If you’re someone who loves to keep up with the latest hair trends, then you’ve probably heard of the popular term “balayage.” In fact, when you search for this trend on Instagram, around 20 million results pop up. Balayage has become trendy ever since celebrities like the Kardashians and Chrissy Teigen have been spotted with this hairstyle.

Keep reading to explore why you should consider getting a balayage this summer.

What Is a Balayage?

Have you ever noticed how hair gets lighter under the sun? Do you remember how when you were a child, your hair might have had some natural highlights? Well, balayage (pronounced as BAH-lee-ahge) is a hair coloring technique that re-creates a beautiful, sun-kissed look on your hair. This technique isn’t flashy; instead, its beauty lies in its subtleness, a hint at the fact that you may have just returned from a lavish vacation, spending your time sunbathing on a beach.

The word comes from the French verb “balayer,” which means to sweep. Balayage refers to the way the color is applied, not the color itself. Expert hair stylists hand-paint the color on the hair, achieving a gradation of lightness towards the ends. Instead of uniform streaks of color, balayage creates soft, blended transitions that mimic the way the sun naturally lightens hair.

What Sets Balayage Apart?

Are you curious how balayage differs from other popular hair-coloring techniques, such as ombré, sombré, babylights, and highlights?

Ombré creates a drastic and edgy transition from a darker color at the roots to a light one towards the ends. Sombré is a soft transition from dark to light. The ends appear only 1-2 levels lighter than the base color. In contrast to both techniques, balayage creates a more seamless and natural blend of colors throughout the hair.

Babylights are incredibly fine, subtle highlights that mimic the natural highlights children often have. Balayage, on the other hand, is more versatile and allows for a broader range of color placement and intensity.

Highlights, as we traditionally know them, are made using foils to create evenly distributed streaks of color. The foil prevents the lightener from touching nearby hair and traps heat, which enhances the lift of the lightener. Balayage, on the other hand, focuses on freehand painting, allowing for more customization and a softer effect.

Why Should I Get Balayage This Summer?

Are you falling in love with the balayage technique? You should be because there are plenty of reasons why you should try it out this summer. Here are some of our favorites:

Fits Any Texture and Color

Whether you have short or long hair, straight or curly, dark or light, balayage works for all! In fact, it looks gorgeous on textured hair because it helps accentuate the curls in a unique way.

Trendy

Balayage has been a popular trend in the hair industry for several years now. It’s loved by celebrities and influencers alike, making it an incredibly fashionable choice! So if you’re looking for a way to refresh your appearance in your social media feed and get a spike in likes from your followers, balayage is a great option.

Unique Fit for You

While we all follow trends, we all want to look unique too! No highlighting technique offers a greater opportunity for customization than balayage. Placement, gradation, and color are all based on your hair texture, length, and color. Stylists make sure to personalize the hairstyle to align better with your facial features, skin color, and the natural base color of your hair.

In fact, it’s a good idea to come to your session prepared with answers to the following questions:

• What is your favorite part of your hair?
• How do you usually style your hair?
• How often would you prefer to touch up your balayage?

The stylist will use your answers as guidance for how to contour and highlight your hair.

Low Maintenance

Summer is meant for enjoying the outdoors, not staying stuck in front of a mirror taking care of your hair. Balayage can free up lots of your leisure time as it requires very little maintenance. In fact, you can go nearly a year without needing to touch up your balayage. So if you are looking for a non-demanding hairstyle, balayage takes the cake for being one!

Cost-Effective and Time-Saving

In contrast to a full hair coloring session, balayage is less expensive and time-consuming. While it could be tempting to even try it at home—the hairstyle looks so seamless and effortless, after all—it might not be the best idea.

Even though they mimic natural color transitions, balayage techniques are very precise and take a lot of education and practice to master. The main challenge DYI enthusiasts would encounter is that since balayage doesn’t require any foil wrapping, the color might easily stain non-colored hair.

Natural Sun-Kissed Look

Once the summer is over, balayage will stay as a pleasant reminder of those sunny days we all long for during autumn and winter.

How to Care For Your Balayage

To maintain the beauty of your balayage, you should follow a few simple care tips:

• Use a hydrating hair mask:Balayage can make your hair more prone to dryness. Consider applying a hydrating hair mask once a week to hydrate your hair, keeping it healthy and vibrant.
• Pop back in for a glossing refresher: While balayage is low maintenance, it’s a good idea to visit your stylist for a glossing refresher every 8-10 weeks. This helps add tonality back into your hair, conditions it, and seals the cuticle layer.

At Kate’s Kuts, we have a team of professional stylists who are always ready to help you achieve the look you’ve always dreamed about or fell in love with recently. Maybe, even after reading this blog! We offer professional balayage services that you will be happy with. We will provide personalized recommendations and guidance to help you choose what hairstyle will make you look stunning.
Contact us today to book an appointment!