12 Balayage Ideas To Inspire You At The Salon
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Stylists and colour experts share their top balayage looks for this season
As far as hair colour trends go, none have stood the test of time quite like a good balayage. This bespoke colour technique works for blondes, brunettes, redheads and everything in between – making it the trusted salon go-to for many of us. But how can we give the balayage a 2025 refresh? We ask the experts to share their favourite looks, plus everything you need to know before booking an appointment with your stylist.
All The Major 2025 Hair Trends
What Is Balayage?
Let’s recap: ‘Balayage is a visual, free-hand hair lightening technique,’ explains Issie Churcher, Creative Director at STIL. ‘It creates a soft, blended result which allows the colour to grow out more naturally.’
And despite it being a familiar salon staple, Issie notes that balayage remains a popular choice for many of her clients. ‘It’s still a bespoke service,’ she says, pinning the demand on the technique’s personalised format. ‘It feels special. The colourist will work with the client’s natural hair colour and texture, visually painting in highs and lows to create a tailored look that’s totally unique to each individual.’
Balayage vs Highlights vs Ombré: What’s The Difference?
While similar, the three techniques do have their own distinct look:
Highlights: A traditional lightening technique where strands are woven with colour from roots to ends, lightening evenly, to often create a much lighter effect than the natural hair colour.
Balayage: Also a lightening technique – however this method gradually lightens the hair from roots to ends, making it appear brighter in the mid-lengths and ends, rather than close to the root.
Ombré: Ombré is a clearer and bolder dark-to-light look that typically has a much stronger, definitive contrast than balayage.
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Are There Different Types Of Balayage?
There is also more than one way to create the look in the salon. Some of the most common include full, partial, freehand and reverse balayage. As Issie explains:
Full balayage is when the hair is coloured starting at the nape of the neck, lightening all the way though the head and building the colour towards the front hairline.
Partial balayage, however, focuses more on face framing and parting lights.
Freehand balayage is created by ‘painting’ areas with lightener, using a brush. It’s done without using foils and features multiple sectioning patterns.
Reverse balayage is a technique where you paint darker hues through the ends to naturalise the hair and create dimension.
How To Ask For Balayage In The Salon
With balayage now a salon mainstay, it’s pretty easy to request at your appointment – you’ll just need to bring a visual reference of what kind of look you’re after. ‘The main prep I would advise is to bring visual references with you to your appointment,’ emphasises Issie. ‘These are always helpful to guide the colourist with your desired look and allow them to understand how you would envisage your colour looking.’
She also says to prepare for a long visit. ‘Most balayage appointments are a three-hour visit, which usually includes the colour processing, shampooing and conditioning, and a cut and blow-dry,’ she explains. ‘Depending on the desired result the appointment time can be longer, but all services are best determined with a consultation ahead of time.’
How Much Is It?
While the price will differ from salon to salon, on average a balayage treatment can cost anywhere between £200 and £500. The price might also depend on how transformative the result is.
How Long Does Balayage Last For?
‘Balayage can last anywhere from six months to a year if a low maintenance natural growth is required,’ says Issie. ‘For blonder looks, eight to 12 weeks is usually the normal timeframe to keep a fresher appearance.’
And do you need to grow out any existing foil colour beforehand? ‘No, you don’t have to,’ Issie tells us. ‘In fact, ends that have been foiled can potentially help in the transition to balayage, as the tips will already be brighter and lighter.’
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Do You Have To Have Blonde Balayage?
Brunettes will be happy to hear that balayage isn’t limited to just blonde hair. ‘You can also have brunette balayage, and the results will vary from chocolate to toffee,’ adds Issie. ‘The technique remains the same for both blondes and brunettes, but it will always depend on the natural colour of the hair and the desired finish.
‘Essentially, the difference between blonde and brunette balayage is the tonal contrast.’
Does It Work On Grey Hair?
And what about greys? ‘Balayage can work on grey hair, although generally I wouldn’t use this technique on grey hair,’ notes Issie. ‘As always, it totally depends on the client’s request and desired outcome.’
Can It Damage Hair?
‘As with all colour services, if the hair is overly processed then damage can occur,’ warns Issie. ‘To minimise this, I would advise avoiding too much heat when styling at home and to always use heat protection. Regular treatments to strengthen the hair and add moisture back in are also really important.’
