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Photo: Tyler Nix/UnsplashIf you're familiar with hair highlights, you've likely come across balayage. This technique, which originated in France, involves hand-painting highlights to create a seamless, natural-looking gradient. What sets balayage apart from traditional foil highlights? The results are softer and more natural, with minimal upkeep. As your hair grows, there’s no harsh line from the foil placement, making the transition much more gradual.
“[Balayage] offers a more personalized effect,” says Shovnne Perkins, a skilled colorist and lead educator at Madison Reed. “Since you’re not confined to the square shape of foil, highlights can be placed strategically. This gives a colorist the freedom to add brightness where needed, adjusting placement and concentration as desired.”
Although balayage is often linked with blonde hues, it can be adapted in various ways to suit different hair colors. Below, hairstylists reveal some trending balayage ideas to inspire your next salon visit.
1. Beachy Balayage
PeopleImages / Getty ImagesPerkins explains that this style embraces a soft, natural, rooty look, which is characteristic of balayage. The lighter hues are most noticeable around the face and gently blend into a more subtle brunette, she adds. (This technique is especially effective for natural blondes or lighter brunettes).
Colorist Kristen Fleming calls this look sun-kissed balayage, drawing inspiration from the way children's hair naturally lightens in the summer. “It features painted streaks of blonde or golden caramel, mimicking where the sun would naturally highlight the hair,” she says.
Although this shade requires minimal maintenance, Perkins recommends occasional touch-ups a few times a year to keep the face-framing highlights fresh and vibrant.
2. Brunette Balayage
megaflopp / Getty Images“We often think of highlights as being synonymous with blonde, but highlights simply mean adding depth and dimension,” says Perkins. Brunettes can achieve beautiful, custom, and high-end looks by incorporating tonal brown balayage highlights, such as caramel or soft ash brown, into their darker base tones.
3. Curly Balayage
Nevena1987 / Getty Images“When working with curly hair, we let the texture and the natural fall of the curls guide where we place highlights,” says Perkins. “Instead of painting just the surface, we paint both sides of the hair, knowing that the spirals will reveal the lightness from every angle,” she explains.
While your colorist doesn't necessarily need to specialize in curls, Perkins suggests checking with them beforehand to ensure they're comfortable with curly hair and color placement if you’re aiming for this effect.
For those with natural hair, balayage is an excellent technique, as it lifts the hair to a warmer tone. “I suggest a golden copper or red balayage because it looks stunning on natural hair and complements any base color,” says colorist Lauren Paglionico.
4. Babylight Balayage
Sonja Pacho / Getty ImagesAccording to Fleming, babylight balayage is perfect for anyone seeking the most delicate change. “Fine strands of hair are carefully selected and painted in shades just one or two levels lighter than your natural color,” she explains.
Perkins, who calls it barely-there balayage, points out that the grow-out effect is so subtle it requires minimal maintenance, making it ideal for those who prefer low upkeep. Both experts note that this technique creates a soft, shimmering glow in the hair, rather than an overall lightening effect.
5. Reverse Balayage
Marina Demeshko / Getty ImagesRather than lightening the hair, this technique focuses on restoring depth to create a darker, more dimensional appearance, according to Fleming. "This balayage style is ideal for blondes or light brunettes looking to reintroduce depth and richer tones into their hair," she explains. Darker shades are applied to achieve the effect.
6. Spotlight Balayage
PeopleImages / Getty ImagesIf you're looking to highlight a few specific areas of your hairstyle, spotlight balayage is the perfect choice. "It's all about focusing on certain pieces that you want to stand out," says Perkins. "The lightness is strategically placed to accentuate areas like curtain bangs," she notes, adding that it's ideal for soft, fringy razor cuts or layered shags.
If you're working with two different stylists for your haircut and color, Perkins suggests having a discussion with both to make sure everyone is aligned for the best outcome. Since this technique doesn't involve overall lightening, there's no need to worry about regular touch-ups; this balayage looks fantastic as it grows out, she explains.
7. Sun-kissed Balayage
fstop123 / Getty ImagesAs expected, sun-kissed balayage gives hair a natural, sunlit glow. Although often linked to blonde hair, this technique is subtle enough to work on both light and dark hair tones.
For the perfect sun-kissed balayage, style your hair as usual and ask your stylist to brighten the sections where the sun would naturally hit.
8. Caramel Balayage
JNemchinova / Getty ImagesCaramel is a favored choice for those with darker hair aiming for a lighter look. Paglionico notes that many salon requests are for a golden caramel shade, similar to the one seen on Hailee Steinfeld.
Paglionico explains, "Hailee's hair is more of a medium-golden blonde," referring to the actress, who is typically seen with brown hair. "Let your colorist know you want something natural-looking, without too much color at the roots, for an effortless grow-out."
9. Golden Blonde Balayage
heckmannoleg / Getty ImagesFor fans of golden blonde balayage, Paglionico suggests taking inspiration from Jennifer Lawrence. "Jennifer Lawrence's color is a warm, sun-kissed golden blonde," she explains.
This hue works beautifully with lighter blonde tones like platinum and sandy shades, as well as darker hues like honey and deep ash. Once again, ask your colorist for a natural, lived-in color that will seamlessly grow out.
10. Silver Balayage
Yaroslav Astakhov / Getty ImagesGot gray hair? Embrace it with silver balayage! This technique is great for blending or highlighting your grays. If you're considering silver balayage, it's best to have a consultation with your colorist to assess how much gray you have, according to Paglionico.
"Your colorist might ask if you'd prefer to conceal the gray or blend it in. For those with less than 50 percent gray, balayage alone can help blend it seamlessly," she notes. "For those looking to cover the gray with balayage, your colorist may use bleach and lowlights."
This technique also works to introduce silver and gray tones into hair that’s ash brown, platinum blonde, or icy blue and purple shades, adding dimension and depth.
11. Foilyage
CoffeeAndMilk / Getty ImagesFoilyage is exactly as it sounds—a fusion of foils and balayage. "Your colorist will apply traditional foil highlights first, then use balayage on the remaining sections of hair that were left out of the foils," explains Paglionico. "This technique works wonderfully for those who want a more seamless blend with brighter ends."
