look at your inspiration photos and direct you from there. The hair colorist will also be able to guide you based on what colors work with your skin tone and whether your hair is healthy enough for a lightening service. The brighter the color or tone of blonde you want, the longer the appointment, or you may need to book multiple appointments to get you light enough. Also if your hair has been previously colored, this needs to also be taken into consideration. Mostly due to the fact that lightening previously colored hair is a factor in the general health of your hair. Was this helpful? Drop us a line below.
Interested in having your hair balayaged, book a consultation with our stylists here.
Have a topic you want to hear more about? Email us at info@Salon1827.com.
Lots of (hair) Love,
Lesley D. Flanagan
Salon 1827
