We know it’s pretty bad when your balayage goes wrong unexpectedly and nothing is more frustrating when you don’t even know what went wrong. GKhair, in its pursuit to educate its customers and partner hairstylists strives to facilitate sharing knowledge. This time we went to our experts’ opinions about common balayage mistakes you might be making along with solution to each one.
Balayage has been around for quite some time now but it is different from traditional foil highlighting. It is a technique that provides a free hand painted color look. Since it doesn’t involve a traditional foiling method, the lightening process is created custom according to the soft or more dramatic look your client requests. Normally people opt for a tone that is only a few shades lighter than their natural color to create a more natural, sun-kissed look.
Balayage Mistakes
Light- Start
One of the common balayage mistakes most people make is they start to balayage by applying inconsistent amounts of product to the hair strands.
“Consistency of product, not saturating the hair with enough product to get the lift you need (product dries out before lift is achieved) pushing product through surface creates spots”, says GK Hair Expert Andrea Day.
One has to start the application at midle nigths then feather it upwards to attain a gradual natural lightening effect.
Balayage or hair cut first?
Another of the balayage mistakes that is observed commonly is spending hours hair painting and then finding out your client also would like to cut off 5 inches. Consultation with the clients is key, an initial understanding of direction and final look desired can help you to decide to cut off length first. This helps in establishing an idea what a client is looking for. Then, build your color on the foundational cut and fine-tune afterward.
Saturation, Again.
Once you are done with your free painting masterpiece, step back take a breath to evaluate your work to see where you have been and where you still need to go. Make sure to look for consistency, everything should be cohesive and clean. If you find areas that have been uneven and not saturated consistently, you will have darker and lighter section. Try to keep the lightening product evenly saturated throughout all sections.
“In addition to correct saturation, neat sectioning and constant checking underneath sections for bleeding and proper blending.” Says GKhair Expert, Shannon Devine.
To get a balayage look for yourself, consult your colorist. Explain what exactly you want, photos are key here. It is suggested to show images of some celebrities who have your dream hair but know this may take more than one visit to achieve your end result. Your hair expert can suggest you whether or not the desired color would suit your skin tone, lifestyle and regimen.
GKhair’s Miami Beach Bombshell clay blue lightening powder is specifically created for hair painting. The balayage-specific lightener goes on as a cream, then hardens directly on hair once applied.