One question that many women with thin hair ask is if they can get a balayage.
- The answer is, “Yes, you can get a balayage on fine hair, if and only if your hair is totally healthy.” I’ll explain more in depth further along.
- If your fine hair is a bit fragile, it would be better to first improve its health with intensive deep hydration treatments, and then you can do the balayage.
- Balayage gives thin hair the illusion of having volume. If you leave the roots darker and the ends lighter, your hair will look thicker and it will look like you have a larger amount of hair.
- After getting a balayage, you need to be very careful with your hair and the products you use on it because the process will leave your hair somewhat weakened.
Why do I say that it’s a good idea for your hair to be very healthy when you get the balayage?
Balayage is a bleaching technique. That means that in order to get that spectacular fading effect, you first have to remove the natural color from your hair.
So, in order for your hair to be able to hold up to that process, it needs to be strong. Healthy.
If, on the other hand, your hair is weak and you decide to get a balayage anyway, the results could be disastrous. And I don’t mean that in a figurative sense. When a bleach job goes wrong, there’s no going back.
So, now you know if you want your hair to resist the process of getting a balayage, it should be perfectly healthy.
How do you know if your hair is healthy?
How do you know if your hair will make it through the bleaching necessary for a balayage?
Healthy hair:
- Doesn’t break when you brush it
- Doesn’t have split ends
- Isn’t frizzy
Frizz on a humid or rainy day is normal, while frizz on a normal day means that your hair isn’t healthy.
If your fine hair isn’t healthy, don’t get a balayage, at least for now.
You can take some time to regain your hair’s health with intensive deep hydration treatments and taking care of it with a lot of love.
It won’t just become healthy all in one day, but with a little bit of patience, you’ll get where you need to be.
When your hair is perfectly healthy, you can go to the salon to get your balayage.
Let’s say your hair is already in the right condition to get a balayage.
- Why is it important to choose a good salon to do your balayage for your fine hair?
- What do you need to know before you go to the salon to get a balayage on your fine hair?
- How should you take care of your hair after getting the balayage?
We’ll talk about those things below.
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Why is it important to choose a good salon for getting your balayage on fine hair
Since you have fine hair, it’s extra important that you choose a salon with experience doing balayage.
Look for reviews of salons on Google, Facebook or Instagram. Talk to your coworkers, neighbors or whoever you can.
But, do not – I repeat – do not get a balayage at a salon that you don’t have references for.
If it means you take longer to find a good salon, do it. That’s better than ending up in a salon with little experience.
Good salons work with products from the best brands and they won’t have any problem with explaining to their clients step-by-step how the process works.
You’re the one paying for the balayage and you’re the one that will have the balayage on your hair, so you have a right to know what products they’re going to use on your hair. And you have the right to know step-by-step what they’re going to do to your hair.
Like I said before, balayage is a process that involves bleach. It’s a very aggressive process for your hair, and it’s even more aggressive on fine hair.
That’s why it’s so important to put your trust into someone that has a lot of experience.
Now let’s talk a little bit about what kind of balayage to choose if you have fine hair.
What color and kind of balayage should you choose if you have fine hair?
Before you go to the salon, you need to be very clear about what you’re hoping to get with your balayage.
- Are you hoping that your thin hair looks thicker?
- Do you have short hair, and you’re hoping that your hair looks longer?
- Are you trying to change your look for the summer months?
For example, if you want your thin hair to look thicker, you could get a honey shade balayage. That will give your hair the appearance of being thicker.
Now, if you have short hair and you want it to look longer, you could get extensions. Just kidding!
If you want your hair to look longer, you could get a platinum blonde balayage.
If you’re going for a summery look, whether on short or long hair, a color in the neighborhood of golden blonde would be idea.
Golden blonde hair looks great with tanned skin and will give your facial features extra brightness.
I’d also recommend looking up a few images for reference on Google or Instagram before you go to the salon.
You have to get to the salon with a clear idea of what you’re looking for for your hair. If you don’t, you might end up leaving the salon with a balayage that you’re not in love with. And there’s nothing worse than having a hairstyle that you’re not happy with.
Now I want to tell you about a few precautions that your stylist should take during the process.
How to avoid damaging your hair during the process
You have to use peroxide in the bleaching process.
That’s the chemical that is in charge of breaking your hair’s cuticles, so it loses its pigment.
You can’t use peroxide that’s more than 20 volume on fine hair, or else you run the risk that it will break.
Imagine that each strand of hair is a thread.
A rope is much thicker than a thread that you’d use to repair a button.
The rope is stronger because of its thickness, while a sewing thread isn’t as strong. Have you ever seen a boat tied up with a sewing thread?
Just so we’re clear, your fine hair would be like the sewing thread.
If you apply a stronger peroxide, then it will break, and your ends will split.
A good, experienced stylist will know as soon as they see your hair to use 20 volume peroxide. That’s why, like I said before, it’s important to choose a good professional.
Now let’s say that you’ve already gotten the balayage.
How do you take care of it so that beautiful fading effect lasts longer?
What products should you use?
I’ll tell you right now.
How to maintain your balayage
Once you’ve gotten your balayage, you need to take more care of your hair more than you ever have before.
Like I said before, fine hair requires more care than other hair types.
- You can use shampoos specifically made for fine hair.
- Keratin masks will make sure your hair doesn’t frizz up as much and it recuperates quickly.
You should only apply the mask to damp hair and let it sit for 20 minutes.
Rinse and your hair will be hydrated.
- Another option for helping make sure your thin hair survives the balayage experience is to go back to the salon 15 days after the balayage to get a keratin treatment or hair botox.
Those treatments help to restructure your hair and give it shine while taking away frizz.
But wait 15 days. If you don’t your balayage will change color.
Those kinds of treatments lighten your hair 1-3 shades.
- Fine hair tends to get frizzy, and if that’s the case for you, you can try to use coconut oil to control it.
But be careful when you apply it! If you put on too much, your hair will look greasy.
The ideal amount of coconut oil to control frizz and make your hair shiny is two drops for your whole head of hair.
