What You Need to Know About Balayage Hair

By Upasana Kakati Sep 4, 2023 4 min read

What is Balayage Hair?

Foil Highlights vs. Balayage– What is the difference?

What are the benefits of the Balayage Hair Coloring Technique?

How Long Does Balayage Last?

Wrapping up

As the summer slowly slips into autumn, it's only natural to crave a hair makeover. As you embrace the moody autumn tones, let hints of  blonde balayage  add to your transformation. Wait, what exactly is balayage? You must have read about your favorite celebrities sporting their freshly done balayage hairstyle, but it’s confusing. Is it a new hair color trend or technique or a hair color in itself – We answer all these questions for you. 

Also Read – Benefits of Blonde Hair Color

Whether you check the Instagram feeds or TikTok Videos, #balayage seems to have blown up. Golden to blonde locks flaunting their new balayage look is eye-catching. But, still, it's confusing, isn’t it? Here is a hint before we unravel the mystery – It’s not a hair color but a coloring technique!

What is Balayage Hair?

Balayage is a hair color application technique that gives a natural highlight and sun-kissed glow to the hair strands. It is a French word that means “to sweep or paint” and that’s exactly what it is all about. The balayage technique is achieved using hand-painted strokes of color that create natural and low-maintenance highlights. 

The color is swept through small triangle sections of hair, either with a brush or by hand, resulting in lighter ends, and softer tones on the top. If you dig for the beachy and surfer girl look, you are in for a treat with balayage. The freehand highlighting technique helps achieve a naturally blended look. It perfectly blends with shades of blonde, brown, espresso, caramel, or even cooler undertones. 

Foil Highlights vs. Balayage– What is the difference? 

Although the final look of foil highlights and balayage does not spark a contrasting difference, both are two different worlds. The classic foil highlights have been prevalent for a long time, adopted by salons for creating stunningly highlighted strands. A significant difference stands strong – foil highlights involve the use of foil while  balayage  is a free-hand hair painting. 

As per an expert hairstylist, balayage creates a more natural look with its slightly lighter shade as compared to the base color. However, hair highlighting focuses more on changing the hair color, lifting the level or brightness of the hair strands. Balayage color dispenses a natural feel without feeding the hair with contrasting levels of lightness. If you dig for an uniform look with strands wearing contrasting colors, foil highlight does the job. 

Highlights are placed much closer to the scalp and applied with precision in specific sections of hair. However, balayage is a non-uniform sweep of color that candidly represents a beach escape attitude. Balayage colors leave the roots with natural colors and the paints majorly from mid-length to ends.

What are the benefits of the Balayage Hair Coloring Technique?

That’s the part you have been waiting for, isn’t it? Every hair color technique comes with its pros and cons. Here are some of the benefits that balayage brings along:

Gives a natural look – Balayage blends the hues with natural shades to create perfect wavy patterns on hair. Specific strands are hand-painted and blended with a natural base, giving a subtle and softer look.
It’s trending - From Kardashians to Hailey Bieber to several celebrities flaunting their balayage look, it is top-of-a-game trend. The endless  balayage hair color ideas  have brought it to the limelight, no wonder how and why it gained such a massive fan base. With #balayage garnering millions of views on Instagram and TikTok, it’s stealing the show. 
Low maintenance – The soft strokes painted on the strands help in achieving a natural look. With no blunt lines or over-the-top layers, you don’t have to worry about frequent touch-ups and maintenance. 
Less likely to bleed – The color bleeding is not a rare encounter in foil highlights. On placing the foils too close to each other, it could leave a spot of bleach – also known as bleed, on hair strands beneath the foil. However, the use of cotton wrap between sections of hair prevents bleeding of bleach in balayage. 
Better customization – Balayage hair is just not limited to a single style or pattern. It’s easy to personalize balayage shade based on its gradation, color, and hair texture.

How Long Does Balayage Last?

The balayage technique does not really demands extreme precision. Completion of the process might take a little longer than the conventional foil highlight technique. On average, it lasts for around four to six months with proper care. Just be informed, no maintenance will not do the balayage any good. To make sure the shades last longer, use a color-safe shampoo and conditioner. We recommend Moehair Color Alive Shampoo and Moehair Color Alive Conditioner. 

Wrapping up

With balayage hair, get ready to set the trend and ravel in your beach girl avatar. Let your mane feel the earthly vibe of summer and autumn, as the rich balayage paints the strands. Whether you love the warm tones or the blonde undertone, there is something for everyone. Channelize your inner celebrity as you step out showing off that rich balayage to the world. Don’t wait on anymore, be the star you aspire to. 