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16 Inspiring Blonde Balayage Ideas

16 Inspiring Blonde Balayage Ideas

September 2, 2024

The balayage technique is one gorgeous hair trend that never fails. Created using a freehand technique, this style delivers natural, sun-kissed results, with various shades of blonde effortlessly mixed into the client’s natural hair. Mastering the balayage technique is one way to effortlessly attract more clients to your salon, while also showing off your creativity and talent as a hair colorist. Let’s look at some of our top blonde balayage ideas to help inspire you to create unforgettable balayage looks for your clients.

Natural vs Color-Treated Bases

Before getting to work on your balayage, it’s crucial to first study your client’s hair. For example, there’s a huge difference between a client who comes in with natural, untreated hair, versus one whose hair has been previously colored. Understanding the history of your client’s strands is essential before bleaching or coloring hair.

A balayage will generally be much easier to achieve with hair that has not already been color-treated since you are beginning with a blank canvas. For clients with uncolored hair, simply follow the usual steps to achieve your desired lightening effect, and then tone as needed. On the other hand, if the client comes in with previously colored-treated hair, there are additional considerations to take into account. It is useful in these cases to do a bleaching test on a lock of hair to discover which shade the color may steer towards, and then correct it with neutralizers or toners to achieve the desired look.

Brunette vs Natural Blonde

To achieve a flawless balayage look, the client’s natural hair tone and skin tone must also be taken into account. This will help you recommend the best possible shade and help ensure the most beautiful, natural-looking results. For clients with darker hair, opt for beach-inspired blonde highlights with warm tones and golden touches. This will leave your clients looking and feeling like they just spent two weeks relaxing in the sand!

And for natural blondes or clients with a lighter base color, try creating more contrast with a darker shade in addition to the blonder highlights. This will allow your balayage work to really shine on naturally lighter hair colors. Keep reading to discover some inspiring ideas to help you get it right for your clients, every time.

1. Beige Blonde Balayage

For medium-length hair, a blonde balayage that’s created using a beige shade is a perfect choice—especially if the client’s base is more brunette than blonde. This touch of color results in a casual look that is always a hit!

2. Copper Balayage

Ideal for hairstyles like the classic long bob, the copper balayage is an amazing choice for clients seeking a very natural-looking color. This warmer shade is best suited for anyone with fair skin as a way to enhance their natural beauty with stunning balayage highlights that work with their skin tone.

3. Platinum Blonde With Beige Balayage

On blonde hair, a touch of shading with slightly warmer tones will make your client’s hair look instantly runway-worthy. For this shade, we recommend sticking with shorter cuts for the most complementary results.

4. Natural Balayage for Brunettes

This balayage look creates the much sought-after “touch of sun” that clients love so much. To achieve this look, leave the bleach on your client’s hair for a very short amount of time. This will help ensure that the result is always a desirable soft tone on dark or brown hair. Next, recommend a purple shampoo to help care for the color post-visit and perfect those head-turning balayage results.

5. Iced Balayage

This style is ideal for anyone looking to plunge headfirst into a major hairstyle change. Begin by using bleach to lift the hair more drastically by several shades, such as Magnet™ Blondes Ultimate Powder 7. Next, neutralize any unwanted yellow and orange tones with Color Excel Gloss by Revlonissimo™. This ammonia-free* tone-on-tone hair color uses acid technology to gently create glimmers of light after any type of lightening service.

6. Sandy Balayage

A sandy-toned balayage is always warm and cheerful, making this style one of the most popular balayage looks. Even better, it’s also a fantastic option for clients looking for natural-looking, low-maintenance hair color options. It provides a lot of movement, volume, and vitality to the hair (whether styled or natural), and is a must-have in your balayage toolbox.

7. Gray Balayage

Particularly flattering on darker hair, the gray balayage is excellent at adding shape to long hair. This look is achieved by bleaching locks to achieve a grayish-white tone that is sure to always leave a lasting impression.

8. Bronde Balayage

Yet another super-flattering balayage shade is the bronde balayage. This look is created by first applying a level 7 base and golden hue, upon which you will create your blonde balayage highlights. Always remember to recommend a great purple shampoo for at-home color maintenance, such as RE/START COLOR Strengthening Purple Cleanser for blonde, bleached, white, and highlighted hair.

9. Chocolate and Honey Balayage

Is your client daring enough to try something a bit more intense? Under a chocolate brown base, begin by using your balayage technique with a bleach that has been left on for longer, and then tone with a golden-honey hue. This will create a color effect that looks impossibly delicious!

10. White Balayage

The white balayage may not be for everyone, but it creates an undeniably gorgeous result. This style requires heavy use of the balayage technique to lift the tone of the hair to level 10. Remember: This will be easier to achieve on blondes with lighter bases. Neutralizing yellow and orange tones is also an absolute must in order to achieve a polished final color. For this reason, we recommend maintaining this show-stopping white color with a gentle, yet effective purple shampoo.

11. Caramel Balayage

The caramel balayage offers a warmer touch for clients seeking more light and color in their darker locks. For this look, aim for a more golden hue and add highlights that blend seamlessly with the natural hair color. This is one balayage that can complement many different hair colors and is adored by clients everywhere.

12. Blonde Balayage With Ombré and Deep Roots

With these two techniques, you’ll want to leave the roots naturally dark and lighten the client’s hair from mid-lengths and ends, creating a degradation with two different tones for greater depth. The blonde in this case will be colored using cooler tones for a more dramatic contrast and end result. This is one gorgeous balayage style that is not to be missed.

13. Sun-Kissed Balayage

The sun-kissed balayage is typically best for people with darker hair. It creates a subtle result that adds just a hint of light to the hair. This sun-kissed look helps the hair appear shiny and beautiful and will have your client’s friends saying, “something is different, but I can’t quite put my finger on it!”

14. Strawberry Blonde Balayage

This balayage technique does not always have to be done on blonde hair. Believe it or not, this look can also be done on various tones and with pink or purple shades for a fun, edgy new style. To master the strawberry blonde balayage, you will need to tone the hair with a pastel pink color that’s vibrant, flirty, and simply stunning!

15. Gold Balayage

When it comes to the gold balayage, this is one color that never goes out of style. For the best possible results, try playing around with two shades of blonde, such as a warmer golden tone and a cooler, icy shade. This will help add more depth and volume to the hair.

16. Reddish-Blonde Balayage

With the reddish-blonde balayage, brown hair gains more dimension, warmth, and light. You’ll want to play with reddish tones to achieve just the right amount of balance. This balayage look is ideal for lighter skin tones.

We hope these blonde balayage ideas have helped motivate you to create one-of-a-kind balayage styles that leave massive smiles on the faces of your clients. To learn more about the balayage technique, check out our article on Lightening Techniques: Balayage vs Ombré.

*formulated without adding ammonia.

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