How Much Does Balayage Cost

A total makeover is never complete without changing or modifying the hair. Most women, if not all, would actually work on their crowning glory if they want to exude a new look. They either get a haircut, have a new hairstyle, or pamper it with hair treatments such as hair rebonding or a Brazilian blowout.

But another common hair makeover is the application of highlights or hair colors. In that regard, there is a color treatment that any woman can try, and would probably love to have over and over again. It is the balayage, which is a French word that means to paint.

What is balayage?

Balayage is not something new, but for starters, you would typically ask yourselves what balayage is. Marie Claire, an international women magazine, explains balayage as a highlighting technique that  “allows for a sun-kissed natural looking hair color”, softening the regrowth lines without making them highly noticeable. It’s different from ombré, which is another hair color technique that uses a combination of different color hues.

In simplest terms, balayage makes your hair livelier by putting more highlights while making it look more natural. The balayage color usually complements your skin tone. Moreover, it is one of the hottest hair trends today since many celebrities are applying this highlighting technique on their beautiful locks.

Balayage and its Typical Costs

Now that you know what balayage is, perhaps, the next question you would probably want to ask is how much does balayage cost? The balayage prices can range from $10 to $200, depending on the number of foils the hair needs, the length of hair, and the results you are expecting. Sometimes, the costs of balayage services can significantly depend on the hair technician or colorist.

Let’s take a look at some rates charged by the hair technicians and colorist of Behind The Chair.com  and what each price covers.

– $10 to $15 for a single tone balayage

– $50 to $75 for a partial balayage

– $95 or more for a full head balayage, depending on the length of the hair

– $180 to $200 for a balayage service with a classic foil highlighting

Other Factors Affecting the Balayage Costs

According to Lily Jackson Hair & Makeup Salon, the cost of getting a balayage hair is based on the result want to have. There are instances when the balayage application is subtle and simple by lightening the hair strands, while other treatments use more colors for a more dramatic and fuller look, giving you a higher price to pay. Furthermore, the results that you are after may need a change of base color and the color of the hair length.

Aside from the look you want to achieve, there are other factors that affect the total cost of the balayage hair color. These are your hair’s length and density, as well as the starting color and the color you are targeting. Apparently, a single session of balayage treatment is not always enough to get the balayage hair you want. There are instances when you need to undergo more than one session, especially if your hair is under the following circumstances:

– If your hair is gray or white blonde;

– If your hair has been treated with less effective hair colors, and you are after to have a lighter hair color;

– And if you have an Asian hair. This type of hair, as Lily Jackson Hair & Makeup Salon has put it, is more difficult to make the hair color lighter. Two to three appointments are needed to achieve a light blonde hair or a combination of different tones.

Maintenance of Balayage Hair

Just like other hair treatments, balayage hair color also loses its glamor in the long run. However, you can lengthen the look of your hair if you properly care for it, and the good news is that balayage only requires low maintenance – lower than other hair color treatments. In fact, you don’t have to spend so much because you only need to buy the following items:

– a bottle of shampoo for hair color protection; It would be much better if the shampoo is already formulated with conditioner.

– regular hair treatments

– and heat protection when you are styling your hair.

Once you have a balayage, your hair grows more naturally beautiful, and the regrowth line isn’t as obvious as before. Additional balayage sessions won’t be necessary. But if your hair has been lightened to a specific color, it tends to fade at a faster rate, losing its beauty. To make sure that the color of your balayage hair does not fade easily, avoid the following:

– simple washing

– drying your hair

– high heating using tongs

– exposing hair to an air conditioning system

– sea salt

– too much sunlight

– applying low-quality hair products

Other Points to Remember

A visit to the salon every after three months is sufficient if your hair’s natural color is used as the base color during the application of balayage color. As your locks grow, it may be necessary to retouch the balayage color within a particular period of time. A color shine or toner in between the retouching sessions will definitely help in bringing back the beauty of your balayage hair.

But if you have a different color for the base, or if you are dyeing your gray hair, then a retouch every after six to eight weeks is needed. More weeks may be necessary if you have too many gray hair strands. If you care for balayage hair properly, then you will only need a retouching on the second visit.

Types of Hair for Balayage

If you have very short hair, then balayage may not work effectively on your locks. Other than the short hair, this hair color technique works on all lengths of hair, both dark and light natural colors. However, the choice of balayage color, oftentimes, depends on what your hair colorist suggests. But of course, you always have the final say.

Signs of Bad Balayage Hair

These are the commons signs if your hair had a bad balayage color treatment:

– You see stripes or visible lines in the transition of colors;

– Poor selection of balayage color; Poor lightening of the hair;

– You see a line at the bottom of your hair;

– The contrast colors don’t blend so well;

– Untoned ends that come in colors gold, orange, or yellow; They look like split ends;

– An unnatural fading of colors from dark to light is obvious;

– Worst will be when the balayage color ends up looking like a hair dye due to the hair technician’s lack of ability in properly applying the color.