Differences Between Balayage, Highlight and Ombre | Hair Coloring
/Balayage is a French word meaning "to sweep" or "to paint". This technique done on hair allows for a sun-kissed natural look with the principal idea where being subtle is more when creating soft, natural looks. It's a free painting technique that is done without the use of foil or paper by folding the colored hair in. Balayage is applied on the surface and not saturated through the section.
With its freehand technique, Balayage hair coloring allows for finer result that is easier to maintain over a longer period of time compared to other traditional highlight hair coloring technique. The result is usually more natural with indistinguishable gradient lines. It takes a longer interval of time before a touch-up is required to maintain a natural look.
Image 1: Result of Balayage hair coloring at @alorabeauty Alora - Hair, Beauty & Spa in Jakarta
Traditional Highlight hair coloring is where the hair is splitted into a few sections, woven and brightened using foiling technique - the hair is folded into the foil using lightener/bleach. Foiling is used to separate the part of the hair that needs to be brightened away from those that requires other treatment.
Image 2: Example result of highlight hair coloring
Ombre hair coloring is a process for creating gradient on the hair. Hair is darker at the roots and become lighter at the ends, or vice versa, gradually. For traditional ombre hair coloring, the stylist does back combing from the ends of the hair to the roots of the hair and subsequently apply hair color or bleach to get the resulting color on the mid-shaft to hair ends.
Image 3: Example result of Ombre hair coloring
With various advancement in hair coloring technique, Balayage hair coloring is oftentimes combined with Ombre hair coloring to create a more natural gradient result. The combination of Balayage and Ombre technique is also known as "Sombre".
Image 4: Result of Sombre done at @alorabeauty Alora - Hair, Beauty & Spa in Jakarta
Question: How do we know if balayage, ombre or highlight hair coloring is more suitable for our hair?
Choosing a technique or style is dependent on the preference and taste of each individual, and dependent on the result that is desired. The easiest way to decide is to bring a photo reference or hair goal inspiration and do a consultation with a qualified expert hair stylist before starting the hair coloring process.
At Alora - Hair, Beauty & Spa, we offer a consultation process with our award-winning hair color specialist before beginning the process of reaching your hair goal.
Contact (Whatsapp Only):
Fidella Novania (Award-Winning Hair Color Specialist): +62 877 8500 0939