How To Know If You Should Get A Balayage or Highlights

Hey babes, Emma here! I am one of the blonding/balayage specialists here at Brooke Bauer Boutique + wanted to hop on today to talk about the differences between a balayage + highlights. Let's get right into it...

It can be extremely hard to decide what’s best for your hair or the coloring route you want to take. Trust me, I feel you girl. There are so many different hair trends out now and how do you decide what the best one is for you!? Let's break down two of the biggest hair trends out there now: balayage versus highlights!

What is a balayage?

Balayage is a technique that involves hand painting the hair in sweeping motions with a brush. In other words, hand painting highlights or low lights onto the Hair to achieve a low maintenance, blended look. 

What are highlights?

Highlights create an over blonde look that start at the scalp and proceed through the ends. 

What is the application?

A highlight application usually takes about 2-4 hours depending on hair length and thickness. 
Highlights are created with lightener and foils. Foils are used to help create heat and lift the hair to the desired level of blonde. Highlights are achieved by taking small sections of hair right off the scalp and placing a foil with lightener inside.

A balayage application usually takes around 2-4 hours depending on the length and thickness of the hair. A balayage is created by using lightener and strategic placement to achieve the look that the guest desires. This technique is done by taking medium sections of  hair and hand painting lightener directly onto each section in a “v” like shape. 

How are balayage and highlights customized?

Both of these techniques are 100% customizable! A balayage is going to be the most customizable by far! Most people decide on a balayage for this specific reason. 
At Brooke Bauer Boutique we have several different balayage techniques to fit exactly what you want. From an all over blonde look, to a natural and subtle sun kissed look. A balayage looks amazing on everyone. 

Highlights are slightly less customizable because it creates more of a traditional blonde look. When it comes to highlights, highlights tend to start right up at the root, which one of the main difference between a balayage. 

If you like a highlighted look but don’t want the foils to start right at the root there are customizable options! For example teasy highlights, which creates more of a natural blend at the root while giving the traditional look of highlights. Or a root smudge, which would help  with highlight outgrowth so you won’t see any harsh lines. 

What about grey coverage? 

If you are someone that struggles with covering your grays a balayage would be the best option for you. A balayage allows you to have an all over blonde look while still having a rooted lived in color appearance.  A balayage creates dimension at the root which allows color for grey coverage, where as highlights would just help to blend grays out instead of covering them completely. 

What is the maintenance?

highlights require maintenance every 4 weeks. Because highlights start right up at the route for more of a traditional blonde look, maintenance is normally required every four weeks to blend out the line! 

Maintenance for a balayage is a little bit different than highlights. Depending on what type of balayage is done maintenance can be anywhere from 5 to 8 weeks! 

​XO, Emma