If there’s one hair trend that’s been keeping our stylists busy this year, it’s balayage. The beautiful, graduated transition from dark roots to soft, gentle highlights creates a wonderfully effortless look, which can be dressed up with gorgeous curls or kept really casual with loose waves. Balayage has a timeless charm that makes it perfect for just about anyone – from A-listers on the red carpet to the average working person who simply wants to look amazing! Here at the House of Klamer, we absolutely love this technique.
So, what exactly is balayage?
Balayage is a beautiful, on-trend highlighting technique that keeps the roots their natural colour and introduces gorgeous, lighter-toned highlights towards the ends of the hair. You might be thinking, ‘Oh, so it’s the same as ombré!’, but no: while they’re similar in that they move from darker roots to lighter ends, ombré and balayage are very different.
Ombréis a hairstyle that involves block colour that saturates the ends of the hair in a lighter tone. Balayage, on the other hand, is all about keeping the hair looking natural by maintaining some of the darker ends and creating soft, subtle highlights. It is the name of the technique rather than the style, and translates from the French for ‘to sweep’ or ‘to paint’, as it is applied by sweeping the colour (freehand) through small sections of the hair.
How should you wear it?
Like most types of highlights, there are certain hairstyles that can make your balayage look even more impactful. Using tongs to form loose curls is always a favourite with our customers, as it helps the colours blend together and create that effortless, sun-kissed look. ‘Messy’ updos are also fabulous for showing off balayage, as they allow the different tones to sit next to each other and really highlight the delightful contrast of the hair’s colours.
Why do we love it?
The best thing about balayage is that it’s so simple but, when applied professionally, can utterly transform your hair. It doesn’t matter if you’re blonde, brunette or redheaded, or if you’ve got long, short or medium-length hair – balayage will definitely suit you! As it’s a freehand technique, it’s designed to be applied in a bespoke manner for every individual, which means that the colour, depth and finish of the highlights will be unique to you.
We also love balayage because it’s so easy to maintain. Unlike conventional highlights, where you have to get them redone every few months because the roots are poking through, balayage is supposed to make the most of your beautiful, natural roots. It still looks wonderful as it’s growing out, and simply needs a bit of colour-protection treatment (e.g. shampoos, conditioners and styling sprays) to keep the colour looking vibrant and natural.
To find out more about the balayage technique, contact us at the House of Klamer today.
