Finally nailed a balayage on my third try this week

I've been struggling with balayage for months now (my teacher warned me it would be tricky) but on Wednesday at the salon in Austin I finally got one to look actually good. My client Sarah even told me she loved it before I finished the toner. Has anyone else had a technique that just clicked after multiple fails?

3 comments

3 Comments

mila_perry1319d ago

omg the first time I got a balayage to actually blend right I wanted to cry happy tears... it was like everything just clicked when I switched to a lighter hand with my brush and stopped over saturating the mid lengths. I also started using a smaller sectioning pattern and going slower, like basically teasing each section before painting. what finally did it for me was using a really thin weaved section and keeping my strokes super feathery at the ends instead of trying to make it perfect.

parker_park818d ago

lol I gotta disagree with you there mila. The whole "feathery strokes at the ends" thing is exactly what kept messing me up for ages. When I finally got my balayage to look good, it was actually the opposite - I stopped babying the ends and just went heavier with the saturation right at the tips. Too light and it ends up looking like you barely did anything, just uneven and patchy. Danielmason mentioned how his tattoo removal took three tries to click, and honestly maybe that's just how it is with hair too. What worked for me was basically ignoring all the "delicate" advice and just committing to a wider section with more product at the ends, then blending it upward with my fingers while it was still wet. Different strokes for different folks I guess lol.

danielmason19d ago

Got my first tattoo removal session last month for a dumb butterfly I got at 19. Thought it'd be quick. Three hours of lasering and it looked like a zombie bite. Still hurts to think about. Point is, sometimes the thing you keep failing at finally works when you least expect it. Like your balayage. Third try and it clicked. That's how it goes with tricky stuff.