Is Balayage Worth it? 6 myths and truths that nobody tells you about the hot technique

Is balayage worth it, or is it just an invention by style influencers?

 

I asked myself the same question.

Because let does not kid ourselves… many of the biggest influencers take advantage of certain trends to gain more followers or even get free treatment at a beauty salon.

 

I’m not going to lie when I see hair that looks so sun-kissed, a little shot of healthy jealousy courses through my veins.

 

Because what I know is that in the Balayage process, it is necessary to bleach some parts of hair to achieve colors different from the hair’s base tone.

Doesn’t bleaching make Balayage dangerous?

 

These questions tormented me because we know that people will publish anything on social media for a mere moment of fame.

Because in my heart of hearts, I knew that I wanted to Balayage my hair.

 

I have a mild obsession with detective shows from “Cold Case” to “CSI Miami,” so I decided to try out my detective skills.

Detectives do their jobs by gathering certain clues and throwing others out, so I would do the same.

 

1- Balayage is just a trend adopted by millennial influences. True or false?

False.

Yes, even Sherlock Holmes would be surprised, but Balayage wasn’t invented by social media, although it has more than 14 million posts and counting on Instagram.

 

Its origins trace back to the 1970s, and some say that the legendary Brigette Bardot’s stylist used this technique on the diva’s hair.

 So, Balayage isn’t a trend; it’s a technique that has been perfected over the years to create different kinds of styles.  

 

Great, now we understand that Balayage isn’t a trend: it’s a technique used to create many unique styles.

But now I need to continue to the next idea.

 

2- Balayage is only used to get blonde hair. True or False?

False again.

You’d be surprised by the number of colors that you can achieve with any base tone.

There is even pastel or neon Balayage.

 

This is truly a myth, a myth that I would like to scream at all the blondes in the four corners of the earth.

 Do you also think that sun rays only reflect off blonde hair? 

 

Let’s see!

Now that you’re thinking like a detective, do what I did: I have dark brown hair.

I got close to a window with a mirror in my hand and let the sun caress my hair.

Do you know what I found out?

 

That my hair isn’t just brown; it has some copper highlights and even some caramel ones.

But I followed other clues, and I consulted various stylist that are well-versed in the topic. Do you know what other clues they gave me?

 

There are different kinds of Balayage.

  For example, “creative Balayage,” which is when the color is located on the ends and the middle of your hair.  

 

The difference in comparison with classic Balayage is that although the highlights are distributed to the end in both kinds, they’re only lightly applied to the roots to achieve the most natural and life-like appearance in “creative Balayage.”

That’s ideal for women that want a style that’s easier to maintain and is perfect for all hair types and colors.

So she can have just a little bit less stress in her life.

 

Balayage isn’t just a trend, and it can be done on any base color.

But my detective instinct still wasn’t calm. Let’s keep looking for clues.

 

3- Balayage can only be done on long hair. True or false?

False.

Balayage can be done on long, medium, or short hair.

Even some men decide to get a little bit of light with Balayage.

It doesn’t matter if you have a pixie cut or a bob; the idea is to make your hair stand out by contrasting or matching highlights to your base tone.

 

That’s it. My query also found another fact that shouldn’t be forgotten.

If you have short hair, it’s best to have a stylist specialized in this technique do your Balayage. Since the highlights are painted on with a free hand, they must be done with a high precision level.

 

4- Balayage can be done on greying hair. True or false?

True.

It’s true, but the effect you’ll get depends on the number of grey hairs you have.

 

During my research, I found some examples of women with grey hair that played with silver and lilac tones, which worked marvelously.

Since it’s a technique that’s applied with a brush, it also possible for the stylist to dye the areas where the grey stands out more to draw attention away from it.

 

5- Balayage doesn’t damage your hair. True or false?

That’s not totally false, but it’s also not.

 

 

The truth is that when Balayage is done by a professional on healthy hair, there aren’t any risks.  

Now, if you dyed your hair yesterday, and then you start to improvise in your bathroom to get Balayage highlights, you might end up with burned hair. Elementary, Watson!

 

6- Balayage is for all kinds of features. True or false?

True.

Balayage can help you accent your best facial features or draw attention away from your least flattering ones.

We know a lot about that. Don’t we use makeup to hide our terrible ears or apply powder to distract from a big nose?

 

 An expert stylist can also help you find the Balayage style that goes best with your features. 

If you’re thinking about doing a Balayage, take notes so that when you go to the hair salon, you know better what to ask the stylist for.

 

• Oval-shaped faces

Do you have a long, oval-shaped face?

I’m jealous! That’s a very balanced face shape, the kind where any glasses look good on you and even any haircut can.

But, keep in mind: it’s not a bad idea to do highlights on the sides of your hair near your ears to add width to your face.

 

• Long faces

If your face is very long, you can do a Balayage that makes it so your face looks more contoured. To do so, you’d add color movement around your cheekbones to achieve a fullness in that area.

 

• Round faces

If your face is round like mine, the best choice would be to do a balayage to elongate your face. With lighter colors near the top of your head around your hairline.

Then, you can also add shadows around the sides of your face with darker tones from under your ears through your ends.

 

• Heart-shaped faces

Heart-shaped faces have a prominent forehead and a thin chin. So, to soften the contour, you can get a balayage that lightens up the bottom part of the face and leaves the top part of your head darker.

You can also try a balayage where the highlights start far from the roots to give a natural and gradual appearance. That will allow for a smooth transition from dark to light that will balance the contour of your heart-shaped face.

 

I think we’ve finally gotten to the end of our detective search about Balayage.

The verdict?

 

Conclusion

We’ve proven that balayage isn’t just an Instagram trend.

It’s a color technique that can benefit all kinds of hair and features. When done by a professional, it’s completely safe.

Do you know why I can affirm that?

 

 Because after everything I found out, I finally did a balayage and it was 100% worth it.  

And it made for a breathtaking change. Of course, I got an appointment with a stylist that is a specialist in this technique. She studied my hair for half an hour and talked with me about my possible options for another half an hour.

 

My dark brown hair now has brown, caramel, chocolate, and cinnamon highlights, giving my hair an entirely new vitality.

And there’s one more thing that I think it’s important to highlight. It doesn’t require you to spend hundreds of dollars on maintenance, as highlights do.

Since the highlights don’t start at the roots, new hair growth doesn’t contrast with the different colors already in your hair.

 

Have you ever done a balayage? Was it worth it?