BALAYAGE

HOW TO CARE FOR BALAYAGE HAIR

If you’re wondering how to maintain that soft dimension, well, you came to the right place. Luckily, balayage is easier to maintain than it is to spell, and our VP of Technical Design & Education, David Stanko, created a video to teach you how to keep your balayage from going brassy, and how to touch up your roots without busting up your beautiful balayage.

CREATING DIFFERENT TONES WITHIN THE SAME OVERALL COLOR

You have: Red or brunette all-over color
You want: Different tones within that base of color
You need: Bowl and brush, two permanent colors

Brunette doesn’t have to be just brunette, and red simply red. Adding golden, copper, mahogany, and violet tones can create richer shades of hair color. For a multi-tonal palette, select one tone to be your base or root color, and an alternate tone to add variation. Here is an example of how this would work:

• As a brunette, if your base color is a medium brown with hints of gold, you can add mahogany or auburn tones for variation.
• Simply apply your base hair color and touch up roots as you normally would. Then, take small panels of hair and paint the variation of color onto those select small sections, painting right up to the area where the root color ends.
• After you are done painting on the lowlights, close up your foils so the color doesn’t get on the rest of your hair.
• Use the color tint brush to alternate painting the two colors on various sections of hair.

CREATING LOWLIGHTS (DARKER PIECES) IN UNIFORMLY COLOR TREATED HAIR

You have: Dark blonde to medium brown color-treated hair
You want: To make pieces pop by adding slightly darker tones
You need: Your pre-selected darker shade, foil or plastic wrap, bowl and brush

Sure everyone knows about highlights, but what about lowlights? Lowlights can add gorgeous depth and dimension. To add complexity to your color, simply choose a lowlight color 1-2 levels darker and typically of a slightly different tone than your base color. Here is an example of how this would work:

• If you have all-over red hair, you can make the red color pop by choosing another color one shade darker.
• Choose small pieces of hair where you want to add dimension, and place foil or plastic wrap under these small sections of hair. This creates a canvas for you to apply color, using your gloved fingers, the applicator bottle, or a brush. Pro tip—when adding lowlights, start a couple of inches back from the face. This lets the lighter colors stay nearest to your skin for a more a natural-looking effect.
• After you are done painting on the lowlights, close up your foils so the color doesn’t get on the rest of your hair.
• Allow to process fully for 35 minutes before shampooing out as normal. Here’s another pro tip—only remove the foils when you’re ready to shampoo right away, as you don’t want to pull them out early and have the color laying against the non color treated hair too long.

HOW TO VIDEO: AT-HOME BALAYAGE ... YOU GOT THIS

When adding highlights, lowlights or adding a new tone, you can always start with 3-4 pieces until you feel more confident in your application, adding more as you fall in love with the look. If you’re feeling especially hesitant, you can also pin up the front crown portion of your hair and apply your balayage highlights underneath for a less noticeable look. From lowlights to highlights to all-over color, the thing to remember about hair color is that it should be fun. And don’t forget—we are here to help. Our Color Crew is made up of professional, licensed colorists here to talk you through finding your perfect shade, application, and how to care for your color. See our how to video for more tips!

WHAT DOES BALAYAGE DO TO YOUR HAIR?

Balayage is a technique of highlighting. In French, the word balayage means “to sweep.” As it relates to hair color, balayage is a technique using a brush or tool to “sweep” lightener along the surface of the hair to create a soft, natural gradation of highlights. This results in a more natural-looking, sun-kissed, highlighted look that is focused towards the mid-lengths and ends of the hair - while keeping some natural depth at the root area. This is different from foil highlights which go right up to the root. Try our Light Works Balayage Highlighting Kit to create salon-quality, natural-looking highlights at home. It also includes a toning glaze that you will use after the balayage lightening process, which is the finishing touch to a salon highlighting service.

HOW MUCH DOES BALAYAGE COST?

The cost can vary quite drastically depending on the salon you go to, as well as the amount of lightness you are wanting to see. A balayage service can range anywhere from $150 to $300+. Some salons may add a separate charge for toner and some may include it in the price. For a more cost-effective option, you can use our Light Works Balayage Highlighting Kit at home for just $49. It includes our precision wishbone applicator tool, ammonia-free clay lightener, toning glaze, and a bond-building cleansing treatment. Plus, it’s available in 5 shades, so you can choose the right toning glaze depending on your hair’s natural shade.

IS BALAYAGE BETTER THAN FOIL HIGHLIGHTS?

A huge benefit of balayage is a naturally blended look, which leads to a less noticeable regrowth. This means you can get away with more time between highlighting services, so this technique is great for someone who is looking for lower-maintenance color. This technique may also be more gentle on the hair since you are not drastically lightening your hair all over.

WHAT IS THE DOWNSIDE OF BALAYAGE?

Since balayage is not designed to create highlights right to the root (like a foil highlight), you may not see as much lightness at the root area. Therefore, if your ends are already light and/or you want to add more lightness to the top of your hair, then balayage might not be the right highlighting technique for you. (If you prefer foil highlights, visit one of our 85+ Hair Color Bar locations nationwide to have our professional colorists give you the personalized highlights you are looking for.