Over the last few years, we have seen celebrities and models move away from traditional highlights yet still hit the runway and red carpet with the most stunning shades of sun-kissed hair.

If you're wondering how it is possible to have coloured hair that still looks natural, you have come to the right place.

The popular trend is called balayage and it has taken the colour world by storm, steadily gaining popularity over the last few years.

If you have never heard of balayage, don't worry! We are going to get you up to speed with what balayage is, where it originated from and why it's become so popular today.

So what is balayage hair colour?

The timeless technique of hand-painted colour known as balayage is often defined by the soft gradient of natural hair coloured roots transitioning into soft blonde shades on the ends.

Balayage is actually a French word meaning "to sweep". And that is exactly what your colourist will do, using a freehand technique to balayage pieces of hair to create a subtle contrast throughout the hair.

Unlike traditional highlighting, balayage requires minimum use of foil to separate the blonde tones from the rest of the hair lengths. And because there are no foils used at the roots, your hair is left with more of a sun-kissed appearance, free of any stripes or noticeable highlights.

Balayage can be as subtle as just a few natural-looking highlights which are a couple of shades lighter or as dramatic as a full-blown ombre.

Beautiful sun-kissed tones frame the face

Is it more than just a grown out dye job?

Yes, yes and more yes!

When it comes to balayage hair colour, of course, the aim of the game is to transition from dark roots into lighter ends which in effect, looks like a grown-out sun kissed colour.

But there's a lot more to it than just grown out hair colours.

The effect that balayage creates is a seamless transition of brown hair into blonde balayage. This cannot be created simply by growing out an old colour.

When we talk about using a balayage technique, we are talking about more than just a bit of colour on the ends. Your balayage appointments will involve adding highlights, face-framing, freehand painting and more. Sometimes we will deepen your roots a little or add a gloss to the whole hair to give you that perfect blonde and healthy shine.

So keep your next salon visit, because it definitely makes a difference.

Choosing a natural shade for the roots

When it comes to your natural colour, most often we will try to work with it to ensure that when it grows out, you will have minimal regrowth or demarcation lines. We also want to make sure it matches your skin tone.

However, sometimes there are reasons why we may want to change it.

For example, in winter you might want to consider going a bit darker so we may opt for deep brown tones on the roots to give you that chocolate hair goodness without taking it too dark. You may also want to cool it down a notch with ash and espresso tones that will softly fade out for the warmer months.

Whereas in summer, we might choose to stick with light brown roots and more golden tones to give you more of a beach hair vibe. Or give that dark blonde hair some bright blonde highlights around the face to enhance your facial features.

Whichever it may be, when it comes to hair balayage, the sky's the limit, especially if you are someone that takes really good care of your hair.

Using natural shades to keep depth in the roots

Making the transition from dark hair

If you have dark brown hair and are dreaming of a blonde balayage, it is definitely not out of the picture.

We will need to do a colour correction which may involve removing some of the old dark brown and creating the perfect base for a subtle balayage.

Of course, if you have used a non-professional colour in your hair, the process may be a bit more complex.

Our aim is to avoid those brassy tones we know people don't like, so if you're going from dark hair, a good starting point would be caramel balayage. It may consist of some warm tones at first, but it will allow us to make excellent progress when it comes to taking you lighter.

Likewise, if you are going from a classic highlighting technique to a blonde balayage, we may need to take your roots a little darker and add some warm undertones to ensure your colour will hold.

Whichever the case, our expert colourists are highly-skilled when it comes to corrective work so you can rest assured that you will be in the best hands.

Types of balayage hair colour

There are so many different types of balayage hair that it would be impossible to name them all.

Everyone has their own interpretation of the colour trend and their own ways of doing it.

Here are some popular terms:

• Blonde balayage - we would generally say this is the most common type of balayage hair we get asked for. It could be a mix of balayage highlights or freehand partial balayage techniques
• Caramel balayage - a popular choice for those with dark hair or preferring more golden shades
• Strawberry blonde balayage - anyone can pull this off but particularly those with warmer hair types or natural blonde hair.
• Bronde balayage - the perfect mix of blonde and brown hair, it's generally a mix of subtle balayage highlights to create the perfect overall tones
• Metallic bronde balayage - multi-dimensional tones fuse together to create the perfect mix of blonde and brown hair, giving an overall metallic glow

A blonde balayage on blonde hair = perfection

Is balayage just for long hair?

Definitely not.

There is a type of balayage for every hair type.

Long hair works well because there is plenty of hair to play with. It is easy to give that overall sunkissed glow with a mix of subtle highlights and freehand painting.

Medium hair is just as good however when it comes to balayage hair colour. Face framing highlights and subtle hand-swept pieces can create an overall ombre effect.

Short hair may sound like it's not ideal, but we can definitely work with foil highlights or even lightening the very tips of hair where necessary. Just because it is short, doesn't mean you have to miss out completely.

The other type of hair that people often rule out when it comes to balayage hair colour is curly hair. Textured hair can look amazing with a bit of colour and a subtle sheen.

Balayage works on all hair lengths

Making the change

Once you have decided to make the change, the first thing you need to do is get in contact with one of our incredible colourists to discuss your hair goals. You can book a consultation or make an appointment to get your colour underway.

With great hair comes great responsibility. And by that we mean, in order to have the perfect long sun kissed locks like you see on the runway, you will really need to take your hair care routine to the next level.

We recommend getting on top of the way you care for your hair, prior to any colour changes. You can head to our online store to find luxurious products designed to keep your hair in its best condition yet.