Differences between Balayage and Foil Highlights, which one is better for your hair?

• Are you looking to radically change your style?
• Is your hair in perfect health conditions?
• Do you have a good amount of money to spend? [/ Su_list]

If you answered yes to the three questions above, choose the balayage.

 

• Do you have gray hair and want to hide it?
• Do you want to change your hair color gradually?
• Do you have little money to spend on changing your style? [/ Su_list]

If you answered yes to ANY of the questions above, choose the classic foil highlights.

 

Balayage and foil highlights have several differences. Differences in the application process, the results, and their prices.

 

The balayage bleaches long sections and tips without touching the root, while highlights bleach from the root to the tips. That’s in terms of the application process.

This difference in the application process results in very different styles. While the balayage usually produces a fairly radical change in hair, the highlights don’t do that per se. For example, highlights in straight hair bring more light and make hair look longer. In curly hair, a balayage creates depth.

   And the last big difference is the price. Balayage tends to be much more expensive than foil highlights because it takes more time to apply and more material. [/ Su_highlight]

Those would be the three big differences.

 

Today I want to delve a little into these differences between balayage and highlights, I want to help you choose the best technique for YOUR hair.

What technique is best for your hair? Balayage or foil highlights?

 

Here I will help you discover it.

 

To choose the best color technique for your hair, you have to ask yourself three questions:

• What results do I want to achieve?
• What’s my hair’s health state?
• How much am I willing to spend? [/ Su_list]

By answering these three questions properly, you will be much closer to making the right decision for your hair.

 

Many women make the same mistake.

   They get carried away by fashions, so if everyone gets the balayage, they also go and get it. [/ su_highlight]

If all their friends get some foil highlights, they get them too.

 

The problem is that not always what’s best for your friend’s hair is the best for your hair.

Maybe your friend has a much higher budget for the hairdresser than you. Or perhaps her hair is thick, and yours is thin.

 

What I mean is that you have to choose a style according to your needs and your hair’s.

And that’s what I want to help you with today.

 

To do this, I want to help you answer the three questions above.

First, the most critical issue.

The differences in the results from the balayage and the foil highlights.

 

 

Balayage or foil highlights? What technique to choose according to the results you want to achieve?

Balayage in the copper-oxides range

 

What results do I want to achieve? What do I want my hair to look like?

 

Before doing anything in your hair, you should answer the two questions above.

 

   If you don't think through very well what results you want for your hair, you risk ending up with a style you don't like. [/ su_highlight]

That is why I go back to the idea I was commenting at the beginning. Do not choose a technique because of fashion. Choose a technique according to your tastes and your hair’s needs.

 

That said, if you are looking for a radical style change, balayage is an exciting option because you can achieve very personal styles that other techniques don’t allow. [/ Su_list]

Do you like being unique? Do you like getting attention? Choose the balayage. You won't regret it.

 

Imagine a blond balayage starting from a brown base. Or a balayage in the ash blonde range. I assure you that you will not go unnoticed.

   Of course, you can achieve a more subtle balayage too, but the fun of this technique is to play with colors far from our natural base color. [/ su_highlight]

 

• If you don't want to bleach your hair from the root, I also recommend the balayage. In the balayage technique, the roots aren’t touched. They leave about 5-7 cm of unbleached hair. [/ su_list]

 

Ash highlights with foils

 

• The traditional foil highlights are perfect to hide gray hair or if you want to change your hair color bit by bit. [/ Su_list]

 

Let’s assume you have some gray hair, and you don't like it, of course. Who wants gray hair?

You have three options.

 

The first option would be to leave your gray hair. The problem is that nobody likes gray hair because they make us look sloppy, and many times older than what we are.

The second option would be to dye your hair thoroughly. Dyeing all the hair to cover only a few gray hairs can be somewhat aggressive, don't you think?

And the last option would be to apply some foil highlights to conceal the gray hair. Some highlights in lighter shades than the hair can blend with gray hair.

I recommend the third option.

 

Can you do a balayage on gray hair?

 

You can if you want. Anything can be done. The problem is that balayage is more difficult and expensive to maintain than foil highlights.

With the balayage, you will have to return to the hairdresser every time your gray roots grow to touch up the color. On the other hand, with highlights, retouching will not be as urgent.

 

• As I said before, highlights also work very well if you want to change your hair color gradually. [/ su_list]

Many black-haired, or brown-haired women, want to lighten their hair but don't dare to do it all at once. Highlights would be like the halftime of a football match. They’re that intermediate instance between dark hair and trying to be blond.

 

Now let's move on to another critical aspect that will define the best color technique for your hair.

Guess what it’s about?

 

What color technique is best for weakened hair? And which one for dry or hay-like hair?

Blond balayage in long hair

 

• If your hair is weak or fragile, do not use either technique. Neither balayage nor foil highlights. [/ Su_list]

All you will achieve is weakening more your hair until it breaks. And when that happens, the only option you have left will be to cut it.

 

• If your hair is dry or hay-like, the ideal thing is not to do either technique. If you still want to do it, choose the foil highlights because the process is much less aggressive than the balayage. [/ Su_list]

 

• Finally, if your hair is healthy, you can choose any of the two techniques. Either balayage or foil highlights. [/ Su_list]

 

Before doing any color job on your hair, it’s crucial to evaluate your hair’s health.

   A good, experienced professional will be able to assess the condition of your hair just by looking at it and touching it. [/ su_highlight]

 

There’s no need to be a genie to realize that hair is fragile and weak. Or that it has gone through many coloring processes.

That would be the first evaluation instance.

 

The second evaluation instance would be the "hair strand test," which consists of applying the bleaching mixture only to a strand of hair. If this hair section does not break or becomes sticky like gum, then it’s capable of enduring the process.

 

Now let's talk about prices, what is more expensive: balayage or highlights?

 

Balayage or highlights? What color technique is more expensive?

Short hair caramel highlights

 

Balayage is much more expensive than foil highlights. It needs more materials and more time. Above all, time.

 

   Making a full balayage can take several sessions, depending on the base color and the color you want to reach. [/ su_highlight]

Instead, highlights are almost always made in a single session.

 

• So now you know. If you want a style change without spending a lot of money, then you will almost certainly want to make some highlights.
• Now, if you don't have budget limits, and you can spend whatever you want, then you can choose any of the two techniques. [/ Su_list]

 

Conclusions

Of course, when deciding on one of the two techniques, you have to evaluate all three factors at the same time.

• Results
• Hair State
• And budget [/ su_list]

 

For example, the results you want to achieve, go hand in hand with your hair’s current state. And the results also go hand in hand with the price you plan to spend on your new style.

Maybe you wish to get a balayage, but your budget only allows you to get some highlights.

Or maybe you have a budget for a balayage, but your hair is somewhat dry.

 

Finally, you must consider something important.

It is much easier to go from highlights to balayage, than from balayage to highlights.

Therefore, if you have too many doubts, and don’t know which technique to choose, start with highlights. You will always have time to turn highlights into a balayage.