Dark Balayage: Trends for brunettes
Discover the latest trend for brunettes: Dark Balayage. Get the look you need with this hair dying technique.
What is balayage?
The first thing to set straight is that it is not a specific hair cut or style, but rather a technique used to dye hair by adding highlights freehand. This dying technique has been popular for many years now, not just because it is so enhancing, but unlike other forms of dying our hair, we hardly need to touch it up.
The word balayage is from the French verb “balayer”, meaning “to brush”. Unlike normal highlighting where the colour is applied from the roots, in balayage the dying is done from part way down to the ends. In other words, the colour “is brushed” through the hair freehand, lock by lock.
Another distinctive feature of balayage is that the locks of hair are dyed in different colours, thus highlighting sections in darker or lighter shades. Balayage highlights confer shine to our hair and a more natural look that can also be used to outline our face.
Balayage highlights suit all hair colours, from very blonde to dark brown hair. We tend to use platinum or golden colours for blonde hair, whereas brunettes tend to use caramel or hazel colours, both of which mix perfectly with dark hair. Some more daring brunettes even go for blonder colours for more contrast.
For more gradual transitions in balayage highlights, tin foil is not used. This allows professional hairdressers to achieve the characteristic shine that the sun gives our hair in the summer.
What is balayage for?
The aim of this highlighting technique is to make the dye look as natural and similar as possible to undyed hair, which is not usually all the same uniform colour from the roots to the ends. Therefore, it is important to make sure that our hairdresser takes a close look at our hair, to see the base colour before deciding where to apply this highlighting technique in order to achieve the required effect.
For example, balayage in blonde shades gives even more expression to a cut that is striking in itself. The bob cut and balayage are a particularly good match if the highlights are in lighter colours than the hair in its natural state.
The dark balayage technique is very similar to balayage highlights, but in this case we choose different shades of dye depending on the area of hair where it is to be applied. A shade up from the natural colour to apply at the roots, and a shade under the natural colour from the middle down.
This look combines well with just about any hairstyle, both long and short hair, providing that the length of the hair allows the effect to be noticed. The truth of the matter is that this technique is more effective on medium to long hair. It can be used to soften the look of frizzy, tousled or curly hair.
Balayage trends for brunettes
If you have dark or light brown hair, this is the ideal trend for you, since it will allow you to cover up any grey hairs, while at the same time adding highlights to your hair.
Covering your grey hairs with a dye without highlights is now a thing of the past, particularly in brunettes. Brown is now the trend, and dark balayage highlights are all the rage.
The name of this new dying technique comes from the classic balayage being adapted to dying darker hair to cover the grey hairs more naturally. It is also a very enhancing technique. You need to bear in mind that as with other types of highlights, dark balayage highlights can be more or less intense, depending on the effect you want to achieve and how noticeable you want the contrast to be.
Apart from conferring volume and flow to your hair, this technique also contours your face. In other words, the combination of darker and lighter colour shades helps to outline your face and gives light to your hair.
How to look after dark balayage?
With a super natural, enhancing effect, the secret to perfect balayage highlights is how we maintain it at home afterwards. Beyond the technique itself, in order to achieve a natural, longer-lasting finish, we need to keep to a good hair routine at home using specific products.
Use hair products for dyed hair, such as shampoo and conditioner to maintain the colour, and since they tend to be paraben and sulphate free, and free from other chemicals, they do not cause any further damage to our hair fibres.
Extra hydration, with hydrating treatment to nourish your hair, such as hair masks that combine collagen and elastin. We also recommend using a serum to hydrate your hair and to give it some extra shine. It should be applied from the middle to the ends, using your fingers while your hair is still wet. Serum will also help to prevent split ends and frizz.
Avoid heat, from directly applying hairdryers, hair irons, curlers, etc., since your hair will be more susceptible to damage from high temperatures after dying it. If you do need to use these items though, there are products to protect your hair from the heat and to minimise the effects.
Protect it from the sun, even in winter. Sun can damage the amino acids in the structure of our hair leading to brittle hair strands, bleaching and even skin alterations that can damage the inner layers of our scalp. In order to prevent your balayage highlights from spoiling, use products containing sun protection or hats and scarves to avoid damage from UV rays.
Don’t wash your hair too often, since the colour will wash out sooner. Try to space out washes and use dry shampoo or styling products between washes to keep you hair looking fresh and clean. Try to rinse your hair with warm or cold water to keep your cuticles closed and make the dye last longer.
Beware of swimming pools. The water in swimming pools and saltwater can also damage your hair and fade your balayage highlights. Before bathing, wet your hair with clean water and apply some conditioner containing UV protection. This will prevent the chlorine or salt altering the colour of your highlights, particularly if they are blonde, as they can turn greenish in colour.
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