Hair Balayage is a coloring technique that makes your hair beautiful and looks thick and voluminous. In this article, we have written everything you need to know about hair balayage. Stay with us.
What is hair balayage?
Contrary to popular belief, balayage is a color application technique, not a specific color. Balayage is a French word that means “to sweep or paint” and refers to the method of dyeing hair in this technique, which is just like moving a brush up and down on a canvas.
In the technique, the hair is dyed, and the hair color starts from the middle of the hair shaft and extends to the end of the hair instead of the roots. The result of this method is a combination of colors with different degrees. When hair is highlighted and lightened like this, it looks very natural. In this method, the root part of the hair is darker, and as we get closer to the ends, the color becomes lighter and gives the hair a thicker appearance.
The difference between balayage and ombre and highlight
As we said, the hair is painted in balayage with a brush-like motion, resulting in a natural, multi-dimensional light color. The hair colorist in the hairdressing salon uses a hair color brush or brush to lighten your hair and then separates each part of the hair from the other using strips of cotton fabric or cellophane. This way, the color will not drip on your hair or be seen as a stain. But the hair highlighting method is a bit different.
hair highlight
To highlight, those hairs that will be dyed are placed in aluminum foil and shaded from the root to the tip of the hair. Using foil makes the hair very light. Hair highlighting creates a strong contrast between the dyed hair and your natural hair color. This contrast makes your face and hair falling on your shoulder look beautiful. At the same time, in the highlight, the hair has a more orderly pattern, and the roots of the hair should be dyed constantly.
The difference between balayage and ombre
Ombre is a French word that means “shaded” and uses the hair balayage technique, with the difference that, as a result, the hair color is more transparent and thicker, and the line between dark and light hair is visible. Another difference between ombre and hair balayage is that in balayage, the roots of the hair are not dyed. Still, in ombre, the origins of the hair are also stained, and the color of the hair is darker at the roots and becomes lighter as it reaches the tips of the hair.
Sambra
Another technique called Sombra results in a very soft and smooth transition from the dark part of the hair to the light, and you may not even notice the border between the two. The dyed part of the hair is only one or two degrees lighter than the undyed part.
Benefits of hair balayage
Hair color in the balayage method is more natural than standard highlights. In balayage, a bunch of hair is selected and dyed to blend with your natural hair. Balayage hair coloring is much more realistic than the highlight method, where the border between your dyed and natural hair is clearly defined. In the following, we will examine other benefits of hair balayage.
1. Easy maintenance
Since the hair is dyed gently in the hair balayage method, they are not significantly different from your natural hair. For this reason, when your hair grows, there will not be a noticeable difference in your hair color, and you do not have to go to the hair salon as soon as possible. Also, in hair balayage, the roots of the hair are not dyed, and you do not need to re-dye your hair as your natural hair grows.
2. Less hair color dripping
When dyeing your hair using the balayage method, the stylist separates the strands of your hair that he wants to dye using a barrier such as cellophane or a strip of cotton fabric so that the bleaching material does not touch them.
3. Less damage to hair
Since only a part of the hair is dyed in balayage, you don’t have to take all your hair under the décolleté. With hair balayage, you will not only have lighter hair than your natural hair but will not be damaged by dyeing.
Applying the balayage technique is a little easier for all types of hair, especially curly hair, than other hair-lightening methods. At the same time, since hair balayage is done without foil, the temperature of the hair does not rise so high that the hair is dyed quickly; for this reason, it does not harm the hair as much as other methods.
Also, if you have curly hair, this hair color technique is the best method because the dyed part of your hair will not look streaky at the end of the work.
Disadvantages of hair balayage
According to hair balayage experts, natural hair color and its tone (warm, neutral, and cold) influence the result of balayage work. Some people with very dark hair can use warm orange or red tones. These warm tones are gorgeous in black hair balayage.
Remember, if you don’t like warm tones, balayage is probably unsuitable for you because this method’s hair gets colored much faster and tends to be brassy compared to standard highlights.
Necessary measures before hair balayage in the hairdresser
Before hair balayage in the salon, it is better to take steps to be done safely. In the following, we have explained these actions.
1. Attaching a photo of the dyed hair sample
A picture of your desired hair color is better for feeling at ease about the final result. There are different methods and names for hair color, and the hair colorist can easily understand what color to make your hair by looking at the photo of your desired hair color.
2. Hair cleaning
Dirt and grease from dirty hair prevent the correct hair balayage process. Therefore, wash your hair before dyeing.
3. Use of softener
A few days before hair balayage, apply conditioner to your hair. The softener makes your hair smooth and less damaged during balayage coloring.
4. Choosing a hairstyle
The hairdresser chooses the part of the hair that needs dyed according to the hairstyle, so you should know your desired style before the hair color. Also, before going to the hairdresser, decide whether you want your hair to be straight or curly.
Hair balayage training at home
The process of hair balayage at home is almost similar to what a hair colorist does in a hair salon. We have written the steps below if you want to do hair balayage yourself at home for any reason.
1. Choosing the desired hairstyle and color
Before doing hair balayage, consider your favorite hairstyle. If you want to cut your hair, get it done by a professional hairdresser and then dye it. Short hair balayage is much easier than long hair. Also, choose your desired color before balayage. In black hair balayage, use colors with warm tones. Balayage has a stunning effect on black hair. If your natural hair color is light, you can make it black first and then do hair balayage with a light color.
2. Hair division and coloring
Separate the hair you want to dye and dip it in the desired color. Be careful that the hair color does not reach the hair roots. Then cover the dyed hair with a cotton cloth or cellophane. This way, the color does not spread to other parts of your hair. When staining, dye a small amount of your hair; if you are satisfied with the result, dye the rest in the same order.
3. Hair heating
After you have dyed your hair with the color you want, heat it a little with a hair dryer so that it will color faster. Of course, if your hair is fragile, do not heat it so as not to damage it. You need 15 to 45 minutes to dye your hair. You can check the color and be careful not to dye your hair too much.
4. Washing and applying protein treatment
After your hair is the color you want, you must wash it. Bleaching can damage your hair, so it’s best to use protein therapy products to care for your hair to repair it if it’s damaged.
5. Using gloss and moisturizer
Most of the time, there is a possibility that after dyeing the hair, the result will not be precisely what you want. For example, you may have intended golden blonde, but the base color of your hair is grayer. In this case, you can apply gloss to your hair to achieve the color you want by combining it with the base of your natural hair color and new highlights. Once you use the front (which also has moisturizing properties) on your hair, wait about 10 minutes. When you get the desired result, wash your hair and apply moisturizer all over your hair. After finishing work, wash your hair.
Balayage training with foil
Although hair balayage is done without the use of foil, and this is one of its advantages, some people do this technique with foil and highlights. This type of balayage is also called foliage. All the steps are the same as hair balayage without foil; only foil is used instead of wrapping the hair in cellophane or cotton cloth.
Care after hair balayage
Fortunately, with hair balayage, you don’t have to go to the hairdresser frequently, but you still need to take care of your hair, and one of the ways to care for balayage hair is to use toner. Toner is useful for maintaining your hair color. On the other hand, the hair coloring technique preserves the brightness of your hair color.
Also, be sure to use conditioner and moisturizer when washing your hair. The ends of the hair usually dry out faster than other parts after coloring, mainly if you are used to blow-drying your hair every day, so remember to soften them with special oils. Taking care of short hair balayage is much easier than long hair. If taking care of long hair is bothering you, it is not harmful to think about short hair.
last word
We hope you will benefit from this article. If you have any experience or advice about hair balayage, we will gladly share it with you.
