Balayage highlights are an increasingly popular hair coloring technique that creates natural-looking highlights with minimal maintenance requirements. Balayage can create the ultimate sun-kissed effect and is often preferred over more conventional foils for creating sun-kissed hues.
Contrasting with traditional foil highlights, balayage highlights can be painted freehand and placed deeper down your hair shaft for greater longevity and less frequent touch-ups. This technique helps your locks look healthier for longer.
Choosing the Right Shade
If you want a natural look with sun-kissed highlights, balayage is a fantastic choice. Finding an experienced hair colorist who can achieve natural-looking blends of shades is key; for more precise results it may be beneficial to visit a salon since these have access to premium-quality products and tools for hair color application.
When selecting the shade of balayage highlights for you or a client, your skin tone and eye color must both be taken into account. Blondes generally work well but be wary not to go too ashy as that could wash out cooler skin tones with blue undertones. Warm blonde shades like honey and caramel produce beautiful and natural results.
If you have dark hair, balayage can add dimension to your look and be an effective choice for adding dimension. As with blondes, darker skin tones require additional touch ups than blondes do. Always consult a professional colorist experienced with brunette balayage before proceeding.
Getting Started
Balayage highlights are an ideal way to add dimension and texture to their hair, with minimal upkeep needed and natural-looking results. Each person may experience different results depending on their starting color and desired level of lightening – those with dark roots or black hair may require several rounds of bleaching prior to reaching champagne or icy blonde balayage.
If you’re ready to give balayage a try, find a stylist with experience in this technique. They will provide guidance as to which shade(s) would suit you best, taking into consideration your current hair color and any future updates you might require.
Considerations must also be given to what will happen when your balayage grows out, since it won’t provide an seamless transition from roots to ends. Depending on your desired end result, touch-up visits may need to be more frequent than with foils.
Getting the Look
Balayage can add stunning dimension to all hair colors, but it’s essential that you work with an experienced colorist when selecting this technique. Be sure to ask to see photos or visit them prior to scheduling your appointment; as it’s a more delicate process than foils, experience is key here.
An effective way to achieve natural-looking balayage is by selecting sandy blonde or lighter brown highlights for the top layers of your hair, as this will allow them to blend more seamlessly with the remainder of your color and provide more of an organic contrast. If you have darker locks, choose warmer hues as this will allow your highlights to blend naturally with them.
Balayage highlights are low-maintenance options for highlighting, but regular touch-up appointments with your salon will ensure your desired shade remains intact and keep your locks looking their best.
Maintenance
Finding the ideal shade of balayage highlights takes more than simply finding your ideal hue; to keep up your appearance between salon visits you must use high-quality products that protect and preserve its vibrant hues.
Use heat protectant to keep the harsh temperatures of styling tools at bay and use deep conditioning treatments such as the Davines Remedy Colorless Hair Mask for deep conditioning to keep locks healthy so they can accept color beautifully.
Limit how often you wash your hair, and choose sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner to protect the color and natural oils on your scalp from being stripped away by overwashing. Dry shampoo can help absorb excess oil between washes while volumizing powder gives your highlights an eye-catching, full appearance. Finally, weekly deep treatments are an essential step towards keeping balayage highlights bright!