Discover Balayage
L’Oréal Professionnel is the expert in Balayage. Inspired by our French heritage, we created our own methodology of the Balayage technique that has empowered stylists to create beautiful, on-trend hair color for every client that sits in their salon chair.
Balayage is a hair color technique used by professionals to create subtle, natural-looking highlights. Used as an alternative to foil highlighting, hair color or lightener is swept or painted onto the individual hair strand to create depth, lightness and dimension. The Balayage technique originated in France in the 1970s and actually comes from the French word meaning “to sweep.”
The Balayage hair painting technique isn’t just for blonde shades or a specific style haircut. It is also perfect for light and dark brunettes and redheads who want a natural, sun-kissed look. Balayage highlights can enhance almost any hair style, length or texture. Your stylist can even customize your haircut by adding dimension with Balayage to show off the shape and style.
Find Your Artist
Through our salon locator, you are able to find L’Oréal Professionnel Balayage Certified Salons in your area! You can find your expert and have an amazing experience using our tool.
Below, you can explore the work of L’Oréal Professionnel’s top Balayage Artists. Get inspired and book a Balayage highlights appointment with the best of the best!
Abbie Addotta, Nashville, TN; @abbieaddotta
Alexa Joly, St. Lousi, MO; @alexajoly
Brooke Evans, Denver, CO; @brookieney
Chad Gunn, Dallas, TX; @hairgunn
Christine Chamness, Columbus, OH; @christinechamglam
DJ McGinley, Jenkintown, PA; @djlp_pro
Jennie Latona, Scottsdale, AZ; @jennielatona
Jennifer Luszczak, Denver, CO; @jluszczakstylist
Jessica Gonsalves, Phildelphia, PA; @jesstylist1
Jessica Todd, Portsmouth, NH; @freshicatodd
Joshua Rossignol, Dallas, TX @jjrossignol
Laura Gibson, Washington, D.C.; @lgibsoncolorist
Min Kim, New York, NY; @minkimcolorist
Stephanie Moss, Omaha, NE; @stephaniemoss01
Theresa Adams, New York, NY; @theresaadamscolor
Balayage vs. Ombre
Balayage is a professional technique used to achieve subtle, natural-looking highlights. It can be used to create many different results such as ombre, sombre, classic highlights, and fantasy color. Your professional stylist can achieve these results with paper, foil, or ultra-customized hair painting. L’Oréal Professionnel believes that balayage is the best way to customize the depth, lightness and dimension from your roots to your ends. Not only is the service personalized just for you, but the method can achieve any color result you desire.
Ombre means ‘shaded’ in French. With the ombre technique, the highlights are concentrated on the mid-lengths and ends with some face framing pieces. This technique can be done on any client – from the darkest brown shades to the lightest blonde shades. Ombre can be achieved with lightener, permanent hair color and trendy fashion shades. With the ombre technique, there is typically a greater contrast between your natural hair color and your highlights. However, ombre is different and much more subtle than dip dye. Dip dye has a strong line of demarcation between light and dark, while ombre gradually blends the shades from dark at the root to light on the mid-lengths and ends. The ombre technique looks beautiful on all ages, no matter what shade, tone or style the hair is!
Minimal Maintenance
Balayage highlights are less maintenance than traditional foil highlights. Many can go as long as 3-4 months between hair color appointments because the Balayage application is placed in a customized way – the way your hair naturally grows. Because of this subtle placement, there is no harsh grow out line distinguishing where your Balayage highlights were applied and where your natural hair color growth begins. “Balayage allows clients the luxury of coming back because they want to, not because they have to, with how seamless the grow out is,” says L’Oréal Professionnel Artist Min Kim. In-between salon appointments, care and maintenance is simple – we recommend an express glossing service to refresh and add shine in-between Balayage appointments. The proper hair care is essential to Balayage maintenance. The Serie Expert Vitamino A-OX range is perfect for all hair types..
Ultra-Customized
Balayage highlights are the in-salon hair color service choice among celebrities, models and fashionistas alike – those that demand their hair color be designed by their professional stylist, exclusively for them. The Balayage highlighting technique allows your hair stylist to utilize their creativity and artistic talent to personalize the placement of each highlight for a completely customized result. The placement of the Balayage highlights will help your hair stylist to contour your face shape, enhance your cut and style, and complement your complexion. “Seeing a practiced Balayage colorist will set you up for success – through experience and expertise, they provide services with confidence and precision that others cannot,” says L’Oréal Professionnel Artist Nancy Braun. Balayage highlights are the perfect palette to play with trendy fashion tones and shimmer shades, from beautiful copper lights in the fall to ice blonde hair color in the winter.