7 Helpful Facts About Balayage & How It’s Done

So you’ve been scrolling Pinterest and found some absolutely gorgeous hair color that you would love to try. The titles of the images all have this one word that no one seems to know how to spell or pronounce correctly – “balayage”. But before taking this picture in to your stylist and asking for it, there are some facts about balayage that you should know regarding this term.

This post is going to explain everything you need to know about this popular hair coloring technique. I’ve also included my Youtube video below demonstrating how it’s done on one of my mannequins. This can give you a visual representation to what the process looks like and what the outcome will be.

What is balayage?

There are 7 main factors I like to consider when explaining what balayage is all about:

1. Balayage is a technique, not a look or style
2. It is typically more expensive than traditional highlighting
3. The results produced from balayage will last longer than traditional highlights
4. It does not usually produce a lot of lift or lightening power (meaning you’ll likely still have warmth in your hair)
5. It is one of the most subtle highlighting techniques
6. Your haircut makes a huge impact on the end result of your look
7. It looks different on curly vs. straight hair

1. Balayage is a technique

Balayage is a technique of coloring hair; it is not the name of the style or the look that it produces. It’s a French word that means to sweep or to paint, and that is exactly what your stylist does when they apply the clay lightener.

A true balayage is painted onto the hair using a brush and NO foils. Some stylists may use cotton, mesh, or plastic wrap to neatly separate the pieces, but it is never done with foils or a cap. Most of the time, the hair is processed in open-air.

It’s important to keep in mind that there are many ways to achieve an end result, and if your stylist chooses to use foils over a true balayage technique for your hair, trust them. There are times where balayage will work well based on your current situation, but other times another technique may be best to achieve your hair goals.

2. Balayage is more expensive than traditional highlights

Because it’s so customizable, balayage usually costs more than traditional highlights. More artistic skill is used because your stylist is literally hand painting the color onto your hair. Each and every piece of hair is carefully selected and the placement is very important. This takes lots of skill and experience to do correctly.

Balayage also usually takes longer to process than a traditional foil highlight, and time is money in the salon world. Most balayage lighteners (clay lighteners) are also more expensive than a traditional lightener (lightener is bleach). This is another factor as to why balayage is more expensive.

You can typically expect to pay anywhere from $150-400+ for a full balayage service.

3. Balayage will last longer than traditional highlights

Because it is applied to the hair in sweeping movements, balayage does not produce harsh lines when done properly. This makes for a better grow out because there is not a significant line of demarcation at your roots.

I’ve seen some clients go 6+ months without touching up their balayage, whereas a typical foil highlight can usually only go about 6-8 weeks without a root smudge. You may need to come in for a toner in-between balayage services, but it is not as urgent of a matter as a regular full or partial highlight. Check out my post here to learn how to maximize your hair color longevity.

So while balayage is a little more expensive of a service to get, it will last you much longer and give you more bang for your buck in the long run.

4. Balayage does not produce as much lift as regular highlights

If you have naturally dark hair or color treated hair, balayage may not be the best technique for you. Especially if you want to have significant contrast in your color, or zero warmth in your hair.

Because foils are not used, the hair processes at a slower rate and you will not achieve as much lift versus a foiling technique. This is why it is more natural looking. When foils are used, it is similar to baking a potato. The foil holds the heat in, which will speed up and boost the lifting power of the lightener.

Balayage also works best on natural or virgin hair because it lifts much easier than previously color treated hair. But if you want to achieve the “balayage look” with higher levels of lift, your stylist may use a foilayage technique so that you can have the same look with a higher lift to remove warmth and brassy tones.

Foilayage gives the balayage look, but foils and traditional lightener are used. I frequently do this using a teasing technique to replicate the softer look at the root. This technique is known as “teasy lights”

5. Balayage is usually subtle

When balayage is applied, the color is not always thoroughly saturated through each strand. The color is painted onto the outer layers of the hair and this gives for a more natural yet dimensional look. If you want to have a high contrast and bolder look, then this is probably not the technique for you.

The subtle look that it creates is typically referred to as “sunkissed”. Essentially it’s what your hair would look like if you spent a lot of time in the sun, and the sun naturally lightened your hair. The ends are always lighter because they’ve had more exposure.

