What exactly is balayage hair?

Balayage hair is one of the hottest hair trends nowadays and a frequent request at the hair salons since 2014! The question is, what exactly is this time-defying balayage hair and how did it come to be? Read on and find out!

Did you know that balayage hair is actually a technique rather than an actual color?

Derived from a French word “balayer” – to sweep, balayage means that your hairstylist will use “sweeping” motions to hand-paint highlights onto the hair. This technique will create soft, natural looking highlights and you will look like your hair was sunkissed.

The hairstylist will apply dye to the strands in vertical strokes in a V shape, while the coloring is unequal all over the hair – so the transitions between the shades are soft and smooth with flattering depth and dimension.

With so many trends going on, it’s no surprise how many hair styles come and go before you even book your appointment at the salon. However, balayage hair has maintaned its status at the top for nearly a decade and here’s why!

After debut on the red carpet, celebrity awards and instagram, balayage hair has just gained in versatility and lost none of its luster. The reason for that is that natural looking, healthy hair will always be popular!

Balayage finish can be both subtle or bold – and in every case it’s tailored especially for you – zour face shape, your color and your wishes. Awesome, isn’t it?

One of the main misconceptions is that balayage hair is just for blondes, however, that is not true! It is actually used on all hair shades in order to create gradation of lightness from the roots towards the ends.

Not only that balayage hair technique can be accomplished on all hair colors, this style is also so versatile that you can pick anything from warm and creamy vanilla streaks to ashy tones on blonde hair or even rich caramel and mahogany hues for brunettes.

The only problem is that you may have some difficulties deciding whether you want to go soft, natural, vibrant or muted – the possibilities are really vast!
The added bonus is that it doesn’t matter what type of hair texture you have. Balayage hair technique blends beautifully on all kinds of hair, straight, curly and coarse. It is also one of the favorite choices for brunettes who want to keep their natural hair shade, yet want a new, refreshed look that doesn’t require high maintenance.

10 most sought after balayage hair combos
Even though there are over 50 balayage hair combos that you can try, these ten are the most popular:

• Bright Tiger Eye Balayage
• Strawberry Blonde Balayage
• Dark Root Balayage
• Caramel Mocha Balayage
• Partial Balayage on Dark Hair
• Auburn Balayage on Dark Hair
• Beige Blonde Balayage
• Ash Brown Hair Balayage
• High-Shine Copper Balayage
• Icy Blonde Balayage

Balayage can go in any directon you want – it can help you to transition to lighter hair, it can give your hairstyle more dimension or give your dark hair more playfulness. It’s your choice! If you are not sure what will suit you best, you can always consult with your stylist since they have more experience and know what will work for you and how to achieve it.

Balayage is loved by clients and stylist mostly because of these two reasons: it’s versatile and easy to mantain!

While some women prefer highlights more than balayage technique, balayage tends to look more natural, effortless and it gives you longer grow-out period.

What does that actually mean?

Well, whereas a traditional highlight client might need to touch up their regrowth every eight weeks, you can stretch it to 12 weeks or longer with balayage.

However, if you want to keep your color looking fresh, you will have to step up your haircare routine between visits to the hair salon, especially if you have blonde hair.

Whether you have very subtle, barely there type of balayage or something more daring – it’s equally damaging to your hair.

Product which is your best friend in this case scenario is good hydration mask to lock in moisture and refresh your hair, as well as purple-toning shampoo to cancel or balance brassy and yellowish tones that may appear between color appointments.

Many color stylist recommend to their clients to pop back after 10 weeks for a treatment which is called “glossing refresher”. It helps with hair tonality, it deep conditions and seals the cuticle layer.

Moreover, it’s very affordable, less time-consuming and less damaging to your hair than a complete coloring session. It doesn’t hurt that it will make your balayage hair look gorgeous and healthy!

One of the perks of getting balayage hair is affordability. Longer grow-out period will help you save a lot of money between the appointments and gradual hand painted highlights will still look fresh!

Sometimes words are just not enough, so make sure to find a lot of inspo before you go to the salon, that way your stylist can have better grasp on how you want your balayage to look like.

Here is one more pro tip – even if you are coming to the salon, come with the clean hair. Grease and product build up can be deceiving and make your hair appear darker than it is. That won’t help you to get your desired hairtone.

Hopefully this article helped you to better understand nuances concerning balayage hair trends and inspired you to try it out for yourself.