5 Tips to Get Balayage to Work on Dark Hair
Balayage hair color is all the rage nowadays, with people all over trying out the hand-painted coloring technique. We’ve all seen perfectly sunkissed balayage highlights on blonde hair, but for several reasons, it’s less commonly seen on dark hair. If you’re a DIYer who wants to try out balayage color at home on your dark hair, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know to get a successful balayage on your dark tresses.
For a successful balayage process on dark hair, you’ll need to follow these tips:
- Choose the right lightening products.
- Perfect your hand-painting technique.
- Tone out brassiness at the end.
- Keep your hair’s health at the forefront.
- Mix your bleach correctly.
In this article, we’ll cover the best ways to correctly balayage your dark hair. Doing this incorrectly could not only ruin the look, but also your hair!
Why Balayage on Dark Hair Can Be Tricky
Have you ever wondered why balayage is much more commonly seen on light hair versus dark hair? The answer is that it’s a bit harder to achieve the balayage effect on dark locks.
In many cases, balayage on dark hair can be tricky because of contrasting, or obnoxious, tones that may come out during the bleaching process. When bleach lifts the natural color from dark hair, it’s not uncommon for strong reds or fiery oranges to appear. This stark color contrast can easily ruin a balayage color result.
In addition, dark hair is known to be notoriously difficult to lighten in a predictable manner. Depending on your hair’s natural porosity levels, you may find that it takes a long time to lift certain sections of your hair to the right tone.
Find 3 simple hair color ideas for brunettes if you are planning to change your hairstyle.
Does Balayage Work On Dark Hair?
If you find yourself wondering if balayage does indeed work on dark hair, you’ll be encouraged by this section.
Balayage does work on dark hair. Though lightening dark hair comes with a unique set of challenges, it still reacts to bleach and other lighteners just like other hair colors do. Gathering all the knowledge you can about doing balayage on dark hair can help you achieve your desired result at home.
Still not convinced that balayage can work on dark hair? The proof is in the gorgeous photos you may have seen on social media or on TV. Few styles, if any, are more beautiful than a black to chocolate brown balayage or sunkissed caramel highlights peeking through dark brown hair. However, if you’re going to get results like these, you’ll have to take some calculated steps to stay in control throughout the coloring process.
What Balayage Should I Get For Dark Hair?
Now that you know that you can indeed get balayage to work on dark hair, let’s get into a common issue people run into at the beginning of the process: choosing their balayage.
The most commonly donned balayage colors for dark hair are dark brown to blonde and dark brown to light brown. The intensity of the highlighted portions can be tailored to your liking, factoring in your skin tone and personal preferences.
It’s important to stress that you can choose whatever color you’d like for your balayage highlights, so long as your hair can handle the process.
5 Tips to Get Balayage to Work on Dark Hair
It’s time to get down to business – that is, the business of giving you specific tips on how to get balayage to work for your dark hair. Keep reading for some practical tips to stave off a hair color disaster.
1. Choose The Right Lightening Products
The lightening products you use can have a monumental effect on how your color turns out. For example, choosing a box lightener can yield unpredictable results. So, we recommend going for salon-quality professional bleach. If your hair is super dark and you want light highlights, go with at least 30 or 40 volume professional-grade developer. You should be able to find it at your local beauty supply store.
2. Practice Your Hand-Painting Technique
The balayage technique is all about color placement, and if you don’t get this right, you will not end up with a smooth transition from dark to light. So take your time and hand-paint the bleach on using a vertical sweeping motion starting at least 1.5 inches from your roots.
Be careful not to create a harsh line at the roots of your hair. This will help you avoid tiger stripes and any harsh lines of demarcation as your hair grows out.
3. Tone Out Brassiness At The End
Toner is not only for blondes – it’s for anyone who wants to keep brassiness at bay. Always use heat protectant cream or spray. If you discover that your hair looks orange or red after bleaching it and it wasn’t what you were going for, you need a toner.
Toners come in various forms, from pigmented shampoos and conditioners to chemical creams meant to be used with developer. If your balayage is brassy, use a toner that contains some temporary hair colors such as blue or blue/violet tones. They will cancel out any unwanted tones and reveal a more professional-looking result.
4. Keep Your Hair’s Health At The Forefront
We advise that you take a good look at your hair before slathering any chemicals on it. If it looks dry, has been falling out, or is shedding or breaking, pump the breaks. Severely damaged hair will only be worsened with chemical processing, so it’s wise to wait until your hair is in a healthier state.
For hair that just seems to be a little dry, mixing your bleach with a 20 volume developer instead of a 30 volume developer can help to lessen the damage you’ll incur and still provide noticeable results.
5. Mix Your Bleach Correctly
Mixing your bleach correctly is essential in any color process, but especially when you’re doing balayage on dark hair. Always look at the instructions on your bleach and developer packaging and be precise with your measurements. A mistake can result in an underwhelming color change, too much lift, or even hair damage – all of which could ruin your balayage.
Use these 5 steps to becoming a hair color specialist to guide you to a more professional path.
Typical Cost for Balayage on Dark Hair
One of the top questions people have about balayage is how much they should expect to pay. Here’s what you should expect:
On average, balayage color processes cost anywhere from $70 to $200. The cost will be closer to $70 for partial balayage and closer to $200 for full balayage. The actual price will depend on your stylist and the length of your hair.
There you have it – five tips to get balayage to work on dark hair. We hope that this article has answered all of your questions and wish you the best with your balayage hair color transformation!
