Balayage is THE trendy technique to lighten your brown base. Normal, it accumulates the good points. Discreet, it provides a natural or more contrasting result as desired, and does not require too much maintenance. Marie Debrix, Training Manager at Aveda, is familiar with sweeps on a brown base and gives us her valuable expert advice for a successful result.
Balayage or streaks, what's the difference?
The strands are more visible than the balayage, because this technique involves lightening wide strands from the lengths to the ends. Highlighted hair changes the color of the base well, without going through the complete coloring box. With wicks, anything is possible: lighten or darken its base. Conversely, Balayage is for darker hair looking to lighten up. The result is more subtle, because the colored strands are ultra-fine. The reflections are clear and draw towards a palette between honey, caramel or even blond. However, blond brings light and radiance to the face. By lightening certain strands of hair, it creates a shadow in different places of the hair. This play of light structures the hairstyle and, through an optical effect, increases the volume. In fact, the balayage technique is often used by hairdressers on fine hair to give it more fullness through an optical effect.
Can all brunettes get started?
Yes, any shade of brown or chestnut can go with balayage. " Except that not everyone will have the same result in blonde shades »Warns Marie Debrix. In fact, it all depends on the shade of blonde you're looking for and our color of brown. How dark is the hair? Are they tending towards dark brown or brown? All these notions of color influence the final result. " It's a long road to get to the sweep », Warns our expert. If you want to obtain a very light, slightly creamy blonde, several highlights are necessary several months apart, as this is not possible from the first coloring. Thus, a brown will have red highlights on the first sweep. In the second, the color will be in warm shades of honey blonde, a little caramel. In the third operation, the hair will display a sandy tint. And it's about the fourth color that the hair will be really light blonde, with a little ashy background. Suffice to say that patience will be recommended if you want to get a nice gradient of blonde in your hair.
But, if the starting contrast seems satisfactory to you, it is quite possible to stop at caramel highlights, without necessarily going for Californian blond. As it is progressive, we have time to appreciate the nuances and find the one we like. However, the technique is not recommended on dark brown or black hair. The caramel undertone is not guaranteed and you risk being disappointed and even damaging your hair.
How to avoid red highlights?
Red highlights are inevitable on a real brunette. " Red hair is part of the process on dark hair », Recalls the France Aveda training director. Indeed, scanning is a bleaching technique during which the hair is depigmented. Before reaching the famous Californian blonde desired, the hair goes through different colors such as pretty caramel, which is a good in-between.
The first shade obtained is red. " The color is not bright red, it is rather a coppery, with undertones »Specifies Marie Debrix. Lightening up is necessarily gradual. It is not possible to go brown or blonde by skipping the red step. This radical transformation requires moving slowly and space sweeps. Even if this technique is less aggressive than coloring, it risks making the hair porous in the long run. As well, " it is reasonable to wait two months before re-scanning »Advises our expert. This pause time allows the hair to restore health to face the next sweep, especially if you take the trouble to pamper it between each visit to the hairdresser.
What advice to avoid unpleasant surprises?
" I strongly advise against getting into the home sweep yourself. It is necessary to dose the product of discoloration and only an experienced hairdresser is able to do it »Warns Marie Debrix. The application is also a delicate step. " There are kits on the market with brushes, but the result is rarely uniform. And catching up on a failed sweep in the salon is very complicated »Confirms our expert. Brown hair will therefore be better colored in the salon. By launching at home, we take the risk of hating each other if the sweep is missed. Even if we rush straight into the living room to catch up, the game will not be won.
When making an appointment, we go to the salon so that the hairdresser can carry out a hair diagnosis. " The professional can look at the hair and check that there are no elements that could block the sweeping, which is the case with dimethicone. It is a frequent silicone in hair care. However, it forms a layer, in places, very resistant. It prevents uniform application of color »Warns Marie Debrix.
A detox of this type of care, a week before, is sometimes necessary to obtain the desired good result. Instead, you can adopt treatments with plant-based silicones made from coconut oil. Lightening strands is an abrasive operation, hence the advantage of performing it on healthy hair: not too dry, nor too damaged.
Finally, last tip, forget the shampoo the day of the sweep. " The hairdresser prefers hair that is not very clean on D-day. The sebum protects the scalp from the effects of coloring. The hair disentangles better with the fat and it is also more malleable »Confides our expert.
When is the best time to have a scan?
Contrary to what you might imagine, going blonde before a vacation in the sun is not a bad idea. " The sun lightens the hair. The natural color oxidizes and approaches that of balayage. The famous “sunkiss” effect that women love so much »Confirms Marie Debrix. The sun gives this famous patina effect to the blonde hue which makes the coloring more natural.
But beware, this is no reason not to protect your hair with products suitable for sun exposure and to hydrate it. Coming back from vacation? It's good too. The hair is streaked in places with exposure. With good looks, the face becomes brighter. Balayage accentuates this effect and prolongs it in the fall. In winter, the balayage wakes up dull browns with the cold and limits the contrast with the pallor of the face. We choose shades closer to his brown with three or four shades lighter. In the end, all seasons go with this hair color, as long as you choose the right shades.
What care to maintain your Californian blond balayage?
To preserve the shine of her blonde locks, we take care of the hair structure at home. If the highlighted hair is damaged, the pigments may come out of the fiber. It is necessary to adopt hair products containing nourishing active ingredients such as vegetable butters (mango, shea, murumuru …). These treatments form a protective layer on the fiber, which preserves the radiance of the blonde's color. " The use of restorative products is essential, because sweeping through its bleaching action is a technique that greatly weakens the hair »Specifies our expert. We try to adopt a good rhythm right away with care after each wash and a mask once or twice a week on the lengths. Oils or serums, to be applied to dry hair at the lengths and ends are also part of the care to be adopted.
What about formulas for blond hair? These treatments are also very interesting, because they provide the essential elements to maintain the blonde shade. Conversely, we reduce all hairstyle-type straightening methods, because they damage the lengths. Despite this beauty routine, some women fail to regain beautiful hair. In this case, we go to the salon for a deep treatment with professional products, which will repair the fibers in depth, in particular by injecting a good dose of keratin. The right choices? The Reconstructive Infusion Ritual from ANS Brasil, the Tokio Inkarami treatment by Dr. Jr. …
Our favorite products
Nutriplenish Deep Hydration Shampoo – AVEDA
Detoxifying + Volcanic Ash Conditioner – MAUI
Mango Butter Nutrition Mask – KLORANE
Color Protection Leave-In Conditioner – APIVITA
Cool Blond Repigmenting Care – LEONOR GRAY