Balayage highlights: photos and characteristics of this technique

Balayage highlights require a lot of skill and experience.. Although it is a technique that has gained strength in recent years, in reality these wicks were made since the 70's in France, which was where this trend emerged.

One of the reasons why women turn to balayage highlights is that they are very natural, they go well with any tone and length of hair and give a spectacular twist to any look making it a conventional style to one shocking.

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How to dye your hair?

Currently there are many ways and techniques to dye hair. Stylists are becoming more and more creative and manage to go from the most extravagant and original looks to the most subtle and elegant ones, such as balayage highlights.

If you are thinking of doing balayage highlights, you have to know what is the secret behind the technique that is required to make them really beautiful. To achieve this there are some important ones that must be known. Know the characteristics of this technique.

What are balayage highlights?

Balayage is a technique where hair is painted with freehand strokes. Yes, as it is read, this technique is freehand. To a large extent the difference with others, such as California highlights, is that to dye the hair a brush is used and the hair is traced in isolated strands along the entire length hair. Hence the name of this technique, since "balayage" means "sweep", which is the way in which the color is applied starting a few centimeters after the root.

The correct technique is to dye several strands of hair in different shades throughout the hair and around the face in order to give more light to specific areas such as eyes or cheekbones. It is somewhat artistic as the lighter locks are applied according to each type of face. In addition, it is important that the colors and tones used look natural, and for this they are chosen according to the tone of the root and from there it is played with the light and dark, achieving a very natural.

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What is the difference between balayage highlights and California highlights?

It is common for balayage highlights to be confused with Californian ones.s. However, they are different both in technique and in result. Some years ago, California highlights began to become fashionable to simulate natural hair "burned" by the sun on the beach. Given the great acceptance that this technique had, the stylists returned to the balayage style, which although it seems very similar, has subtle differences. For this reason it is that they are very confused, but no doubt the balayage is much more sophisticated.

The main differences is that the Californian women degrade the color starting from the middle of the hair and towards the ends, while the balayage go a bit down from the root to start the fade down but include some strands with lighter tones or more dark.

Another important difference is that with balayage highlights, aluminum is not used and does not require bleaching as the main The objective is to achieve a very natural effect, as if the hair had not been processed and is simply reflecting the Sun.

What hair lengths go well with balayage?

An advantage of balayage highlights is that they go well with all cuts. Although the truth is that they look a lot with long to extra long hair because the gradient is a lot more subtle and stylists have more leeway to use long hair as a canvas. For this reason, many women think that these highlights only go well with long hair, as the first famous to use it as Sarah Jessica Parker or Beyoncé they have a spectacular length.

But the reality is that any length of hair can wear these highlights especially in the hands of experienced stylists who will know how to take advantage of it. In medium cuts or even shoulder length hair, you can achieve a natural effect and take your hair from dark to lighter tones in a short extension. So do not limit yourself, an asymmetrical cut, bob, layered, off the shoulder or much lower, can look great with this technique, as with much longer hair..

Can they only be done on blonde hair?

Balayage highlights go well with hair of all shades. As it is a very subtle technique that aims to give light to the hair and face but look natural, all hair tones can be worked to make a balayage. In the case of blonde hair, shades from gold to platinum are used so that the sweep reaches a very light color. In brown hair, the most common is to use shades that go from light brown to blonde, as already mentioned without the need to bleach because the objective is to follow a natural pattern.

But in the case of dark hair, a slight bleaching may be required to bring the tones from dark brown to light but add highlights with some golden highlights. For red-haired tones there are also options and it also has spectacular results, in this case they are used golden and brown, applying them strategically so that they are natural but that they bring light to the face and the hair. Undoubtedly, all shades have the possibility of showing off natural and subtle balayage highlights.

What are the downsides of balayage highlights?

Balayage highlights have few downsides. The reality is that it is a very noble dyeing technique for hair, as it does not require bleaching, it is abused much less than with other types of techniques. Another great advantage especially for dark hair is that it offers an alternative of color and light without losing the naturalness of the natural dark tone. However, as in all types of hair processes, there are some disadvantages to consider before deciding to do balayage highlights.

One of the disadvantages is that it requires constant maintenance so that they always look natural and alive.. In addition to that it must be remembered that any process that is done to the hair needs aftercare to recover it from the chemical processes. Another important aspect is that you should go to a professional stylist with experience in the technique to make balayage highlights as it is a complicated technique with a high degree of difficulty to achieve a natural effect and spectacular.