There are many techniques for creating highlights. Balayage revitalizes an older technique to create more natural-looking highlights that frame a person’s best features. Learn why balayage is preferred and what to expect during your hair appointment.
What Does Balayage Do?
Balayage does not use traditional foils but a hand-painted technique to create highlights that appear as if you’ve been spending more time in the sun. The more blended, selective appearance is frequently described as “sweeping”, with greater depth and softness compared to other highlighting methods.
Rather than chunky, more contrast-heavy highlights, your hair appears to have a flowing quality to it from periodic pops of color.
Balayage Technique
At its simplest level, balayage has no specific pattern that a stylist or colorist follows. Rather:
- During the appointment, your stylist will determine the areas to highlight in reference to your haircut and facial features. This approach results in more tailored highlights.
- Your stylist also thinks about the placement, color intensity and gradation in reference to length, hairstyle and skin tone.
- Once a plan is established, the colors will be painted onto your hair by hand, helping to avoid a striped appearance. The technique results in less-saturated, better-blended highlights, starting light toward the roots and adding more bleach by the tips.
- The final result looks less extreme as your hair grows out. Another benefit, fewer touchups are needed to maintain its appearance.
You should arrive at your appointment with a general idea of how you want the final result to look. Depending on your hair type and tone, applying balayage can take up to 3 hours.
Benefits of Balayage
If you’re looking for lower-maintenance hair, yet stunning results that will turn heads for months to come, balayage delivers! Advantages include:
- The blended effect is less obvious, even as you grow out your roots.
- Touchups are required every couple of months, rather than weeks.
- The technique results in fewer brassy tones, making your hair appear sun-kissed.
- The hand-painting technique is less likely to see a change of color months from now.
- Balayage suits any hair length, texture and color.
Balayage does require maintenance, just less than other haircoloring techniques:
- To emphasize the highlights and lowlights, add hydrating products to your routine.
- Continue using color-treated shampoo and products to keep the tones balanced.
- Consider a gloss every 10 weeks to even out the appearance and correct any fading.
Interested in trying out balayage? Make an appointment at Catherine & Company today!