Money does buy happiness… It’s called Balayage!
Balayage has quite literally swept the hair industry off it’s feet! This effortlessly chic style has become one of the most requested colour services at Salon130 today. We wanted to help answer the Most Frequently Asked Questions by our new balayage clients, so without further ado:
What is Balayage Exactly?
Balayage, stemming from the French word: Balayer - “to sweep”, is a beautiful, freehand hair-painting technique in which your colour is handpainted to create placements for natural flows of multiple tones of colour.
Where Did Balayage Idea Come From Exactly?
Balayage was first seen in Paris in the 1970’s! It was revolutionary, created at a time when the industry standard was a frosting cap, ouch! The ‘80s brought the foil highlight technique to the forefront, so it wasn’t until the late ‘90s that balayage actually made its first appearance in the US and was seen anywhere in North America. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker earned herself the title, “Queen of Balayage”, when she first started sporting the trendy look in the early 2000’s. As most new trends start, it was by accident! She was looking at photo’s of herself as a young girl with her end of summer, sunkissed strands and wanted to recreate that exact same look.
Check out the December 2009 Issue of Elle! Balayage Glory!!
Who Is Balayage For?
My favorite part about Balayage is that it’s so versatile - suitable to almost everyone, and that it has very low maintenance requirements in order to keep looking great for long periods of time! It can be done on any hair colour, and any length. It is best suited for lobs and longer hair lengths, but can also be used to add texture to bobs and even short cuts.
For various hair types, anyone can go from boring to balayage in no time by targeting your hair’s natural colour:
- On Black Hair - balayage can give subtle dimension - with a smokey caramel, or even a rich plum or cherry
- On Brunettes - balayage will make you see a soft swirl of cinnamon, or perhaps a rich golden caramel
- On Blondes - balayage versatility is endless with lighter hair, with the ability to bring a renewed sense of life and rich dimensions as well as altering the actual tone from vanilla, to ash, to nude.
We have also used Balayage as a way to perform corrective colour services. It is a slow, steady, but rather gentle way to remove unwanted colour and still allow for a natural progression. Take a look at this colour correction performed by Salon130’s Creative Director, Shannon Giang, over the course of three appointments (show left to right):
The starting point for this exact corrective procedure was an omni-tone, dark-solid, black box-dye colour, as applied at home. Scary! The result? This client put her trust in me as her Colourist, and showed patience, and excitement as she was lifted over the course of 3 appointments every 4 to 6 weeks. The end result was a beautiful, soft, natural glowing blonde colour. The best part of this process was seeing how together we were able to keep the integrity, shine, and LENGTH of the hair intact. For healthy hair, is beautiful hair!
What Is The Difference Between Balayage and Ombre?
I like to lovingly refer to Balayage as the older, more elegant sister of Ombre! Ombre, french for shadow, is the style - a very strong gradient of colour with an obvious contrast moving from dark to light. Where Balayage is a technique to create a soft and effortless “ombre”. With sparkles of baby highlights melting its way down the hair, ending in bright light tips reminiscent of the original ombre, but updated to look modern and chic… that is Balayage.
Ombre - more obvious gradient
Balayage - easy flow of colour
We hope this has helped answer some of your balayage questions. With patience for the process, and love of healthy, shiney hair, please know now that over time, you can reach your #hairgoals! Book today by calling 613.232.8750 for your complimentary consultation with one of our fabulous stylists at Salon130 to find out which balayage is exactly right for your hair.
