Everything you need to know about Balayage!

Balayage is now the most requested look at the hairdresser. But do we know exactly what it is? Many women know it has something to do with highlights, and that they look more natural than simply bleaching your hair. But what technique does the hairdresser use exactly? And more importantly, is it suitable for your hair type? Read on to learn everything there is to know about balayage. You could also win a repair hair mask from one of our favorite brands!

What is balayage?

Balayage is the French word for “a sweep” or “sweeping.” It may seem as though this popular look is a recent trend. Nothing could be further from the truth. This French hair technique began around the 1970s. Apparently, fashionistas at the time were looking for a hairstyle that would give their hippie image a boost. They certainly succeeded, because when I look through my parents’ photo albums, everyone already had semi-blonde hair. With balayage, the hairdresser usually applies the hair dye with a brush. Sometimes they also use clear foils. Hairdressers who use the balayage technique color the hair “intuitively.” This means they apply the dye freehand. The aim of this hair technique is to create a beachy look using golden tones. After balayage, you have a set of highlights that look natural because there’s no obvious regrowth.

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Balayage, ombre, dip-dye, bronde...what’s the difference?

You’ve probably come across these terms more than once while searching for a new look. We often aren’t entirely clear on the differences between these techniques. We’ll explain what each technique involves.

Balayage: 40/50% lighter color and the rest your base color.

Ombre: Ombre is all about light. 60/70% light ends with a small amount of your natural hair color at the roots and a little at the ends for a natural fade out.

Babylights: Babylights are a few lighter sections at the front that blend softly toward the back. With babylights, the hairdresser leaves a little more regrowth. This creates more movement and light around the face.

Bronde: Actually the opposite of ombre. It’s about a dark color with a small percentage of light. Working with multiple shades of brown gives a very beautiful result.

Dip dye: The roots are 100% dark and the ends are 100% light. A beautiful blend is essential here.

Is balayage damaging to your hair?

We all know that dyeing or bleaching your hair is damaging to your strands. Nevertheless, most women still go for that new look. One major advantage of balayage is that it’s less damaging, because foils generally aren’t used. Either way, we are still talking about bleaching your hair. In our blog about bleaching, you can read what the process involves. After bleaching your hair, it may feel drier. That’s why it’s very important to take good care of it. The best way to do this is to wash your hair with hair products that deeply nourish and condition it. I use the Waterclouds repair line for my own dry, balayaged hair. The new brand SachaJuan is also highly recommended. For balayaged hair, you could consider SachaJuan’s moisturizing and intensive repair lines. But we’ll discuss aftercare in more detail below. If your hair is dry and damaged, you should get advice from a professional. The fact remains that the drier your hair is, the worse it will respond to a chemical treatment, but good hair care can work wonders.

Balayage aftercare?

A great advantage of balayage is that you don’t have to deal with annoying roots, like you do with regular hair dye. This also means you don’t have to do much to maintain the color. If you’re going for golden/blonde balayage, we do recommend using a silver shampoo. Using silver shampoo prevents unwanted yellow tones in your hair. Don’t overdo it, though: if you use silver shampoo too often, your hair will take on a blue/gray tint. Used silver shampoo too often? No worries, it’ll wash out after a few washes. Read everything you need to know about silver shampoo in our blog.

Which products are best for maintaining balayage?

We can’t ignore it: balayage that isn’t cared for quickly results in dry, straw-like hair! Of course, this isn’t what you want to achieve with balayage. So you need to take even better care of your hair than before. Your hair needs extra nourishment. Think nourishing hair oils such as argan oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, and macadamia oil. Silk and algae also give dry/chemically treated hair a major boost thanks to their nourishing properties. Read our blog here about the effect of algae on hair. Well-known beauty influencer Monica Geuze uses hair care from Olaplex and Philip B for her bleached hairstyle. 

Top 5 Balayage Hair Products

To help you choose the best hair products for caring for your Balayage style, we've put together a top 5 based on sales and our customers' experiences!

1. Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector Treatment

If you're going to color or bleach your hair, mixing a little Olaplex No.3 into the hair dye can help provide extra care during this chemical process. It's not a conditioner or a mask, but a repair treatment. This treatment thoroughly repairs hair from within. It contains a unique, patented active ingredient (Bis-Aminopropyl-Dimaleate) that repairs broken disulfide bonds (connections in the hair) in our hair strands. The disulfide bonds essentially reattach to each other. The result is exceptionally shiny, strong, and above all, healthy hair. Hair breakage will finally be a thing of the past after this treatment, ladies! Read more about how Olaplex No.3 works in this blog.

2. SachaJuan Silver Shampoo

The fact that this silver shampoo contains Ocean Silk Technology is reason enough to at least give it a try. The brand uses extracts from two cold-water algae: rhodophycea and chondrus crispus. These algae are harvested naturally from the ocean. Algae survive wind and weather, which is why these sea plants are so valuable for hair. As well as delivering beautiful results, they protect hair from external factors. Customers who chose SachaJuan silver shampoo especially appreciate its moisturizing properties. Hair doesn't feel dry after use, as it does with other silver shampoos. Our customers also love the effect it has on hair color! Read more about this technology in our blog.

3. Waterclouds Repair Hair Butter Hair Mask

Nourishing the hair is always incredibly important, but even more so when the hair undergoes a chemical treatment. This hair mask contains a number of magical Ingredients: including cloudberry oil (nourishes deeply due to, among other things, its high concentration of vitamin E, vitamin C, and fatty acids), macadamia oil (high concentration of fatty acids that nourish the hair follicles), dekavital B5/provitamin B5 (vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) deficiency is known to potentially cause hair loss). So, this hair mask is magic for your hair when you look at how the ingredients work. Your hair will also smell lovely!

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4. SachaJuan Overnight Repair

We’ve talked before about the healing effects of algae on skin and hair. Did you know that this overnight treatment from SachaJuan contains the highest amount of Ocean Silk Technology of all SachaJuan hair products? This water-based repair treatment restores your hair while you get your beauty sleep. The great thing about this leave-in product is that it doesn’t make your hair greasy. You wake up with healthy, shiny, frizz-free hair! All thanks to the algae: rhodophycea and chondrus crispus.

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5. Kérastase Blond Absolu Ultra-Violet Hair Mask

When you think of bleaching or balayage, you often think only of purple shampoo. But alongside shampoos, there are also conditioners and hair masks with the same effect. Kérastase's Blond Absolu Masque Ultra-Violet Hair Mask is one example. This hair mask neutralizes unwanted yellow and copper tones. It also contains edelweiss flower, which slows the process of hair thinning caused by chemical treatments. This hair mask helps you maintain shiny, soft hair as well as a beautiful hair color.

Balayage Ideas

There are so many types of balayage that we can't name them all. However, we've selected the balayage styles we like best.

Champagne balayage

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkXsvs2nVQH/

Champagne balayage is light blonde with gray undertones.

Washed-out pink balayage

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsg5nbGnbSN/

With this beautiful balayage, only the ends of your hair or individual strands are bleached, then dyed pink.

Sunkissed balayage

https://www.instagram.com/p/Brgo0tTgRza/

A sunkissed balayage is the result of applying balayage subtly. Your hair then gets a sunkissed look.

Dos & Don'ts for balayage

Dos

• Use purple shampoo
• Use a hair mask
• Wash your hair with lukewarm water instead of hot water

Don'ts

• Washing your hair every day
• Swimming in the pool too often
• Applying Balayage Yourself

Order the best balayage hair care at JohnBeerens.com?

A beautiful balayage that lasts starts with the right hair care. At JohnBeerens.com, you can buy a variety of hair products from well-known brands such as SachaJuan, Kérastase, Moroccanoil and Waterclouds. Wondering which one is right for you? Get advice from one of our beauty care staff, or leave a comment below.