What Is Balayage Hair Coloring?
Balayage hair coloring is one of the biggest trends in the beauty industry right now. It’s a timeless style that is having a resurgence thanks to social media, with over 25 million posts on the #balayage on Instagram alone. Balayage has a cult following amongst celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, Gigi Hadid and Rose Byrne. The balayage look even has the royal seal of approval from the Duchess of Cambridge who has sported the look for several seasons now. We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about balayage hair coloring, so that the next time you visit your hair salon you can give this trend a try.
Balayage vs. Ombre:
Ombre means ‘to shadow’ and creates a contrast between the roots and tips of your hair, while balayage creates a much more blended look. While a balayage is a sweep of color, an ombre treatment gives a shadow-like appearance to your hair. There is a seamless transition of color with the balayage technique, while an ombre treatment creates a much more drastic difference. Ombre hair color goes downward from dark at the roots to light at the tips, with the ends of your hair ending up much lighter than they would with a balayage treatment. A sombré is a softer take on the ombre treatment and offers a halfway house between the balayage and ombre treatments.
Balayage vs. Highlights:
Unlike your usual highlights, the balayage technique does not use foils. Instead, the color is painted onto your hair using a sweeping motion with a paddle brush. This method makes your hair look more natural than highlights would as the color is not as uniform or artificial. Balayage leads to a significantly less noticeable regrowth than highlights as the color blends in with your natural color, and you can target the color to flatter your natural features.
If you’re looking to experiment with lightening your hair and are unsure if it’s something you’re fully ready to commit to, then balayage hair coloring is an ideal first step. Your hair salon can place the color exactly where you want it to give you a unique and bespoke look.
Is Balayage Good For My Hair?
While highlights require regular upkeep, the balayage technique is more low maintenance which means your hair will undergo less color related damage. To maintain your balayage at home, you should invest in hydrating hair masks to keep the shine in your hair and incorporate a purple-toned shampoo to your routine to prevent the color from becoming brassy. Your stylist can recommend the best combination of products to work with your hair type.
The balayage hair coloring treatment is a timeless style with lots of room for your stylist to get creative, as the hand painting technique allows you to customize the look to match your taste. When you’re heading out to your hair salon, bring along reference photos to show your stylist exactly what look you want to emulate. The balayage technique is one way to make your hair look sun-kissed all year round.
