If you’ve always wanted highlighted hair that evokes a natural “sun-kissed” glow, balayage may be the highlighting technique you didn’t know you needed! From the French term for “to sweep” or “to paint,” this beautiful technique results in a natural, tone-on-tone look that is easy to grow out precisely because of its subtlety.
Even though it yields subtle results, the effect is multi-dimensional and stunningly beautiful! Just look at celebrities like Halle Berry and Jennifer Lopez; both of these beauties have showcased this look on the red carpet. The secret to balayage is finding a stylist who has mastered the artistry behind the technique!
How It’s Done
Your stylist needs to be an artist because balayage is a free-hand technique. The stylist applies the color by hand, just inches from your hair’s roots. There are no foils or other aids to ensure an even result. In fact, an even result is precisely what you don’t want!
Like all fine art, the beauty of balayage lies in its slight imperfections. The design of these imperfections creates the illusion that “Mother Nature” provided those lovely, somewhat random highlights! But beware: there’s a difference between “slight imperfection” and sloppiness. Balayage requires a steady hand and a good eye to produce the “effortless” look we all know and love.
Done correctly, Balayage will enhance your color, your curls or waves, and even your cut!
Are You a Good Candidate for Balayage?
If your hair is blonde, red, or light to medium brunette, you’re a fantastic candidate for Balayage. If your hair is darker, (dark brunette to black) you’d do better to try a foil highlight. These highlights are accomplished by painting on color, then wrapping your dark locks in foil to intensify or amplify the effects.
Caring for Your Balayage-Treated Hair
As with all color-treated hair, there are certain precautions you should take when caring for your balayage-treated tresses. With balayage hair, you don’t want to strip your hair of the toner too quickly. Only wash when absolutely necessary and invest in a good dry shampoo to use between washes.
Let’s say you wash your balayage-treated hair twice a week. For one of those washings, use a purple shampoo and conditioner. These products help preserve the “ashy” quality of the toner and prevent any brassiness.
Everyone Loves Balayage
Beauty editors at Marie Claire, Allure, and Harper’s Bazaar have touted the rich subtlety of balayage. They also love the fact that, rather than looking obvious as hair grows out, it somehow manages to look better. The current dark-root trend aside, that’s not something most highlighting techniques can lay claim to!
Non-beauty editors love it because it’s low-maintenance. That’s right; you don’t have to go rushing back to the salon every 4 to 6 weeks! It also looks beautiful on a wide variety of styles and cuts, as well as looking equally stunning on straight, wavy or curly hair. It’s one of the most versatile highlighting techniques ever.
The art of balayage first appeared during the 1970s (merci, France!), but it’s enjoying quite the resurgence. Judging by its popularity, it’s a trend that won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
You Don’t Have to Live in LA or NYC to Find an Amazing Colorist
Who says that women from the East and West Coasts have a monopoly on incredible hair? If you live in or around Denver, you have access to a team of top-of-the-industry stylists and colorists at Deseo Salon & BlowDry.
At Deseo, our passion is in our craft. Book your appointment today and experience the same level of luxury and expertise found in the salons of New York, Paris, and Milan!
Frequently Asked Questions: Balayage Hair Color Artistry
Why is balayage considered an art form that requires a skilled stylist?
Unlike foil highlighting, which uses sectioning guides and foil to ensure precise, even placement, balayage is a completely freehand technique, the stylist paints color directly onto the hair by hand, working just inches from the roots without any mechanical aids. This requires a strong eye for color placement, a steady hand, and an understanding of how the finished result will look once the color processes. The beauty of balayage lies in its ‘slight imperfections’, the random, organic placement that makes it look like natural sun exposure rather than an obvious color treatment.
What hair colors are the best candidates for balayage?
Balayage works best on blonde, red, and light to medium brunette hair. These lighter base colors lift more predictably and allow the lighter balayage tones to show up naturally. People with darker hair, dark brunette to black, tend to get better results from traditional foil highlights, which use foil wrapping to intensify the lightening effect and produce enough contrast to be visible against a very dark base. Your colorist can recommend the best approach for your specific hair color.
How is balayage different from foil highlights?
Foil highlights involve painting color onto sections of hair that are then wrapped in foil, which traps heat and intensifies the lightening effect, resulting in brighter, more defined strips of color. Balayage bypasses foil entirely: color is painted freehand directly onto the surface of the hair, which creates a softer, more gradual lightening effect with smooth blending. Foils are better for dramatic, high-contrast results on dark hair; balayage is better for a natural, sun-kissed look on lighter bases.
How do you maintain balayage color and prevent it from going brassy?
Maintaining balayage requires a few key habits. Wash only when necessary, limiting wash frequency prevents stripping the toner too quickly. When you do wash, alternate your regular shampoo with a purple shampoo and conditioner (roughly once per week), which neutralizes the warm, brassy tones that develop as toner fades. Using a dry shampoo between washes extends the time between washings while keeping hair fresh. These steps preserve the ‘ashy’ quality of the toner that makes balayage look its best.
How often do you need to go to the salon to maintain balayage?
One of balayage’s biggest advantages is its low maintenance schedule. Unlike traditional foil highlights that create a defined root line requiring touch-ups every 4–6 weeks, balayage blends in naturally into the natural hair color, meaning regrowth looks intentional rather than overdue. Most balayage clients can comfortably go 3–4 months between appointments, making it one of the most time- and cost-efficient highlighting options available.
Does balayage work on curly or wavy hair as well as straight hair?
Yes, balayage is one of the most versatile highlighting techniques precisely because it enhances texture and movement rather than working against them. On curly or wavy hair, the freehand placement of lighter tones follows the natural curl pattern, highlighting the high points that catch sunlight most naturally. This creates a result that looks even more organic and sun-kissed on textured hair than it might on completely straight strands.
Where can Denver residents get expert balayage services from a skilled colorist?
Deseo Salon & BlowDry in Denver offers balayage services performed by colorists who have mastered the freehand artistry the technique demands. Their colorists can assess whether balayage is the right fit for your hair color and type and tailor the placement to enhance your specific cut, texture, and features. Located in Denver’s Highlands neighborhood, Deseo brings salon-level expertise to Denver metro clients who want the natural, sun-kissed results balayage is known for.
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