Is Balayage Right for You? Let Me Actually Explain What It Is

It's Danielle again. I need to talk about balayage because I swear to God, if one more person comes in asking for "the Instagram balayage" while showing me three completely different hair colors, I'm going to lose it.

I'm kidding. Kind of.

But seriously, there's so much confusion around this technique, and I get why. Every salon calls something different "balayage." Your friend got balayage and looks amazing. Your coworker got balayage and it looked like bad highlights from 2003. What gives?

Let me break down what balayage actually is, when it works, when it doesn't, and whether it's the right move for your hair. No fluff, just real talk from someone who does this every single day.

What Balayage Actually Means (Because Words Matter)

Okay, so "balayage" is French for "to sweep" or "to paint." That's literally what we're doing, painting lightener onto your hair with a brush instead of using foils.

Here's the difference: With traditional highlights, I'm sectioning your hair in a very precise pattern, weaving out tiny pieces, applying bleach from root to tip, and wrapping them in foil. The foil traps heat, which makes the lightener work faster and lift more.

With balayage, I'm painting the lightener onto the surface of your hair, usually starting a few inches down from the root, in a sweeping motion. No foils. It processes in open air, which gives a softer, more gradual lift.

The whole point is to mimic where the sun would naturally lighten your hair. You know how little kids who spend all summer outside get those perfect sun-kissed highlights? That's what we're trying to recreate. Except, you know, controlled and without the sun damage.

The Part Everyone Gets Confused About: Balayage vs. Highlights vs. Foilyage

I had a client two weeks ago, Sarah, she's a teacher in Chino Hills, who came in with a photo and said, "I want THIS." It was clearly foil highlights. Like, you could see the foil lines in the picture.

I said, "That's not balayage, that's traditional highlights."

She looked so confused. "But the salon I went to last time said they did balayage."

Yeah. That happens a lot. Some salons use "balayage" as a catch all term for any blonde work, which drives me nuts because these techniques give totally different results.

Traditional foil highlights give you brightness right from the root. The color is uniform from top to bottom. It's a bolder, more noticeable change. The trade-off? You're seeing me every 6 to 8 weeks because that root line is obvious as it grows out.

Balayage is softer and starts lower on the hair shaft. The grow-out is way more forgiving because there's no harsh line. You can go 3 to 4 months, sometimes longer, before you need a touch-up. But it won't be as bright as foils, especially near your scalp.

Foilyage, which, yes, is a real term even though it sounds made up, is when I paint the hair like balayage but then wrap it in foil. You get the natural placement of balayage but with the extra lift from the foil. I use this a lot on darker hair when someone wants to go significantly lighter but still wants that blended look.

I explained all this to Sarah, and she realized what she actually wanted was foilyage. We did it, she loved it, and now she tells people she has "balayage" because at the end of the day, most people don't care about the technical terms. But I care, because doing the wrong technique means you won't get the results you want.

What Actually Happens During a Balayage Appointment

Let me paint you a picture of what you're signing up for.

First, block out time. Like, real time. A balayage appointment is usually 2.5 to 4 hours depending on your hair. I had someone book a balayage last month and mention she had to pick her kid up from school in two hours. I told her we needed to reschedule because there was literally no way I could finish in time.

We start with a consultation. I need to know what you're going for. "Blonde" doesn't tell me anything. Are we talking Margot Robbie blonde? Jennifer Aniston blonde? Subtle honey tones? Big California blonde?

I also need to know your natural hair color, if you've had previous color (especially box dye, please tell me about box dye), and what kind of maintenance you're realistically going to do.

Then I start painting. This part takes forever because I'm doing it section by section, strategically placing the lightener where it needs to go. My colorist Mikayla is better at this than I am, honestly. She's faster and she has this insane eye for placement. I've watched her work and I still learn things.

After the lightener processes, anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes depending on your hair, we rinse, shampoo, and then comes the toner. The toner is what takes you from "brassy orange blonde" to "beautiful, cool toned blonde." This step is not optional.

Finally, I blow you out and style you. You should leave looking significantly better than when you walked in, because if you don't, I did something wrong.

Let's Talk About Money Because Nobody Else Will

Balayage is expensive up front. I'm not going to sugarcoat it.

Around here, you're looking at anywhere from $200 to $400 and up, depending on the salon and your hair length. I've heard of places in LA charging $600. Our pricing at Rock Paper Scissors is on the lower end, but it's still a chunk of money.

But here's the thing Sarah figured out after she switched from foil highlights to foilyage: she was spending $150 every six weeks on highlight touch ups. That's $1,300 a year.