So if you’re looking for cooler tones and do not want to see any warmth in your hair, then you likely want to avoid balayage. Because it doesn’t produce as much lift as traditional highlights, some warmth is usually left in the final product even after toning.

6. Balayage vs. your haircut

Make sure that your stylist knows ahead of time how much length you want to take off before balayaging your hair. There is nothing worse than deciding AFTER your balayage is processing that you want to take off 5 inches, and cutting all of that color off.

The shape of your cut is also very important when determining how your balayage is placed. It’s a great technique for accentuating a haircut; just make sure that the two are working together. Layers can make or break a balayage look. I find it best to do the frame work of the haircut before applying balayage, and then finishing and texturizing afterwards.

I also wanted to add that it can be done on long OR short hair. The length does not matter, as long as the placement of the balayage is customized to fit the shape of the cut.

7. Balayage on curly vs. straight hair

When finding your goal picture, be sure to choose one that is styled how you regularly wear you hair. If you wear your hair straight most of the time, do not bring in a curled picture to your stylist.

You may like the way the balayage looks on curled hair, but not on straight hair. When the hair is curled it blends the colors and marries them together with pops of dimension coming through. But when the hair is straight you will see every detail and it will be a slightly bolder look.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing especially if done properly, but it’s important that you know what you’re asking for.

How to maintain balayage

***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, this page includes affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***

If done properly, your balayage should last you much longer than traditional highlights. See my post here to find out exactly how often you should visit the salon based on your hair type. Either way, you still need to make sure you are taking proper care of your hair at home in between salon visits.

Check out my post here to learn about how to avoid your hair color and toners from fading.

And depending on the color of your hair, it may be best to purchase a purple shampoo to neutralize harsh warm tones from the hair. I recommend this purple shampoo and purple conditioner for removing brassy tones from blonde hair.

If you do end up needing a toner in-between visits, try using a coloring shampoo or conditioner yourself at home! These are my favorites made by Celeb Luxury. It can save you money by toning at home opposed to needing to go in to the salon.

Does balayage damage your hair?

It’s first important to know that any coloring of your hair can be damaging, especially when going lighter. That being said, balayage is typically softer on your hair than traditional highlights because it is not producing as much lift.

If your hair is already damaged, it’s best to go with what your stylists suggests because you could end up making things worse. I always recommend all of my clients to use a conditioning treatment weekly to keep their hair in good coloring condition. You can find my favorite bond builder/ strengthener here, and my favorite moisturizing treatment here.

What are the benefits of balayage?

To conclude what we’ve talked about thus far, these are the 4 main benefits of balayage:

1. Less maintenance than regular highlights
2. A softer highlight is the outcome
3. Less damaging on your hair
4. More versatile than traditional highlights

How to do a balayage

Below, you can watch my Youtube video where I demonstrate how to perform a balayage service as well as the type of products and tools you’ll need.

Conclusion

Balayage is a technique of highlighting the hair that creates a soft, sun-kissed, dimensional look. The technique is done by painting a clay lightener onto the hair in sweeping movements and processing in open air, not inside of foils.

Since more skill and time is needed to attain results, it is typically more expensive than traditional highlights in the salon. And since this technique produces a more subtle and lived in look, it lasts much longer than traditional highlights because there is no line of demarcation or harsh roots.

This technique is suitable if you are okay with a little warmth in your hair color. That being said, it is not the best technique for an ashy blonde tone with no warmth present.

Your haircut will determine the look of the balayage. It’s recommended to cut the hair before applying the color so the structure of the haircut doesn’t offset the result. Wearing your hair straight vs. curly will also determine the look of your hair. If you wear your hair straight it will appear bolder as curls can blend and marry the dimension together.

This technique is typically less damaging than traditional highlights because not as much lift is achieved.

You can maintain your balayage at home with a purple shampoo as needed. This will help the color to last longer.

While balayage produces a gorgeous look and is super popular today, it may or may not be the best technique for you. Leave it to your stylist to determine what technique to use based on your current hair and your goals.

If you have any further questions for me, leave them for me in the comments. Subscribe below to Have A Good Hair Day!

Last updated 07/31/2024