HAIR - What is Balayage?

What does Balayage mean? Balayage is French for 'to paint' or 'to sweep' which pretty much describes this colour technique. Your expert colourist will use a freehand painting technique to apply the colour, to give your hair  a natural, sun-kissed look. It softly blends your natural colour into a lighter shade towards the ends leaving your hair looking like you've spent the summer in Ibiza (If only!) What to expect To create this look your stylist will start by backcombing your roots to help blend your natural hair with your balayage lights. She will then take sections of hair and free-hand paint the colour using a tint brush against a balayage board or her hand. Balayage lights are designed to look natural and usually don’t start at the roots, with the exception of lights around the hairline to frame your face.  Who's balayage best for? Balayage is best for anyone looking for a more subtle or natural look. It's perfect if you want to give dull hair more dimension and depth. If you are looking to cover grey hair this may not be the best option as it won't touch the root area or provide full coverage. However if you're looking to blend your greying roots to a lighter whiter colour this could be the perfect colour service for you. Or you could add root regrowth colour to a balayage service. Does balayage work on all hair types? Absolutely. Balayage works on any hair colour. If your hair is naturally blonde or light brown you may want lighter blonde balayage. Brunettes can opt for balayage several shades lighter than their natural colour. The effect also works well on straight or curly hair.  Your colourist will often adjust the technique to work with your hair type and it's natural movement. Do you recommend a toner?  A toner applied during your balayage service helps nail the shade you want. A toner can be personalised to suit the look you're going from: ash, cream, honey etc. It only affects the coloured hair and also adds extra gloss to the hair. To read more about Toners head here. What’s the difference between balayage and highlights? Hair highlighting is a more structured, even technique than balayage. Your hair is more rigorously segmented and colour is applied from the top roots through to the ends. Highlights are the best option when you want more coverage or want the overall effect to be a few shades lighter than your natural colour. To Enjoy salon-grade colour services at home BOOK