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Madison Reed | August 02, 2024

How to Do Balayage on Curly Hair

Balayage on curly hair

Image by Madison Reed

How to do balayage on curly hair at home?  It’s easy! All you need is an at-home balayage highlighting kit and a desire for gorgeous color and curls! Keep reading this article to find out more.

Do It Yourself Balayage on Curly Hair: How to Balayage Your Hair at Home

Let’s start with our guide, and then we’ll answer all your other questions. How can you balayage your curly hair? This involves three steps.

1. Pick Your Products

Firstly, you need to select the products you’ ll use, including the hair treatments you’ll apply after coloring. What exactly do you need?

• balayage highlighting kit—make sure to choose one that comes with a toner. If your kit does not include one, buy it separately—this is crucial for finishing your color.

• Hair clips.

Note: If you plan to straighten your hair before coloring you'll need a heat protectant spray.

At this stage, you need to make some decisions: select the color of your toner and think about where you want the highlights of your balayage placed.

2. Prepare Your Hair (and Yourself)

With all the products ready, it’s time to prepare your hair for coloring. What do we mean by this?

  • • Make sure your hair is free of heavy styling products, as this may inhibit the lightener from working effectively.

    balayage while your hair is straight so you can see exactly where it is being placed.

    2. Prepare your surfaces:

    • Since balayage uses a lightener, it will be able to bleach any towels, rugs, or porous surfaces in your bathroom. Cover your counter with old towels or disposable covering (like foil) to protect from any discoloration.

    • • Put on your smock, cape or old clothes that are ok to get stained.
    • 3. Section your hair:

    • Balayage is typically placed through the lengths of hair around the front and top layers of the hair. You can clip or braid the underneath section of your hair so it is out of the way.

    • Divide the rest of your hair into two sections, one on each side of the head.

    • 4. Mix:

    • Always follow the instructions provided with your highlighting kit.

    • Put on gloves and mix up your lightener!

    3. Apply the Dye and Wait for It to Process

    Now it’s time to balayage!

    1. Decide how subtle or how bold you want the balayage to look:

    • Take chunkier sections for more contrast.

    • Take finer sections for a more subtle look.

    Note: If you are aiming for a lot of lightness or if you have thick hair, it may be best to have 2 kits handy in case you run out of product.

    2. Starting above the ear, take slightly diagonal sections, working your way up to the top of the head.

    3. Paint the balayage starting from the mid-lengths down, staying about 2” away from the roots.

    4. Be sure to saturate the lengths of each section evenly, so you get an even amount of lift. With curly hair, it can be easy to miss spots, so keep an eye on even saturation.

    5. Follow the processing time included in your kit and keep an eye on how light it looks.

    6. Once processing time is up, rinse and shampoo the lightener out, then apply your toner!

    Does Balayage Look Good on Natural Curly Hair?

    Balayage looks gorgeous on curly hair – both natural and after a perm. Curly hair is one of the best hair textures to showcase balayage since it can really enhance and add definition to your curls making the overall color and texture pop. Just take a look at them yourself: 

How to find a good hair salon? The Madison Reed Corte Madera Hair Color Bar in SF Bay Area, California

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How to find a good hair salon? The Madison Reed Corte Madera Hair Color Bar in SF Bay Area, California
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DIY Curly Balayage vs. a Professional Service

You already know that you can balayage your curly hair at home. What about professional services at a hair color bar? Which of these two options should you choose? Well, the one that suits you best.

Booking a professional hair colorist with experience in balayage, even for curly hair, is definitely a good option – after all, they are the experts in the field. You will know that your balayage will be perfect, so you won’t have to worry about the procedure – instead, you will relax in your seat and wait for the results.

On the other hand, you can balayage your curly hair easily at home, as long as you have the right products. So, if you like the independence of DIY hair coloring, balayage your hair at home; if you prefer the comfort and convenience of a professional salon service, book a visit to a Hair Color Bar.

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How to Care for Your Curly Balayage Hair?

We all want our freshly colored hair to remain vibrant and healthy looking for as long as possible. That’s why we have a few maintenance tips for you!

Use a Color-Protecting Shampoo and Conditioner for Curly Hair

When planning your hair care routine, choose products designed for curly and colored hair, like our Frizz Away Shampoo and Conditioner. This way, you’ll ensure that your hair receives the right amount of nutrients and that your color won’t fade away with time.

Frizz Away - Set

Use a Hair Gloss

To keep the tone of your balayage from looking brassy and to slow down fading even further, use a color reviving gloss. It will help you boost shine and get rid of unwanted brassiness, so it looks fresh from the salon ready!

Gloss-Swatches-Social

The Takeaway

So, are you ready to balayage your curly hair at home? We’re sure your hair will look just perfect, but if you still have any questions, contact us or ask them in the comments section – we’ll be happy to share our expertise with you!

You might also read: What Is Foilyage? How Is It Different from Balayage?

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