I finally did it. I finally treated myself to a hair appointment at an Aveda hair salon. And I finally got the Balayage I’ve been wanting forever!
I’ve spent months taking screenshots of gorgeous Balayage hair from Google image searches and Pinterest searches. Many of them were of Kate Beckinsale. Does she not seriously have gorgeous hair? Gisele Bünchen, Jessica Biel, Eva Longoria and Jessica Alba were other celebrities whose hair I absolutely love.
I’ve saved tons of images for ecaille hair, tortoise shell hair, and tiger eye hair techniques among the different ways of rocking Balayage. For those who don’t know what Balayage is, here’s the best description I’ve found by Kate of The Small Things blog:
Balayage is the act of painting color on the hair instead of using foils or papers. Balayage is often confused with ombre. Ombre is a coloring technique focusing on darkness to lightness. Balayage is similar in that it’s a painting method so it’s challenging to get extremely close to the scalp like you would with a foil, but it is not necessarily focused on only lightening the bottom of the hair.
I’ve always done partial highlights in the past, but haaaaaaated the tell-tale growth within 3-4 weeks. Balayage doesn’t start at the roots, so all you’re left with is low-maintenance color because the highlights without an awkward growth line. My stylist used two different colors in my hair, and they blend beautifully with the color I already had.
It took me months to convince myself to spend the money on my hair (because, I am always hesitant to spend money on myself). But I finally came to my senses, realizing that you only live once, and you can’t deny yourself simple pleasures simply because you’d have to spend money. I was tired of using box color with less-than-stellar results. But more importantly, I knew I wanted some dimension.
I’ve read that the older you get, single-color can tend to age you. I’ve resorted to boxed color because of greys sprouting along my temples and the Florida sun lightening my brunette hair. Adding in dimensional highlights in a strategic way can help you look as youthful as possible while also masking greys. I loved my brunette hair, but I needed a change.
Truth be told, I did this on Election Day. I was a nervous wreck all day and I knew I needed a pick-me-up after this wretched election season to help me enjoy the holidays. I went to Aura Salon Spa, an Aveda Salon, here in Jacksonville. Jenna was marvelous, and I was super lucky to call right after she had a cancellation so I was able to see her within two hours of calling. I love that Aveda has essential-oil infused color, so my hair was super shiny and soft after I was done. I will definitely be returning for touch-ups in four months or so, and I will have her even out the excess layers Hair Cuttery put in (hey, I was desperate).
What do you think? Would you try Balayage?