What exactly is balayage hair, and why is it so popular? (2023)

FAQs

Why is balayage so popular? ›

Another reason why balayage is so popular is that it works brilliantly with all hair types and lengths – straight, curly, wavy, short, long, thick and thin. With thinning hair, the choice of colours that come with a balayage style can be a great way to add depth to your hair to make it look visually thicker.

"Balayage" (taken from the French word for "sweeping") is a freehand colouring technique. Colour is painted directly onto designated sections of the hair without using foil. The result is a more natural, sun-kissed hue, without any harsh contrast between colours.

Because Balayage highlights don't involve completely saturating your hair in bleach or color dye, you'll enjoy healthier hair because of less process on the hair. As a result, you get to enjoy softer, silkier hair with less damage and dryness.

Balayage is a highlighting technique that produces gorgeous natural highlights by hand painting the top of the hair strand with color or lightener. The results can be subtle or dramatic depending on your desired look but the end result is always softer at the scalp and bolder at the ends.

How long does Balayage last in your hair? One of the greatest advantages of Balayage is how long it lasts. Traditional foil highlights require touch ups every few weeks, whereas Balayage will last 3-4 months on average.

It depends on a lot of factors—like if your hair has been dyed before, or how long your strands are. However, in general balayage does take a bit longer than foil because the stylist goes through piece by piece to customize the color. This highlighting technique is also a bit more expensive.

“Getting a fresh cut or trim before highlights allows your colorist to tailor the highlights to the cut.” This can be especially important if you're getting balayage and the color is focused towards the ends of the hair. “If you do the cut after the highlights, you can cut off the brightest ends,” he says.

"Highlights are often placed much closer to the scalp and applied in specific sections while the balayage process includes a graduated painting the color onto the hair in random sections," says Rivera. If you are looking to add non-uniform chunks or sweeps of color, balayage is a better option.

You shouldn't wash your hair beforehand. If you're adding highlights with balayage, you should come with oily hair to protect the scalp. But if you're getting a single process, it's better to come with clean hair to help the color hold, Scrivo says.

While prices vary from salon to salon, balayage is typically more expensive than highlights. Balayage can create a total hair transformation, but highlights just add a pop of color and dimension to your mane, which requires much less time, training, and dye.

Does balayage look good on thin hair? ›

A well created balayage can make thin hair look thicker. As well as creating the illusion of thick hair looking lighter. This is all because a balayage plays with light and dark tones, creating different visual effects.

Balayage. Hair grows fast — about an inch per month. So techniques, like balayage, which involve hand painting the hair and not going all the way to your roots, help you to get a gorgeous look with less maintenance. In general, we recommend scheduling a balayage touch up every 12-14 weeks.

Balayage involves sweeping lightener down the mid-lengths and ends of the hair to create that beautifully blended look we all know and love. Foilyage involves the same sweeping method, however, sections of hair are wrapped in foil instead of being left to air dry.

Whether ombré or balayage is best for you depends on the color effect you want, like going blonder or lowlights. “If you want to go lighter with a lived-in color look, then balayage highlights would be best,” explains Guy. “Ombré is great for those who are already light and want a lower maintenance color.

Subtle balayages are still very popular. I'm seeing a lot more requests for natural, copper reds and mahogany tones as well!”

Don't wash your hair for at least three days

After getting your balayage, wait for at least three days before you wash your hair. The purpose of doing this is to allow the cuticles to close and the color to set. You also should avoid getting the hair wet during these days, so avoid engaging in strenuous exercises.

The general rule is to wash your balayage hair sparingly. Too much washing may end up damaging the quality of your balayage. When you wash your hair every single day, the beautiful colour in your hair will fade more quickly. Ideally, you shouldn't wash your balayage hair for more than 2 or 3 times each week.

Depending on your desired results and the current color and condition of your mane, your balayage can take anywhere from one to three appointments. We always recommend booking a consultation with your colorist before you commit to making any permanent hair color change.

Though balayage is expensive, the exact price depends on your particular salon and stylist. Typically, balayage costs between $70 to $300. By comparison, a full head of regular highlights only costs around $75 to $150.

Balayage is great for anyone who wants to try highlights that look natural, last longer than traditional highlights, and don't need much upkeep. Depending on where you go, it can cost a lot upfront, but it can be worth it since you won't visit the salon too often afterward.

Is it worth getting a balayage? ›

In Conclusion

As you can see, there is quite a bit to love about the balayage technique. Not only does it result in a much more natural look, but it will maintain its appearance as your hair grows. This helps you avoid dealing with the shock of your natural roots meeting bright blonde highlights.

When it comes to gray coverage, balayage and foilyage have several benefits over traditional highlights. Favoring a balayage technique for gray blending services allows you to cover a larger surface area and avoid leaving out as much hair. Doing so leaves the client with a natural and youthful look.

What to Expect During the Process. With balayage, your colorist hand-selects which sections or strands of hair will have lightener applied to them. Typically, lightener is more highly concentrated on the face-framing pieces of the hair, the ends, and the top layer of hair for a more dimensional look.

How Should I Prepare For My Balayage Hair Colour Appointment? Make sure you have a patch test 48 hours before your appointment. Make sure your hair is clean and don't over use products before you come in. Bring photos of how you would like your Balayage to look so we know what effect you would like.

The technique can work perfectly well on hair of all lengths, whether short, mid-length, or long.

