Which Hair Coloring Technique is Best for You: Highlights or Balayage?

It all depends on the look your client is looking for. If they want a subtle transition, balayage is the best option. If they prefer a more structured look, traditional highlights are the way to go. Haliti says highlights are a great choice for those looking to add dimension and shine to their hair.

As with balayage, highlights are suitable for all hair types and textures. This is a more traditional approach, giving hair a more uniform look from root to tip, Papanikolas adds. The best starting point is with the result you hope to achieve. If you are now satisfied with the tone of your hair in general, but want to add a little more dimension, balayage is probably your best option.

If you feel that your hair needs a more striking tone and you want something more striking, getting highlights all over the surface may be what you're looking for. Balayage is a hand-painted application that creates a natural-looking, bronzed hair color with just a brush (no sheets, caps or guides). Some colorists may incorporate a film, such as saran wrap, to achieve a result clearer. The result of the balayage is very soft, emulating that way that your hair would lighten up after spending all summer at the beach.

It produces a warmer tone and is better when used on dark blondes. With highlights, the hair is woven and lightened from root to tip, leaving some hair (that will not be dyed) in the middle. Sectioning techniques help ensure that hair is evenly highlighted so that it doesn't look scratched or scratched. The sections to be highlighted are folded into sheets to keep them away from the rest of the hair.

This creates a very consistent result. The highlighting process is more powerful and offers a brighter color highlight that makes a dramatic difference. In this hair coloring technique, highlights are painted by hand or “swept” on the surface of random sections of hair. Regardless of whether you choose balayage, highlights or another completely different hair coloring method, it is important to care for hair that has been dyed.

However, more difficult than hair color linguistics is to know the discrepancy between the most popular hair coloring techniques behind sun-drenched locks. Balayage, which comes from the French word for sweeping, is a freehand technique in which a lightening solution is painted by hand on the surface of random parts of hair. The difference between mechas and balayage is that wicks almost always use sheets, while balayage is more of a hand-painted visual technique. Traditional highlights use a stratification technique in which the locks of hair are lightened from root to tip following a specific sectional pattern, leaving a little natural hair between each layer.

While balayage is created by applying color to the surface of the hair, the highlights are added with aluminum foil to help saturate the precise locks of the hair.