Now she comes in every four months for a balayage refresh. Even at $250 a pop, that's $750 a year. She's saving over $500 annually and her hair looks better because it's not being bleached as frequently.

The math works out if you're someone who normally maintains highlights. If you've never colored your hair before and you're just dipping your toes in, then yeah, balayage is a bigger initial investment.

The Stuff Nobody Tells You About Maintenance

You can't just get balayage and then use whatever shampoo you find at Target. I mean, you can, but your color is going to fade fast and possibly turn orange, and then you're going to be mad at me.

You need sulfate free, color safe shampoo and conditioner. I recommend Amika because we carry it and I genuinely like it, but honestly, most professional brands are fine. Just not the $4 bottle from the grocery store.

Also, you live in Southern California. The sun is intense. If you're outside a lot, like if you're a runner or you're at the pool with your kids, you need a UV protectant spray for your hair. Yes, that's a real thing. No, it's not a scam.

The chlorine in pools will absolutely turn your expensive balayage green. Been there, seen it happen, had to fix it. If you swim regularly, wet your hair with clean water first and put conditioner in it before you get in the pool. It creates a barrier.

And deep condition regularly. The desert dry air here in the Inland Empire is brutal on color treated hair.

When Balayage Isn't the Right Choice

I'm going to be honest with you: balayage doesn't work for everyone.

If you have very dark hair, like natural level 2 or 3, and you want to be platinum blonde, balayage alone isn't going to get you there in one session. We'd need to do a more aggressive lightening technique, probably with foils, and it might take multiple sessions.

If you want brightness right at your roots and you want that super highlighted look, traditional foils are going to give you better results.

If your hair is extremely damaged, I might tell you we need to focus on getting your hair healthy before we do any major lightening. I've turned people away before. Not because I don't want the business, but because I'm not going to fry your hair off for a paycheck.

I had a woman come in last year, I don't remember her name, but I remember her hair had been bleached within an inch of its life. It was breaking off. She wanted full balayage. I told her no. I said we could do a subtle, lowlight heavy balayage to give dimension without more damage, or we could do a glossing treatment and wait a few months. She got mad and left. I heard she went somewhere else and they did it, and her hair broke off even more.

Sometimes the right answer is "not right now."

The Face Framing Thing Everyone Asks About

People always ask me about this. "Should I get face framing highlights? Will it make my face look thinner? Will it wash me out?"

Honestly, it depends on your skin tone and your face shape, but here's my general approach:

If someone has a round face, I tend to place brighter pieces in vertical sections around the face. It creates the illusion of length.

If someone has a longer face, I'll do more horizontal, scattered placement so it doesn't elongate even more.

For square or angular faces, soft, blended pieces around the jawline can help soften things.

But I don't follow these like they're rules. I had a client with a round face who looked amazing with bold, chunky face framing highlights that technically "shouldn't" have worked. Sometimes you just have to trust your eye.

Why I'm Telling You About Mikayla and Jillian

Look, I do balayage, but color isn't my main thing. I specialize in Brazilian Blowouts and cuts. When someone calls and specifically wants a really elevated color service, I usually send them to Mikayla or Jillian because they're better at it than I am.

Mikayla does these gorgeous dimensional colors where she'll blend three or four different tones together and it looks insanely natural. She also does fun fashion colors if that's your thing.

Jillian is the queen of natural looking blonde. Like, the "I woke up like this" blonde that actually takes three hours to create. She's also great if you're nervous because she talks you through everything.

I'm not saying this to pass off clients. I'm saying this because I want you to get the best result possible, and sometimes that means working with someone whose specialty is exactly what you need.

So, Is Balayage Right for You?

Here's my honest recommendation system:

Get balayage if: • You want low maintenance color that you don't have to fuss with constantly • You want a natural, sun kissed look • You're okay with a softer, more subtle result • You can commit to proper hair care products • You have a few hours and a decent budget for the initial service

Skip balayage if: • You want bold, bright highlights right from the root • You want a dramatic transformation in one session • Your hair is severely damaged • You're not willing to invest in color safe products • You don't have the time or budget right now

And if you're not sure, come in for a consultation. We don't charge for them. I'll look at your hair, we'll talk about what you want, and I'll tell you honestly what I think will work.

You can call us at (909) 707-9553 or book online. We're at 5222 D St. in Chino, right downtown in that brick building. If you've driven past City Hall, you've probably seen us.

Let's figure out if balayage is your thing.

Danielle