It’s never been easier than now to get beautifully blended blonde hair in any shade imaginable.
There has been a move away from highlights created using foils to the freehand painted method of balayage. It’s good to know the difference between the two techniques. You can make an educated choice about which style will help you achieve the closest finish you’re looking for.
Balayage Or Highlights – Which Is Better?
Sometimes a combination of both foil treatment and freehand painting is needed to give the exact results you’re after. Your stylist is the expert, but it is also a good idea to do a little homework of your own so you understand the processes.
We’ve done a little research for you to speed things up. So here is a quick breakdown of the main differences between balayage and highlights and what you can expect to get from one or the other:
Image credit – Epic Hair Designs
Highlights
Highlights are created by using foils that are wrapped around sections of hair that have been painted with hair dye to give the area you’re working with precise colour and definition. You can be very exact with where you want the colour to be when you’re using foils for highlighting. The end result will look striking and defined. It’s recommended that you go for touch-ups every six to eight weeks to keep them properly maintained, otherwise you can end up with a very distinct regrowth line an inch or two from the scalp.
Balayage by Johnny Ramirez
Balayage
Balayage highlights are the result of your colourist painting the dye ‘freehand’ onto your hair. She/he will start from the bottom and work their way up, placing cellophane in between to keep the sections separate from each other. This results in thicker, more gradual pieces of colour coming through. You’ll also end up with a less structured, more natural, sun-kissed effect. As the colour difference is so subtle, you can get away with only needing essential touch-ups every three to four months.