The Beauty of Balayage
My hair has been short for most of my life. Growing up I remember coveting my best friend’s long, wavy hair, and fantasizing about swooshing around a silky mane like the models in the Breck commercials. Hélas, that was never going to be my reality!
Contrary to popular belief, short hair can be very high maintenance, both in time and expense. In order to maintain the style that I like, I book appointments every five to six weeks. And then there are the highlights…
When I was living in the states, the highlighting technique traditionally involved bleach and foils. I was a natural blond as a child, but in my teens that turned to a very dark blond and then headed for the all dreaded ‘mousy’ brown. Getting my hair weaved just became a natural extension of my haircut appointment. The major drawback was that the standard practice was to have your hair highlighted, and then cut. So basically I would pay for highlights that ended up on the floor, with the unfortunate result being a choppy, stripy looking head of hair. Nobody would think I actually paid good money for that look…
When I moved to Paris, I was SO happy to discover that there was, indeed, a different and better way. Balayage! Instead of having all of the highlights cut off, (particularly with short hair), it’s the routine practice to cut the hair first and THEN apply the bleach or tint. Makes sense, n’est-ce pas? That way, if there’s still the issue of ‘stripes’, the coiffeur can artistically texturize and blend, and still maintain the highlights.
Returning to California all those years later, I discovered that not much had evolved with respect to highlighting techniques, and I remember distinctly that the salon where I wanted to book an appointment initially refused my request, which was a haircut first, then highlights. At that time most colorists weren’t doing balayage, so for years I had to revert to foils and most often than not, disappointing results.
All that finally changed when I went to New York for my fiftieth birthday. I did some online research and booked an appointment at Roy Teeluck. It was a shot in the dark, but the salon had rave reviews for their balayage technique, and what better city than NYC to be fifty and adventurous. Ultimately it was a great success, and they graciously referred me to someone in LA who then referred me to someone in San Francisco… Whatever it takes, right? For years I’ve been a devoted client to two very talented colorists in California’s Bay area. #viviangrimaldi#nicoleahlgren
For longer hair, one of the great advantages of balayage is that it grows out very naturally, without the harsh lines at the scalp that can occur with foils. That also means results last months, which is good for the pocket book as balayage can be pricey. Even with long hair, it’s best to have your hair cut first, particularly if you’re considering layers. The technique is like painting, using a brush to apply the bleach or tint artistically and precisely, and placing the color exactly where you want it.
If this is a technique you’re unfamiliar with, I encourage you to give it a try. Just be sure to do your research! You need to find someone with experience who SPECIALIZES in balayage. After months of the covid stay at home order, a neighboring county lifted their restrictions for hair salons. Since businesses were still in lockdown in SF, I thought what the heck, and went out on a limb. I regret to say that, unlike my experience in New York, this particular ‘shot in the dark’ was not a great success… Definitely a first world problem, right?
