Balayage is in fashion.
Just look at the amount of hashtags it has on Instagram.
The last time I checked, there were 19,594,033 posts, with the hashtag #balayage, a real madness!
Especially if we consider that it’s a hair coloring technique.
The balayage became fashionable, and it looks like it has arrived to stay here for a long time.
One of the most common doubts is: how many sessions do you need to get a balayage?
The number of sessions will depend on your hair’s current color and the balayage color you want.
Let’s give a simple example.
If your hair is dark brown or black, and you want an ash blond balayage, you will need two or three hairdresser sessions to achieve it. Everything will depend on the exact tone of blond you wish to reach.
Why can’t everything be done in one sitting?
Very simple, because your hair wouldn’t stand it, and it would end up breaking like dry straw. [/ su_highlight]
Balayage needs bleaching.
Bleaching is a harmful process that removes the hair’s natural color.
That’s why you have to do it in several sessions.
In the first bleaching session, some shades of color will be removed, in the second session a couple more, until they reach the desired color.
But all of this talk is just in case your changing black hair to a clearer balayage.
If we start from blond hair, whether dyed or natural, things change a lot.
In this case, it could be possible to do the balayage in one sitting.
- So to be clear, if you start with dark hair and want a much lighter balayage, you would need two or three visits to the hairdresser.
- Now, if you start with blond hair, it may be enough in one sitting. [/ Su_list]
Now, we still have to think about a crucial factor when dyeing hair.
Guess what it’s about?
I’m referring to the hair’s health state when you want to do the balayage.
If the hair is totally healthy, you can proceed to do the balayage in one sitting in the needed amount, according to what we mentioned above.
But if the hair is weakened, it will be necessary to rehydrate it, so the balayage will take more sessions.
All right, now you have a clearer idea of how many sessions it will take to complete your balayage.
Do you want to know more?
Stay here with me.
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How many sittings will you need to complete your balayage? One, two, or more?
The number of sessions will depend mainly on the base color your hair currently has.
- If your hair is black or dark brown, you will need at least two or three sittings, depending on the tone of balayage you intend to reach.
Let’s suppose your hair is black, and you want an ash blond balayage like those that flood Instagram. In the first sitting, you will reach an intermediate tone, brown or light brown. On the second sitting, you will reach a medium blond tone. And until the third sitting, you will finally leave with your beloved ash balayage.
Why can't everything be done in one sitting?
Because bleaching is a painful process for the hair, and if it’s not done in stages, the hair could end up irreversibly damaged.
Just check some YouTube videos, where young people with little color experience bleach their hair and end up with their hair literally in their hands.
The whole process can take between 4 and 6 months. Because between one coloring session and the next one, you will have to allow some time for the hair to recover. [/ Su_highlight]
During that time, it is advisable to take keratin baths or apply repairing vials so that the hair gets stronger for the second bleaching session. An alternative and natural treatment for hair recovery is to use coconut oil or argan.
- All right, now let's say your hair is light brown and you want a light blond balayage. [/ Su_list]
Can balayage be done in one sitting?
In that case, it’s possible to do the balayage in a single visit, as long as, and this also applies to black hair, your hair is perfectly healthy. [/ su_highlight]
If your hair is not in this condition, in a few moments, I’ll tell you what you have to do.
- Finally, if your hair is blond (medium or light), you can go to the hairdresser completely sure that you will only need one bleaching session. That means in one sitting. [/ Su_list]
Great, now you know more or less how many times you’ll have to visit the salon to achieve your desired balayage.
I say more or less, because as we said before, everything will depend on your current hair color and the balayage you want.
Now I want to talk about something essential that will surely determine how many color sessions you’ll need for your balayage.
Guess what it’s about?
Your hair’s health state.
Why your hairs health will determine the number of sessions your balayage needs?
It’s straightforward. When you visit the hairdresser to do the balayage, your stylist will surely evaluate your hair’s state.
- If your hair is in good condition, they may proceed to bleach your hair.
- If your hair isn’t in good conditions, they will tell you that it’s necessary to hydrate your hair and strengthen it before bleaching it. So we already have a previous instance to bleaching. Am I explaining myself? [/ Su_list]
Step zero of the balayage would be to help your hair recover.
Until the hair is in proper conditions, then it can be bleached for the first time.
Before starting the balayage, an experienced professional should evaluate your hair’s health. [/ su_highlight]
How is hair health evaluated?
With the strand test.
The test consists in separating a strand of hair of approximately 1 cm and applying the bleach mixture only on that strand.
If, after the exposure times, the strand does not break or becomes sticky, then all the hair can be bleached.
And this brings us to a detail that many women forget.
The balayage maintenance.
Balayage maintenance adds at least one visit to the hairdresser every 3 months
Do you want your balayage always to look pretty and attractive?
Then you will have to visit the salon at least once every three months.
I think it’s important to clarify this because most women think that balayage does not need maintenance. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Balayage needs maintenance like any other coloring technique, doesn't your hair grow? [/ su_highlight]
If you are like the rest of us mortals, your hair grows at a rate of 1-1.5 cm per month. So you will have to return to the hairdresser to bleach the roots of your hair.
Bleaching usually starts at the height of the ears. While the hair grows, logically, the balayage is going down, and the roots appear. Then it’ll be necessary to return to the hairdresser to touch up the balayage.
That’s why it’s so important to choose a professional hairdresser to do the balayage
First and foremost, an experienced professional knows the hair times perfectly.
He knows how long to wait between one bleaching session and the next.
He knows that thin hair does not respond to processing the same way as thick hair.
That’s one side.
But also a SERIOUS professional will have no problem telling you the truth.
- They will tell you if your hair is in conditions to apply the balayage or not.
- And they’ll tell you if the balayage you want can be achieved in your hair or if it’s really impossible. [/ Su_list]
For all these reasons, it’s so important to turn to an excellent professional to do the balayage.
Conclusions
So now you know.
The number of sessions will basically depend on two issues.
- Your current hair color and the balayage tone you want to reach. To put it simply, the more color difference there is between your current hair and the balayage you want, the more hairdressing sessions you’ll need.
- And your current hair’s health. The more damaged your hair is, the more sessions/time you will need. [/ su_list]
And now, what do you say?
Do you still want to get a balayage?
If you want, you can leave me a comment below telling me what color your hair is currently, and what color you want your balayage.
That way, I can tell you about how many sessions you’ll need.
But of course, what I can tell you here, does not replace the consultation with your trusted hairdresser.
