Many hair-color trends come and go. But only a few have staying power. Balayage hair is one. This trend defined the early 2010s and has stayed popular ever since. It’s no wonder the search for blonde balayage inspiration continues.
This seamless blending of light highlights is a chic way to give your hair natural-looking dimension. It’s the inspo behind the beachy, effortless color you see all over Instagram and red carpets.
If you’re looking to try this coloring technique, it can be difficult to know where to start and what to ask for. In this guide, we answer your most burning questions about blonde balayage and show you super-chic ideas for you to recreate.
What is Balayage?
Balayage in French means “to sweep.” It’s a hair coloring technique that involves hand-painting lighter shades directly onto your hair to create that natural, blended, sun-kissed effect. The highlighting technique generally stays soft and subtle at the roots, but gradually becomes bold and bright towards the ends, mimicking the way the sun would lighten your hair naturally.
Blonde balayage gives your hair that lighter feel. It’s a universally flattering coloring technique that works on all hair shades.
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What is the Difference Between Balayage, Highlights, and Ombré?
The world of hair dyeing can feel like a minefield. From highlights to balayage and ombre, it’s difficult to tell which is which and differentiate accordingly. But here’s the cheat sheet:
While balayage, highlights, and ombré hair may all look the same, they’re slightly different. Balayage is a hand-painted technique that offers a delicate, natural blend of colors. It’s achieved with a foil or a freehand teasing and backcombing method.
Highlights are more structured. Even though they’re also done with foils to isolate sections of hair, highlights give a much brighter and more defined look. It also has a more noticeable grow-out at the roots compared to balayage, making it require more maintenance and upkeep.
Ombré, on the other hand, is a gradual fade from dark roots to lighter ends with a more defined contrast between both. It’s more dramatic than the balayage.
These coloring techniques don’t have to be mutually exclusive. You can always mix and match them for a more dynamic look.
How Long Does Balayage Last on Blonde Hair?
The balayage technique is low-maintenance. And since the growing-out process is soft and less noticeable, you can go three to six months between touchups.
Can I Do Blonde Balayage At Home?
The short answer to this is no. As George Papanikolas, celebrity hair stylist and Matrix global brand ambassador, puts it, “Blonde is tricky and balayage is an art form that requires training and an eye for detail. DIY can easily turn patchy or brassy into an expensive corrective color, or—even worse—breakage.”
So let the experts handle it while you book that appointment and show your colorist any of the inspos below.
13 Blonde Balayage Ideas to Recreate ASAP
Here you go:
Champagne Balayage
The champagne balayage is cool-toned; perfect for when you’re looking to add something more natural to your blonde hair.
Sunkissed Balayage
Just like rays of sunlight, this inspo looks beautiful on dark blonde and brunette hair colors alike. You can also use it to add light balayage to golden blonde hair.
Rose Gold Balayage
This style increased warmth on blonde hair with some more rose gold blended throughout for a cohesive, eye candy look.
Bright Blonde
This style lets you go extra bright with the balayage effect and infuse light blonde shades throughout.
Tousled Bob Balayage
Elevate your short haircuts with face-framing blonde sweeps of color. This shade gives the classic bob style an unignorable appeal.
Honey Blonde
This style blends different shades of blonde together. The base color stays warm while the honey blonde enhances the natural tone while framing your face perfectly.
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Caramel Blonde Balayage
Though subtle, this shade gives your hair more depth and dimension. Mix bright blonde and light caramel shades to elevate your blonde base.
Blonde Money-Piece Highlights
Draw some attention to your face with money piece highlights on your hair. Chunky highlights work if you want it bold. And if you’d rather keep it subtle, go for light brown strokes.
Ashy Blonde Balayage
This style sweeps natural pieces of ashy and icy blondes throughout your hair for a superb look.
Brunette Curls With Blonde Balayage
Long, curly hair can look weighed down, but when you add light-catching color like blonde to the mix, you get more definition and movement.
Baby Blonde Balayage
This style blends natural brown and pops of blonde together for a chic look that takes you through seasons.
Buttery Blonde Balayage
Weave in subtle buttery blonde streaks into your hair to create a delicate, sunkissed look.
Two-Toned Ombré Blonde Balayage
Experiment with your balayage by adding shades lighter than your base to the mix. The resulting look is always a showstopper.
Blonde Balayage is a Game-Changer
Ramping up your hair with blonde streaks is an ideal option if you’ve never coloured your hair before. Although butter, ash, or honey balayage are the go-to blonde shades for upgrading your hair color, you can still experiment with others and even mix multi-tonal shades for more depth and texture. Whichever one you go for is sure to give you an effortlessly cool look.
