3 Tips On Finding a Good Balayage Hair Salon

Some Balayage Facts

 Many of our new balayage clients are clients who have been to other area salons, claiming to be "balayage specialists" only to have an inexperienced colorist performing a service that requires years to master.  If I were a client seeking this service, I would assume all salons knew their this method. However, in the last 2 years clients have come to our salon seeking color corrections from other salons in the area who attempted this tricky technique. Many salons say they are "masters" of coloring services, and unfortunately for you,  some  of what is advertised is an inflated perception of their capabilities to deliver this service.

This picture is common   of many before and after clients we see. This client went to an area salon and received this from a stylist who said she did balayage.

You can see how the color on the left model is blotchy and yellow ( indicating the color bled). The photo on the left is one given to us by this client to show us what the other salon had given her. She paid for this other salons attempt at" balayage" and did not receive it.  The photo on the right is a picture of her hair after one of our stylists Megan, performed color correction service. Megan did a balayage highlight and low light with 2 paddles to correct the previous attempt of the other stylist. This created the sunny, dimensional look the client desired, shown on the right.

This concerns me as a salon owner.  Studio 39 Salon is seeing this more and more. As social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram become more popular with hash tags like #balayage , these incidents are more common. Clients show these pictures to stylists who say they can do it because perhaps they watched a YouTube video about it.  From there its a hot mess! Real training on this is rare and hard to come by, especially in the Midwest.  A  real balayage stylist makes it look simple, which in turn makes an average hairdresser think "I can do that"! When balayage is done correctly, it looks easy. If a stylist who hasn't received formal training on this service, they should not be attempting this technique, and a day class or afternoon workshop is not enough.

  I've heard" fake it till you make it" often in the hairdressing world. In our salon this common industry belief is unacceptable.

A Studio 39  a balayage colorist interns and trains with me directly. They have to have a natural ability and talent for free hand color work, that usually falls outside the mechanical rhythm of traditional foiling. They also need good judgment and self confidence to tell a client when this service is not the service for their type of hair. Eight years ago I traveled to New York to learn this method. Even after I went completed the rigorous training, It still took about 2 years until I felt confident to perform this difficult method. I have been asked by area salons and beauty supply stores to teach classes on this service. Although I'm flattered, I always decline because it takes more than a seminar to learn this. It simply cannot be leaned or taught in a day. I was shocked to learn large chain salons are teaching this is day classes. These are clearly places not owned by a stylist who works behind the chair . Because of the liability and room for error with this service, I would never permit an inexperienced stylist to perform this service. . These places might be ok to purchase a hair brush or nail file, but not for refined and technically challenging coloring techniques like balayage.

I know that sounds harsh, but we've seen the above scenario dozens of times since search words like ombre and balayage have been flying across cyber space.

If you book balayage with us, I guarantee your color will be beautiful. I will also tell you if you are not a good candidate for this service. It is naturally more warm and diffused at the root. So if someone is used to power blonde at the root, its not for them. Be cautious when booking this service and always ask these questions:

1. How long has the stylist been doing balayage and where did she/he train?

2. Do they use a special product designed for balayage?

3. What method do they use?

Number 3 is important. There are several types of balayage- most colorists just don't know!

So ask these questions before you book. If you do your research you will end up with beautiful highlights that grow out well. If you don't, you could end up with a preschoolers project on your head!