Balayage/Ombre

You may have first heard seen balayage through celebrities in magazines, internet or on the TV, as many of them have or had it. This hair colouring technique first emerged in Paris in the 1970s. The word 'Balayage' is French for 'to sweep', a reference in the way the colour is applied. The colour is applied free hand creating the natural effect. Balayage is a method of highlighting which lightens the hair gradually from the roots to the ends, with also some highlights on your roots to make more natural and not so contrast (this is optional). This technique achieves an ultra-natural effect. Remember it’s supposed to look natural so you should only go 2-3 shades lighter then the colour of your ends.

Ombre means 'two toned' and more dramatic look, such as colours black roots and red ends or just a more contrasting blonde. Ombre is where the ends are lighter than the roots but won’t give you a natural affect than  balayage and it gives you more of a contrast. To achieve this effect it is recommended to go 3-4 shades lighter than the colour of your ends. Some might refer 'Ombre' as 'Dip Dye'', but dip dye is different as it would only be colouring a small part of your ends to a lighter colour.

To achieve both bayalage/ombre correctly your hair should always be darker on the root area and lighter on the ends, rather than having light roots and dark ends.

The Balayage and ombre technique can be used in both long and short styles, however for best results we recommend it is used on long hair, below the shoulders. You can also achieve the best look by doing GHD curls, this achieves an even more natural effect. If you don’t have naturally long hair and you want balayage or ombre there is a solution. Hair extensions will help you achieve this, by using the colour that you would have liked to achieve on your ends as an extension and you will get the same balayage affect the same way as if you have naturally long hair.   

Advantages:

•    Balayage and ombre compared to other colour techniques like full head tints or foil highlights is mainly because it is very easy to maintain. This is because you do not get a solid root line when the hair grows out and means you can leave your hair longer between colour appointments, perfect if you do not have the time to visit the salon every few weeks to get your hair touched up. It’s also CHEAPER!

•    Another way of leaving your hair even longer in between appointments, is to match the root colour to you natural colour as you won’t want get that line of re growth. You may last up to 12 weeks without having to come back into the salon, great idea for some that wants a low maintenance colour.

•    Makes it easier to trim the dry ends off and definitely easier to grow out completely, if you’re wanting to go back to your natural hair colour.

Disadvantages:

•    When having ombre with brighter colours on your ends such as red, pink, blue, green, it does tend to wash out faster than blonde and natural colours. This can also be an advantage as you can change the colour to something different a lot easier as it would have faded out.

•    The ombre and bayalage colour may dry out your ends more than other techniques such as foils or an all over colour. This can be prevented by using treatments and getting trims regularly, but a way to avoid this happening is if your wanting to go 2-3 shades lighter on your ends, is to do it slowly and not all at once.

•    If you were blonde and have gone to Ombre or balayage, it is a bit more difficult to go back to blonde if the root colour is a lot darker.

Written By Becc