Balayage. You’ve heard the name. You’ve seen celebrities and friends with it. But really… what is Balayage?
We spoke with Shaina Meck, Little Shop of Hairdos certified Balayage specialist, for the answers.
Balayage is pronounced Ba-lay-ague. Balayage derives from a French word that means to sweep. Balayage is a technique of highlighting hair by hand painting color/dye onto a client’s hair in sweeping motions. The result is a natural, soft, graduated look. With Balayage, hair looks like it has been touched by the sun. Balayage is unique for each client because it is tailored to each person. They are going to have something unique. No one will have that exact same overall highlight.
This technique has been around for a number of years. Its popularity continues with gorgeous, blended highlights, ones that look more natural than highlights in the past. And that’s what we all want isn’t it… natural looking highlights?
I know I sure do. You tell me my hair can have heavenly, blonde sweeps weaving through my hair like I had when I was a child? Highlights that look like the sun kissed my head? Count me in!
Shaina Meck tells us that 50%-75% of her clientele request Balayage. She expects its popularity to stay steady. “It’s not going anywhere just yet”, says Shaina, “It’s popular to both stylists and clients”.
Stylists like it for many reasons. One reason being that they are allowed to be more creative and showcase their true art. They also like it because the result is soft, natural and gorgeous.
Many clients like it because the result is the most natural looking, highlight technique available. Clients also like Balayage because it is very low maintenance. Appointments can be spread out longer than a typical color touch up at 5-6 weeks.
Shaina explains, “Balayage doesn’t require the same amount of maintenance as traditional highlights since there isn’t real regrowth at the root. With the highlighted sections painted on the lower half of the hair, it takes two to three months to grow out. Also Balayage is more diffused than foils giving it a not as harsh grow out phase.”
Balayage can be done on long or short hair; curly or straight. Length of time for a salon visit for Balayage varies. When a client gets it for the first time, it can take up to three hours depending on what the client’s current hair color is and what the desired result is. After the first visit however, it takes much less time since the Balayage has already been established.
Balayage has one less step in its process compared to traditional foil highlights since it doesn’t require a heat source. Balayage is a clay based lightener. With the clay base, the stylist doesn’t use foils. Balayage relies on air processing instead of heat. This air processing allows Balayage to be gentler on a client’s hair.
Balayage is a more advanced technique for stylists to know. Most of the time it’s more expensive because stylists are higher level and have passed rigorous tests and extra classes to achieve Balayage certifications. Shaina Meck has a certification through the Business of Balayage.
See her Certification for Balayage here. Her knowledge and artistry shines through on each client.
Shaina Meck says, “I love Balayage because each color is more personalized than traditional foils. I’m able to customize the highlights to more specific spots allowing individual looks. Some people want more lightness around their face, some want more color toward the ends. I love having the creativity to decide where to place the color on each person.”
Balayage is truly an art. For more information on Balayage or to plan your Balayage look, contact Little Shop of Hairdos at (919) 263-0567 to schedule a consultation with Shaina Meck.
Find Shaina on Instagram at @littleshopofhairdosnc
Shaina Meck Business of Balayage Certification for Balayage Little Shop of Hairdos (919) 263-0567