It’s been a while since balayage became popular and it still remains a rage amongst women who’re looking for a subtle makeover using hair colour. These highlights are a tad different from regular highlights and have gained immense momentum, thanks to the many celebrities and beauty moghuls popularising them on Instagram or red carpet events. Exactly why we thought of giving you a complete low-down on this hair colour technique with the help of TIGI Educator, Audrey D’Souza who gave us a 101 guide to balayage. Read on to find out all about it...
 

What is it?

What is it?

You’d be surprised to know but balayage was first created by French colourists back in the 1970s. This one doesn’t involve foil; instead, colourists do it directly with their hands.
So who is this highlighting technique perfect for? If you’ve always wanted to colour your hair and are looking for something that’s not overtly drastic, this hair colouring technique is perfect for you. You know what’s even better? Balayage is low-maintenance and you don’t have to rush to the salon every now and then for touch ups. Now, isn’t that such a relief for us lazy women?

 

Colour palettes

Colour palettes

Confused about what colours you can choose when getting a balayage? Audrey explains, “Essentially, there are two colours involved in a balayage—the roots are darker while the mid-lengths are lighter. You need to ensure that your hair colourist doesn’t go too drastic with the colours. You need to ensure that he/she chooses colours that are closer to each other all through the hair. Like if you’re going for light brown on the roots, ideally, you should be going for dark blonde on the mid-length.”

 

How to care for it

How to care for it

Sure, balayage might be low maintenance compared to other kinds of hair colouring techniques but this hardly means your hair doesn’t need special attention when treated with balayage. Says Audrey, “If you have very dark roots and your mid length is red or any other bright shade, you should go for a shampoo and conditioner that’s meant for darker toned hair to ensure that the balayage stays in place,” she adds, “But while you wash your hair with the right shampoo and conditioner, it is just as necessary to use a leave-in conditioner every time you wash your hair as this will help protect your hair from environmental aggressors and leave it feeling soft and smooth.”

 

The balayage process

The balayage process

Unlike regular highlights where the colourist uses foiling and caps, in this technique, the colourist uses a freehand technique wherein the colour is applied directly by hand on the hair. Then you basically sweep the colour with a brush and a backing board to get the desired effects.

 

Balayage VS highlights

Balayage VS highlights

In regular highlights, there is a chance that the colour ends up looking flat while in balayage, you can hope to achieve a subtle sun-kissed look. One of the best things about getting a balayage is that this hair colouring technique doesn’t require touch-ups as often as highlights do.