What is Balayage? - Fox and Jane Salon
Transcription
What is Balayage? - Fox and Jane Salon
BALAYAGE 101 What is Balayage? Balayage means “to sweep” in French. You’ve seen it used on celebrities known for having gorgeous, healthy hair, including Kim Kardashian, Rachel Bilson and Sarah Jessica Parker. Balayage is a specific technique Fox & Jane has become known for, which involves applying color to the hair using a brush allowing the stylist to “paint” highlights onto the hair. How do I pronounce it? It is pronounced bah-lay-ahjh. Still not clear? Here’s another way of looking at it: ballet-odge. (Ballet as-in the dance form, and odge as-in the word lodge.) Why is balayage different from foil highlights? Because the application is less structured, the results of balayage tend to look more tailored to the individual. If you think of the way foil highlight look as they grow out, where there is a clear line where all the highlights begin, you will see why balayage can achieve a more varied application which makes the outgrowth blend more easily into the highlighted hair. What do the results look like? Balayage is great because it gives you and the stylist a lot of control over the finished look, from natural to edgy. Like an artist with a paintbrush, they can handpaint color on the canvas of your hair, freestyle. Balayage is used to achieve a wide variety of looks, from the popular ombre look (a gradual change from one color to another, generally darker at the roots, becoming lighter towards the tips of the hair) to subtle sun-kissed highlights that look like you’ve done nothing but spend some leisure time on a fabulous beach for a long weekend. What if I want really dramatic highlights? If you’re looking for a very dramatic effect--going from black hair to blonde highlights, for instance, it may take up to 3 visits to achieve your desired look. The reason for this is that it is generally safe to lighten only 1 to 4 levels at a time to maintain the integrity of the hair’s delicate structure. Trying to lighten more that 4 levels at once can be very damaging to the hair and is not recommended. It is best to wait at least 5 weeks to allow the hair to regain its natural pH balance before lightening again. We know how great it feels to leave the salon with a new and dramatic ‘do, but the texture and health of your hair are so important to the look, manageability and strength of your hair overall, that we don’t want to sacrifice those to get quick results. Here is a chart of the range of hair color levels from lightest to darkest: 10 Pale Yellow 9 Yellow 8 Gold 7 Reddish Gold 6 Golden Red 5 Red 4 Red Brown 3 Brown 2 Brown-Black 1 Black BALAYAGE 101 What will happen during my balayage appointment? 1 2 3 4 5 Before Toner After Toner To r e n 6 7 Your appointment will start with a consultation with the stylist. This will be your opportunity to tell the stylist what results you are hoping for and to share any photos you may have to illustrate what you like and even what you don’t like. This is also the time to come clean with your stylist: have you colored your hair at all? This includes temporary colors that are supposed to wash out and henna. Coloring your hair changes the way your hair responds to the process so this is important. The stylist will mix the color and begin to apply it to the hair. This is your time to relax and trust your stylist as they work. It’s important to maintain good posture and keep your legs uncrossed so the application will be symmetrical. Once the application is complete, the stylist will allow the color time to process. Once the stylist is satisfied with the amount of lift achieved, they will wash your hair thoroughly. While you are still at the sink, the stylist will most likely apply a toner to your hair. Toner is a semi-permanent color used to counteract unwanted pigment that the lightening process may reveal, remove brassiness, and help blend the colors of the hair in a more harmonious way. The effect of the toner lasts from 4 to 6 weeks. If you’ve scheduled a haircut, the stylist will now cut your hair. This is done after the color is applied and processed to protect the ends of the hair as much as possible during the coloring process. Finally, your hair will be blown dry and styled, and you are ready to be on your way out into the work with your new ‘do! BALAYAGE Sara Jessica Parker tain How can I main y the color after m appointment? 1 2 Use sulfate-free hair products. Following any color or highlight appointment it’s important to protect your hair and color. The shaft of the hair was opened in order to deposit color and if you use harsh detergents on your hair including shampoo with sulfates, the color will leave the hair at a faster than desired rate. Condition your hair regularly. It’s important to use a good conditioner every time you wash. You may also like to invest in a reconstructive protein masque or deep moisturizing treatment to be used for 5 minutes once a week to help restore the health of your hair after processing. 101 Lily Aldridge 3 Come in for a quick glaze or a toner. As the time since your last service increases, but before it’s time to come in for your next color service, you might like to boost the smoothness and shine of your hair with a clear or tinted gloss treatment. If you’re looking for a minor adjustment or refresh of the color you had when you left the salon, you can come in for a toner appointment. Both of these services are quick (a glaze takes about 40 minutes while a toner takes about 20 minutes) and can usually be scheduled with any stylist or an assistant on relatively short notice, especially if you don’t need a blowout. They will help maintain the look of your hair in between services which will prevent unnecessary damage and keep your hair looking fresh and gorgeous. BALAYAGE TIPS provided by Fox and Jane Salon with 3 locations in NYC and 1 in San Diego foxandjanesalon.com