Ombre vs. Balayage
Jan 16, 2015

The Ombre and Balayage hair coloring technique has taken the color world by storm. Be it major celebrities, Victoria’s Secret models, or the girl standing next to you in the line at Starbuck’s, everyone’s asking for this amazing hair color trend. So WHAT exactly are these techniques and WHY are they so popular?

Ombre

The hair world borrowed the term ‘Ombre’ from the French word meaning shaded or shading.  Ombre hair color is generally darker at the roots through the mid-shaft and then gradually gets lighter from the mid-shaft to the ends. It’s a great way to incorporate your natural base, while having the fun of seeing different shades through the ends. Below are some examples of this wearable trend:

Popular balayage highlights

Currently, the latest Ombre trend is using jewel tone colors and pastels, combining an array of color combinations such as amethyst, sky blue, and mint. Or what about rich eggplant, fuchsia, and cotton candy pink?

popular_ombre_colors

Balayage

Remember back to when you were a kid? After spending the long days of summer outside playing your hair had beautiful sun-kissed streaks that made your mom’s friends jealous.  “How can I get my color to look like that?!?” they’d exclaim.To get the perfect sun-kissed highlights, you basically have two options: Traditional foil highlights and the newer, edgier ‘Balayage’. Balayage refer to the process of sweeping color on to the hair by using a paddle. Balayage gives the colorist more freedom to place color where he/she chooses, unlike traditional foils which can be much more precise. Don’t be mistaken that it’s just for blondes, it’s also great for grey coverage because the colorist can cover the few grey strands or as I like to call them “wisdom highlights” rather then having to color the entire head.  It’s also great for brunette and redheads too!

popular_balayage

Why choose Balayage?

  • 1st time highlight wanting very subtle natural highlights on any shade of hair.
  • If you have very short hair (male/female) will give a more natural finish.
  • Feeling too blonde but wanting easy maintenance- try low lights with this easy technique.
  • Don’t like the dark halo around your hairline? Nothing is more frustrating then not being able to get the fine hairs at the hairline by foiling alone. But with Balayage, that’s no longer a problem.
  • It’s great on naturally curly hair. Not only can the colorist use thick or thin sections, you can also have different colors to enhance the dimension in the curl.

What makes the process natural is the way the color is applied by getting close to theroots and the very thin application of color which disguises the roots so as it grows, it looks far more blended.I know what you’re thinking, “Since I’ve had foil highlights, would I be a candidate for Balayage?”  The answer is: Absolutely!

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