As with all highlighting techniques, balayage requires lightening — and that means you'll need to have your hair bleached. Bleaching your hair can cause damage, so it's important to make sure you take care of your strands pre- and post-balayage, not only to make the color last but to keep your hair healthy.

The easiest thing to mess up (or just plain forget) when doing a balayage process is controlling the level of saturation. These levels are dependent on the degree of pressure that gets applied when sweeping lightener over the root area so that the product penetrates the mids and ends of the hair.

After a highlight or balayage appointment, it's good to wait between 48 and 72 hours before washing your hair.

Balayage is customized, natural-looking, and low maintenance—thanks to the blended root with no obvious line of demarcation.

Balayage hairstyles are perfect for you if you want to wear the sun-kissed hair look. This technique is absolutely great for straight hair as it can add color, depth, and dimension to it. As a result, straight hair can seem thicker and more voluminous.

Does balayage include full color? ›

A full balayage is a technique where highlights are added throughout your entire mane. This is an ideal yet popular treatment for those who want an all-over lightened hair without the constant maintenance that comes with root grow out. Looking for balayage in Houston?

The ideal candidate for a balayage service is someone looking for sunkissed and natural results. More specifically, this technique can be used on clients who want to achieve anywhere between 3 and 6 levels of lift.

Brightened-up colors, such as golden blonde, can work wonders when applied to the money pieces around your face. Likewise, rich colors—like chestnut or caramel brown—can create a shadow effect throughout that feigns depth and thickness.

It makes your hair look thicker

Together with a Great Cut, balayage lends hair greater depth, giving the illusion of more fullness. Think of it like comparing a 2D drawing, with a painting that's in full perspective.

Yes, a balayage can be done in one sitting. But depending on how dark your hair is, and how light you want to be, it may take several sessions (each session is charged separately). You will always leave with beautiful hair! It just may not be as light and bright as you want it to be in the first session.

Below, we outline three really important balayage application techniques that can help you step up your hair painting game: The C-Motion™, The Glide & Slide™, and The Backflip™.

Use a pigmented shampoo or conditioner

Blonde hair colors fade especially fast because they are typically sheer, demi-permanent hair colors (professional toners). Toning shampoos and conditioners are super easy to use at home. They deposit a small amount of pigment back into your hair.

Less-Damaging

Unlike bleach and harsh chemicals saturating your hair for 30 minutes during your next appointment, balayage uses only strands of your hair to save your roots, protect your ends, and add a shiny coat to the midshaft of your hair. Say goodbye to dryness and say hello to healthy-looking hair!

"A good balayage is all about placement and blending. Having contrast between the light and dark tones is what creates natural looking, lived-in dimension," says Blais. "A good balayage blends seamlessly from dark hues to the lightest, leaving the color looking soft with no harsh lines."

When having balayage done, it's normal to stick to the freehand technique, but that doesn't always mean it's best. By using foils, your stylist can speed up the process of balayage, helping you get in and out of the salon as quickly as possible.

What is replacing balayage? ›

Goodbye balayage -- hair frosting is the newest color trend of 2022. The buzzy hair dye technique is slightly different from balayage in that it involves the bleaching of individual hair strands. These strands are dyed into a cool blonde tone, contrasting the base color to create a snowy, frosted look, hence the name.

“One-dimensional colour will be knocking balayage off the top spot in 2022, with solid colours like warm chocolate brown and glossy black becoming the new go-to. The year will also see more women embracing their greys.”

Who Shouldn't Get Balayage. While balayage works with almost all hair types, colors and textures, it's not recommended for those with heavily highlighted hair. “This hair type will require the hair to be partially darkened and then highlighted,” says Papanikolis.

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Subtle balayages are still very popular. I'm seeing a lot more requests for natural, copper reds and mahogany tones as well!”

The hairdressing industry had invented many foil highlighting methods in the 80's, but Balayage was not popularized until the early 1990's. It caught the attention of many famous celebrities and quickly became one of America's most popular color trends till now.

“One-dimensional colour will be knocking balayage off the top spot in 2022, with solid colours like warm chocolate brown and glossy black becoming the new go-to. The year will also see more women embracing their greys.”

Dessange Paris created Balayage in France in the early 1970s, so we are well versed in this “trend of the moment.” Balayage is practiced in many salons, but it was pioneered and perfected in ours.

This is a great option for dark hair and cool-toned brunettes. Adding caramel highlights can help to warm and soften facial features; and the balayage technique ensures your highlights grow out without a demarcation line. These things all lead to a more youthful appearance.

Does balayage cover GREY hair? ›

It works on gray hair.

Balayage is a smart solution for gray hair because it allows the colorist to specifically target gray strands without touching the scalp. And, because you don't need to do a single process to cancel out a few grays, it's easier on your hair overall.

It makes your hair look thicker

Together with a Great Cut, balayage lends hair greater depth, giving the illusion of more fullness. Think of it like comparing a 2D drawing, with a painting that's in full perspective.

Long layers and volume

"Things are going from really short shags and mullets to mid-length haircuts," she said. Expect to see '90s-inspired long layers and stylists focusing on adding more volume while keeping the hair length intact. "Two of the most frequently used techniques will be slide cutting and texturizing.

She still keeps her honey highlights, but wears them instead in a gradual, lived-in balayage. Returning to her signature dirty blonde look, Jennifer attended the premiere of her movie Dumplin' with golden baby highlights that add some warmth to her complexion.

If you're thinking of trying balayage, for the best results, trim your hair before you highlight. A trim will help your colorist decide where to place your new highlights.