Maintenance Tips
‘To maintain your balayage colour, I would always recommend using a good colour saver and moisture-rich shampoo and conditioner,’ says Issie. ‘Avoid too much heat styling. Doing weekly treatments at home or in-salon is also a great tip for keeping hair healthy and prolonging the longevity of your colour.’
Hair Inspiration: Balayage Looks For Every Hair Type & Occasion
1. Classic Balayage
For the OG look, think Blake Lively. ‘I love Blake Lively’s colour here – it’s more of a classic rooted look with sun-kissed ends and contouring around the face, which really enhances the natural texture of her hair,’ says Issie.
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2. Face Frame
Balayage can also be worked into subtle face-framing layers, as seen on the likes of Rosie Huntington Whiteley. ‘Her look works because the placement contours her face shape and the colour choice complements her skin tone and eye colour perfectly,’ explains Issie.
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3. Warm Balayage
As mentioned, warm brunette tones also work wonderfully with balayage. Issie pulls Zendaya as her hair inspiration for this look: ‘Zendaya’s balayage works because her most iconic shades tend to work between the ranges of warmer caramel blonde, brunette and auburn. This perfectly suits her natural golden undertones.’
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4. Reverse Balayage
For some added dimension, it has to be a reverse balayage (where darker hues are painted through the ends). ‘It is a technique used to turn highlighted hair into a balayage, if the hair needs dimension or depth at the roots,’ explains Charlie Illi, Top Stylist and Advanced Technician at Brooks & Brooks. ‘This is great if you are fed up with your harsh regrowth or want to take your blonde down a level. It can also have darker mid lengths and ends, and lighter roots, which is something you don’t see as often as the classic balayage.’
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5. Freehand Balayage
A truly bespoke look, Issie tells us this take on freehand balayage is modelled after ‘Lumiere Lights’ technique, where the goal is create a brighter blonde result.
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6. Pockets Of Brightness
Another freehand balayage look, this one focuses on creating that sunkissed effect. ‘The stylists create a soft blend and a soft lift, giving the hair dimension, with pockets of brightness,’ explains Charlie. ‘It is a great look for brunettes that want some sunkissed pieces.’
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7. Air Touch Balayage
A softer – or rather, airy – touch on the classic hair colour technique. ‘Air touch balayage is created by using a hairdryer to blow away short hairs, before lightening the ends,’ explains Charlie. ‘The result is a seamless melt from a natural depth at the roots, to brighter ends. This kind of balayage works best on fine hair and is great for someone who is looking for maximum brightness in their lengths.’
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8. Babylights
If a long stint in the salon doesn’t phase you (and even if it does, the results of this colour combo might just persuade you), then Charlie recommends babylights. ‘Babylights balayage is a technique that requires the most discipline,’ notes the stylist. ‘The hair is packed in foils, with tiny ribbons of highlights. Then to maintain a soft natural feel, a root smudge is done to keep the depth. This is a long process, but totally worth it if you are lifting the hair to a much higher level or if you want a more one toned balayage.’
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9. Backcomb Balayage
This technique works especially well on shorter hair, Charlie tells us. ‘A backcomb balayage allows panels of brightness in the ends. Similar to the air touch balayage, the backcomb balayage keeps depth in the roots and the pushed up hair, creating a soft and seamless blend. This is a great way to give brighter, natural looking sun kissed pieces for brunettes. Personally, this is my favourite technique for bob haircuts.’
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10. Stardust Balayage
Glossy pops of colour shine through with this balayage technique. ‘A stardust balayage is when the top section of the hair is not coloured,’ explains Charlie. ‘This means the light palettes are sitting underneath the hair and pop through depending on how the hair is worn. This is great for the brunette or low maintenance girlies.’
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11. Honey Balayage
Warm, honey hues have been a staple in the salon recently, as Charlie highlights: ‘I am so happy that there is starting to be more interest in the warmer tones on blondes. The honey balayage is a beautiful, shiny, and trendy look to have. Its warmth goes super well with green or blue eyes. Because the hair does not need the same amount of lift as the cooler tones need, it results generally in having less porous hair.’
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12. Copper Balayage
It doesn’t have to be all about the blondes and brunettes, either. ‘The copper balayage is a great “show off” look,’ says Charlie. ‘One of my favourite ones to play with, as you can have so much fun creating different saturations, it is limitless. This is great for all the warm brunettes, or even a natural red hair that wants more dimension and colour intensity.’
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