Balayage highlights are a unique highlighting technique developed by French fashion designers in the 1970s. In French, the term balayage means “to sweep” – this description describes the highlights applied to hair. Balayage highlights, also known as beachy highlights, are often painted onto the head using a large round brush. This technique requires several coats of color on the head, and it can last for hours if done correctly.
This technique is a prevalent one because of its versatility. You can use the Best Balayage Los Angeles technique on very dark hair, such as black or brown. It works equally well on very light blonde or pale white highlights as well. Suppose you want your highlights to be very concentrated. In that case, you may apply several coats or layers of this technique, allowing the layers to build up one upon the other, without foil or any other form of coloring the ends.
It can also be applied to light blonde hair, without foils. With this type of hair, you need to start by taking a section at the roots and brushing the ends of the hair, starting from the scalp. You will want to avoid applying too much balayage highlights to the tips of the hair strands. Simply sweep sections of the roots under a comb. Using a large round brush, pick up individual strands and gently brush them off. Be sure not to brush the ends, as this will cause your style to look unnatural.
One of the most popular variations of balayage highlights is to create a “wash” of color across the entire head, starting at the scalp and ending at the ends. To do this technique, you simply add more color than you applied initially – starting with a pale pink that fades to a light blonde. To blend the colors properly, go from hair to hair, using an old-fashioned feather duster. Beginning at the front and working backwards, gently brush each color through all sections of the head. For an interesting variation, you may want to use a darker pink or plum colored bobbles.
Another fun way to create these gorgeous balayage highlights is to apply them with a free-hand technique. To do this, take a color that you love and then lightly tug on the ends. When you are finished, you will notice that there are streaks of that color throughout the hair. To make the highlights appear even brighter, use a bit of hairspray to fill in any gaps.
After you have finished your highlights, you may want to create a simple mousse to hold them in place. You can do this by dipping each strand into a glass bowl filled with warm water. Dip your strands into the water for about 5 seconds, allowing the water to warm the ends of your strands. When your strands are warm, pull them from the bowl and gently brush them through your hair. This may seem very difficult, but after practicing for a while, you will find that it becomes second nature.
Once you have completed your Balayage Highlights in your short hair, you may be ready to try out a few different looks. If you have a brunette color in your hair, you can pair it with a darker shade of brown to produce a warm blonde balayage hair color that is easy to maintain. Pairing the color with an ash blonde or brown can also produce an interesting effect that is easy to keep maintained.
If you are looking to get highlights that are a bit more dramatic, you may want to try a bridal duo-finish. This type of highlight consists of two thin metal foils that are connected, creating a small border that accentuates your natural ash blonde color. These foil colors are available in both tan and gold tones, and require a bit more work than the other variations mentioned above. You will need to trim your highlights frequently to keep the color from fading, and foil the ends slightly higher than the base color in order to prevent creases.