To Balayage or Not to Balayage, that is the question!
As most of you know I have been a Brunette Balayage Specialist for the past two years and let me tell you it is as amazing as you’ve heard! In today’s blog I will tell you all about Balayage, from what the heck it is to why it’s so incredible for almost everyone. Still interested? Keep reading!
What is a balayage?
Let me start by helping you pronounce that crazy french word, because I have heard this mispronounced in I can’t even count how many ways [LOL]! It is pronounced Bali-Yage, it’s a weird one but don’t worry I’ve linked that for you!
Balayage was brought in as a hair coloring technique just shortly after the Ombre made its appearance. It started off as an open air concept, which is the technique you’ll see a lot on Instagram and YouTube where the lightener is placed onto the hair and left outside of foils to process. This is a more visual and a freehanded style that looks a lot like the image to the right.
As Balayage progressed, so many Stylists started creating their own versions and techniques based on the results they wanted. The next form of Balayage that appeared is what I like to call “Foilyage,” which is a method that gives the illusion of an open air, freehanded Balayage utilizing foils and teasing.
And now you’ll see methods that use both techniques plus highlighting, color melting and so on. I know all confusing hairdresser words but we can go into all those terms at a later time!
So what’s my go-to Balayage Technique?
If you follow my Instagram Page [@ShelbyAlexandraHair] you will see that I am one hundred percent a Foilyage Artist! I prefer this method for so many reasons, but of them all I feel that I have the most control with this technique.
As mentioned above, Foilyage Balayage is all placed in foils. Foils naturally conduct heat when placed in the hair because of the scalp. This heat allows the foils to warm up, push the lightener further and allow me to achieve higher and brighter blondes! I’m also able to keep my sectioning much more clean and neat. So yes under all the crazy mess I call my #SignatureFoilyage there is a fool proof method that turns into a stunning masterpiece!
What does a Balayage look like and what is the maintenance like?
I get asked almost daily what the difference is between a Balayage and Highlights. Let’s take a look at the two ollowing images and go over the major differences between them.
Above are two images of the same guest. On the left is a Full Head Highlight and the right is a Full Balayage. This guest has had three sessions of lightning with me, so the tonal difference you see is a result of her sessions and has nothing to do with the technique, just thought I’d mention this. So aside from tone, you can definitely see a huge difference between the two images of dimension throughout her mids and where her blonde hit in conjunction with her root. With the Full Head Highlight you’ll notice that her highlights reach all the way up to her roots making them appear brighter, where with the Balayage you’re seeing a lot more darkness through the root area. You may also notice that the Balayage image has more dimension and naturalness through it, while the Highlight image shows a much more solid blonde look.
Now let’s discuss the maintenance of these two techniques! My average Full Head Highlight guest comes in anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks. I recommend doing a full every visit because with partials your underneath zone gradually gets darker and more dimensional with time, thus making it not even with the rest of your hair color. Now I do offer Patrials and Minis but typically advise against them. I also utilize a mini root shade to help blend your natural roots into the highlight and create a softer grow out.
A Balayage, on the other hand, will last an entire year without having to touch it up with the proper maintenance in between. Most of my Balayage guests only receive a Full Balayage session once a year! Yes you read that correctly, once a year! And the maintenance appointments that include a Face Frame Highlight and Toner are only done once every 3 to 4 months. This method utilizes your natural root color as your base so that everything stays soft and blended as it grows out. So with proper maintenance and care a Balayage will not only last you longer but is way more cost effective. Plus who doesn’t love to look as natural as possible!
In conclusion…
I can go on for hours about all the tiny details about Balayage and why I love it so much, but I wanted to keep it plain and simple for you guys! I hope that this blog post has helped you to understand the different options you have on your hair journey and answered more questions about the difference in these techniques. Please feel free to comment or contact me here, if you need any more information!
xoxo,
Shelby Alexandra
