Balayage hair color : everything you need to know
Year 2020. You can’t miss the balayage hair trend. Pictures popped up everywhere on Instagram. More than 12 millions post. Everyone saw those gorgeous hair color photos taking over the social medias, with all those different styles of highlights. We have all heard about it, but do you really know what is a balayage? Could you make the difference with simple highlights or an ombre style? Let’s talk about it.
What is a balayage?
Remember. When we talk about balayage, we talk about a technique. Not a color by itself. The technique has been invented by french colorists in the 70’s.
Pronounce “ba-la-yaa-ge” the french way. That word means “to sweep”, describing the method of application using a brush and a back board. Thus this method is originally utterly free-handed.
The application is done on the appreciation of the colorists, who will place the highlights and give them shape where he believe the results will be the best. So no cap of any sort, Just a colorist knowledge and appreciation. This is why it is better to make it in salon, and with a stylist with a large experience to this kind of method. The final style goal of the method is to give an impression of sun-kissed hairs.
So how is it technically done?
Depending on the length of your hairs and the result desired, the technique can vary a little. The important is the basic method, consisting in strands of colors applied with a brush and a back board.
The colorist will prepare the hairs by highlighting some strands, where he thinks that will give the best effect. Applying in different shapes, V, W, /, by section,depending on the style, the color, the thickness, and the length of your hairs. This means that the process requires a lot of time and a long work. from the preparation bleaching highlights strands, on every sections, and then the coloring process. A minimum of 4 hours is a standard, so during your research to find a salon for your next balayage style, beware of places making it too cheap and too fast. Of course some very experimented stylists can make it quicker than others, but there are some standards and process time that cannot be avoided nor rushed.
The process implies a bleaching process. Not an all over bleach, but only sections. Bleaching may causes damages to your hairs forced to repetition, over dosed or over processed. So it is important that you talk to your stylist of your previous experiences, and color/bleaching history. According to it the colorist can decide to add special treatment as Olaplex to preserve your hairs from further damages and breakage. Or suggest you to wait a couple of months for your hairs to recover. Your stylist should carefully check on your hairs first before processing. This is a key element to determine if you are in a quality and trustworthy salon. A written consultation, including color history, allergy questionnaire, and products that will be used during the process is usually a sign of professionalism.
In order to explain what is really a balayage, the best is to compare it to other more known and common styles and techniques.
Balayage Vs Highlights
Nowadays, most of the stylists use foils or cottons to maintain the strands and help during the balayage process. Though originally the process is a complete free hands technique. In comparison, the highlights simple implies to bleach strands in a structural way, from roots to ends, regularly all over the head. Balayage technique is different because it implies irregular highlights in different shapes and in random places over the head. Always in order to give that sun-kissed natural look that you won’t get with traditional highlights.
In comparison with regular highlights, the balayage will allow the stylist to express more of his creativity, applying the lights in some specific areas and ways. That give the colorist some more options to brighter your features, and adapt to your hairs conditions, and the shape of your face.
Balayage Vs Ombre
The ombre style is a color style which create a gradient effect transition. Darker from the roots and gradually getting lighter to the ends. On the contrary, Balayage is all over the head, by strands, that can go from the roots to the ends, or to the middle it depends. The goal being to get some vertical or diagonal strands of shades creating that sun-kissed fabulous look.
Is balayage only for blondes?
Definitely no. Balayage is for every colors and for everyone. And that’s what makes it so popular nowadays. It is true that originally, the first balayages were made on blondes shades. However, in 2020, every colors from dark, to blonde and also fashions, can be done with a balayage style, and the results are stunning.
It works on every color, on every length and style cuts. It’s also great for the newbies in hair color. Indeed, some of us are afraid of a full new all over different color. So they op for balayage style, which is an ideal first step for a color. And the main advantage is that it is a very low maintenance style. No need to correct the roots growing every month. Even when your hairs grow, it still looks natural. At Niche Salon, we do balayage every day. Some of our clients, especially for blondes come back back 1 month or 2 later only to make a little toner touch up and that’s it. Even after a couple of months and the roots regrowing, as the balayage includes strands of colors into your natural base, the overall look still look natural.
At first when we used to talk about balayage we immediately imagine a blonde hair style with different shades.
Nevertheless there are absolutely no limits in the colors with balayage. Brown hairs with caramel tones, ash grey with lavender shades, gold rose nuances, blue and pink for the boldest. It’s all about you and your personality.
And the best is that it is international. It works great with every kind of hairs. Caucasian brown, Nordic blondes, dark Asian hairs, Middle east black and thick hairs. We can get nice renders with every types. No surprise that this trend is such in the hype now in our globalized fashioned world.
So let’s see you soon at Niche Salon, if you are interested to define your new look with this amazing style.
