Everything you need to know about balayages!
At Wisteria Avenue Hair Salon in Abingdon, we love our balayages! This is a popular choice and in practise our most frequently requested type of hair colour appointment.
Many of our Abingdon hairdressing clients however often confuse a balayage with an ombre, remain unsure as to what makes a balayage distinctive, are uncertain as to the maintenance required and more.
For a Hair Stylist to determine which option is best for you, they will need to see your hair first. Ideally if your Abingdon Hairdresser is working with a blank canvas then it works really well. If you already have highlights or an ombre then it can be tricky reverting to a balayage.
The most effective balayage can be achieved when the hair is already one colour (natural or coloured).
For more information on hair advice, our helpful balayage tips might help. Alternatively, check out our other blog posts for more.
What is a balayage?
A balayage is a form of highlights designed to look natural. Imagine sunning abroad somewhere; the sun will lighten parts of your hair albeit in such a way that not every strand of hair will be lightened the same.
Using a brush, the bleach is artistically swept down the hair to create natural looking highlights part-way down the hair leaving the root area of the hair unaffected.
How to create the perfect balayage
There are plenty of methods to create the best balayage. Some stylists will use foils, others won’t. Conversely some Abingdon Hair Stylists will go freehand whereas others will adopt a brush and balayage board approach. There is no right or wrong method, often every Hair Stylist will be taught differently or find an approach that suits them.
Most vitally a balayage is specifically a far more subtle way of lightening the hair. Other alternatives include highlights (lightening from the root), a scalp bleach (lightening all over) and an ombre (lightening all the ends).
If everything aligns, you select the right type of balayage to suit your personal style and you are lucky enough to avoid greys, then absolutely! For our money, a balayage is a highly maintainable and one of the least expensive colour options to explore in a salon due to the frequency of appointments required to maintain it.
Not only will you be able to get 3-4 months wear from a balayage, but it looks great too!
If you do have greys coming through, you will need to book a tint regrowth. A balayage won’t address grey hairs from the root area.
