Everything You Need to Know About Balayage!

Balayage is currently the most popular look at the salon. 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 stylist actually use? And more importantly, is it right 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 might seem as though this popular look is a recent trend. Nothing could be further from the truth. This French hair technique originated around the 1970s. Apparently, the fashionistas of that era were looking for a hairstyle that would give their hippie image a boost. They certainly succeeded, because when I flip through my parents’ photo albums, everyone is already sporting a semi-blonde look. With balayage, the stylist usually applies the hair dye with a brush. Sometimes they also use transparent foils. Hairstylists who use the balayage technique color the hair “intuitively.” This means they apply the dye freehand. The goal of this technique is to create a beachy look using golden hues. After a balayage, you’ll have a set of highlights that look natural because they don’t have any obvious roots.

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

You've probably come across these terms quite a few times while searching for a new look. The differences between these techniques aren't always entirely clear to us. We'll explain what each technique entails.

Balayage: 40–50% light color and the rest base color.

Ombre: With ombre, the focus is actually on lots of light. 60–70% light highlights with a small portion of your natural hair color at the roots and a little bit at the ends for a natural fade.

Babylights: Babylights consist of a few lighter strands at the front that blend gently toward the back. With babylights, the stylist leaves a little more regrowth. This creates more movement and light around the face.

Bronde: essentially the opposite of ombre. This look features a dark color with just a small percentage of light highlights. Using multiple shades of brown creates a really beautiful result.

Dip dye: The roots are 100% dark here, and the ends are 100% light. A smooth fade is essential here.

Is balayage harmful to your hair?

We all know that dyeing or bleaching our hair is damaging to our locks. Nevertheless, most women still go for that new look. One major advantage of balayage is that it’s less damaging, since foils aren’t generally used. Still, we’re talking about bleaching your hair. In our blog post about bleaching, you can read exactly what the process entails. After bleaching your hair, it may feel drier. That’s why it’s very important to take good care of your hair. The best way to do this is by washing your hair with productsthat deeply nourish and condition it. Personally, I use the Waterclouds repair line for my dry, balayage-treated strands. The new brand SachaJuan is also highly recommended. For hair that’s been treated with balayage, consider SachaJuan’s moisturizing and intensive repair lines. But we’ll cover aftercare in more detail below. If you have dry and damaged hair, be sure to seek professional advice. It remains a fact that the drier the hair is, the more damaging a chemical treatment will be to the strands, but good hair care can work wonders.

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A major advantage of balayage is that you don’t have to deal with those annoying roots, as you do with regular hair dye. This also means you don’t have to do much to maintain the color. If you’re getting golden or blonde balayage, we do recommend using a silver shampoo. Using silver shampoo prevents an unwanted yellow tint in your hair. Don’t overdo it with the silver shampoo—if you use it too often, your hair will take on a blue or gray tint. Did you use silver shampoo too often after all?No worries —it’ll wash out after a few washes. Read our blog post on silver shampoo to learn everything you need to know about it.

Which products are best for maintaining balayage?

There’s no getting around it: if you don’t take care of your balayage, it’ll quickly result in dry, straw-like hair! This is obviously not the look you want to achieve with a balayage. That’s why you need to take even better care of your hair than before. Your hair needs extra nourishment. Think of nourishinghair oils like argan oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, and macadamia oil. Silk and algae also give dry or chemically treated hair a significant boost thanks to their nourishing properties. Read our blog here about the effects of algae on hair. The well-known beauty influencer Monica Geuze uses hair care products from the brandsOlaplex and Philip B. for her bleached hair. 

Top 5 Balayage Hair Products

To help you choose the best hair products for caring for your balayage hairstyle, we’ve put together a top 5 list for you based on sales and our customers’ experiences!

1. Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector Treatment

If you’re planning to color or bleach your hair, mixing a little Olaplex No. 3 into the hair dye can help provide extra care for your hair during this chemical process. It’s not a conditioner or a mask, but a repair treatment. This treatment thoroughly repairs the hair from the inside out. It contains a unique, patented active ingredient (Bis-Aminopropyl Dimaleate) that repairs broken disulfide bonds (connections within the hair) in our strands. The sulfur bonds, as it were, reattach to one another. The result is exceptionally shiny, strong, and—above all—healthy hair. After this treatment, hair breakage is finally a thing of the past,ladies! Read more about how Olaplex No. 3 works in this blog post.

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: Rhodophyceae and Chondrus crispus. These algae species are harvested naturally from the ocean. Algae survive all kinds of weather, which is why these marine plants are so valuable for hair. In addition to beautiful results, the hair remains protected against external influences. Customers who’ve tried SachaJuan’s silver shampoo especially admire its moisturizing properties. After use, the hair doesn’t feel dry, as is often the case with other silver shampoos. Furthermore, our customers love the effect it has on their hair color! Read more about this technology on our blog.

3. Waterclouds Repair Hair Butter Hair Mask

Nourishing your hair is always incredibly important. But it’s even more important when your hair has undergone chemical treatments. This hair mask contains a number of magical Ingredients: includingcloudberry oil(intensely nourishing 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(from vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)—a deficiency of which is known to cause hair loss). So, when you look at how the ingredients work, this hair mask is pure magic for your hair. Plus, it leaves your hair with a lovely scent!

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4. SachaJuan Over Night 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 concentration of Ocean Silk Technology of any SachaJuan hair product? This water-based restorative treatment repairs your hair while you’re getting your beauty sleep. The great thing about this leave-in product is that it doesn’t leave your hair feeling greasy. You’ll wake up with healthy, shiny, and frizz-free hair! All thanks to the algae:Rhodophycea andChondrus crispus.

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5. Kérastase Blond Absolu Ultra-Violet Hair Mask

When it comes to bleaching or balayage, you often think only of silver shampoo. But in addition to shampoos, there are also conditioners and hair masks with the same effect. The Blond Absolu Masque Ultra-Violet Hair Mask by Kérastase is a prime example. This hair mask neutralizes unwanted yellow and brassy tones. It also contains edelweiss flower, which slows down the process of hair thinning caused by chemical treatments. This hair mask ensures that, in addition to a beautiful hair color, you’ll also maintain shiny and supple hair.

Ideas for Balayage

There are so many types of balayage that we can't list them all. We have, however, selected the ones we find most beautiful.

Champagne balayage

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

Champagne balayage is a light blonde with gray undertones.

Washed out Roze balayage

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

With this gorgeous balayage, you only lighten the ends of your hair or individual strands, and then dye them pink.

Sun-kissed balayage

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

A sun-kissed balayage is the result of applying balayage in a subtle way. This gives your hair a sun-kissed look.

Balayage Do’s & Don’ts

Do’s

• Using Silver Shampoo
• How to 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
• Doing Balayage Yourself

Want to order the best balayage hair care products from JohnBeerens.com?

A beautiful balayage that lasts a long time starts with the right hair care.  At JohnBeerens.com, you can buy a variety of hair products from well-known brands such asSachaJuan,Kérastase,Moroccanoil, andWaterclouds. Wondering which one is best for you? Ask one of our beauty care associates for advice or leave a comment below.