Hair Color Trends: Ombre, Balayage, Splashlights

When you hear about the latest hair crazes today, there are always a few key words that keep popping up. Ombré, Balayage, Color Melt, Splashlights. You see it on Instagram, all over Facebook, creeping up on you on Tumblr, and in a lot of cases, the wrong picture has been given the wrong terminology. I would like to clarify this for everyone, by explaining the differences between the terms, the difficulty of the services themselves, when to use the appropriate service, and how long it takes to achieve the results you want.

What’s the Difference?

We’re going to focus on the terms Ombré and Balayage for the sake of this article. These terms are normally lumped together when you’re browsing online and looking at new and trendy styles. Even though you may think you’re explaining yourself correctly, you could be using the wrong term for the outcome you actually want.

Ombré: In the fashion world, this term was used to describe a type of color gradation that shifts from light to dark. It is synonymous with Color Melt. It is not considered a technique, but a visual style of hair color. There are many different ways that this look can be achieved. It can sometimes appear more dramatic, as the color is not scattered about the hair in small sections, but as one large graduation of color. 

Balayage: It was originally a mathematic, french word that means scanning or sweeping. It was used to describe harmonic functions in potential theory, which actually has nothing to do with hair, but bear with me now. This is a technique used to paint the hair in such a way that it creates a graduated and more natural looking effect to the hair. Splashlights are also similar visually—however, they are more dramatic with accentuation in the center of the hair, not at the ends.

 

Easy As Pie…Right?

Wrong. Even if you and your hairdresser know exactly what you want, in most instances it isn’t achievable in just one visit. Hair trends come and go, but usually bleach (and sometimes hair color) is forever. If you haven’t colored your hair in 1 year, that means there are only 6 inches of new hair at your scalp, and everything at the bottom still has all your previous hair endeavors trapped inside of it.

Black to Blonde, or really any variation of dark to light. When trying to achieve lighter colors on darker hair, you should always expect a transition stage where things aren’t perfect, but they're on their way. Color removers may not give you a perfect result instantly, but they work in a much kinder way than anything you can get at your local beauty supply. Even if you’re a natural hair color kind of person, you can’t change genetics. The darker your hair is, the longer this process will take. 

Bleached tips can sometimes make the process of lightening the hair much more, challenging. Even though we are’t working against dark color, the hair has already been compromised. Bleaching over the already lightened hair a second time could prove to be fatal for your strands.

Color build up can create hurdles for a hairdresser to combat. Box color, professional color, temporary color—all can cause problems.

What? When? Why? All of the Above.

I know these words are tempting for you to use when talking to your hairdresser—however, you may not get the results you're hoping for. Often times, pictures online are tagged incorrectly, given a thousand hashtags to boot, and photoshopped so much, that it’s not even close to the original, nor anything feasibly possible to be done to the hair. That perfect picture you found of how you'd like to leave today may be a process that was achieved over two or as many as six appointments. 

If you're looking for an ombré,  know that you are asking for a style of hair color, not a specific technique. If you’re not ready to commit to anything long term, ombré may just be the style you're looking for. The ends of your hair are drenched in color, while everything at the root area is left natural. You may only have to get to your desired color once (that may still mean multiple appointments), but after you have achieved the lightness you're looking for, you will only have to glaze color over the ends sporadically to keep up with the style, if you’re not looking for long term color.

If you do want long term color on your ends, having your hair balayaged might be for you. Balayage is a technique used to create lightness throughout the hair, with more subtlety towards the root area, and a brighter pop of color at the ends. This creates a pattern that your hairdresser can follow and maintain for you in future visits. 

If you’re looking to break up all of your color evenly, highlights are your solution. This can be achieved by picking up strands of hair and placing them in foils with the desired coloring or lightening product. This is the easiest maintenance for you and your hairdresser, but is also done the most often. It can also be used a stepping off point for creating more lightness slowly over time. This can be the best, and healthiest way to get your hair transitioned into another color.

Got The Time? You’re Gonna Need It…

With any color service, know that it takes time. However, the more complicated the service, the more time you’ll be spending in the chair. Highlights are the quickest at a minimum of 2 hours, and that’s not including shampooing, toning, and styling. Ombré and Balayage compete for length of time, depending on the lightness desired, length and density of hair, and total hair health. If you’re looking for that Instagram hair, expect to sit for roughly 4 hours, per appointment. Why? As professionals, we want to keep your hair healthy. We understand that you want what you want, but ethically we can't rush the process, due to the risk of damaging your hair. If you’re willing to sit through the hours and pay a little more, you’ll be happy with what you see and feel, and healthy hair looks better with any color look.