Choosing the Right Highlighting Style or Technique

Admin October 31 2020

Looking for new hair color for the cold weather seasons ahead? You might be thinking about adding highlights, but you’re not sure what to try. You’ve heard about ombre, balayage, foils – but what’s the difference? Today, we’ll help clear up the confusion about different hair highlighting styles and techniques for your fall and winter hair color. 
 

Ombre. Ombre is a two-toned color style that gives you darker hair at the roots, blending into a lighter shade at the end. Its name comes from the French word for shadow because it creates the effect of a shadow on part of your hair. While we see lots of brown-to-blonde ombre styles, it actually works for many combinations of colors, including fantasy colors like blue or purple or more conventional colors like the dark to light blonde or even rich chocolate to red contrast. There are also some variations on the traditional ombre, like the reverse ombre, where the color goes from light at the root to darker on the ends, or sombre, a soft ombre, which has less contrast between the light and dark colors. As you can see, ombre is very versatile and can be personalized so it suits your style perfectly. 
 

Balayage. Balayage is a highlighting technique, not a style. Its name also comes from French and means sweeping, which describes how your professional colorist sweeps the hand-painted color onto your hair for a one-of-a-kind, natural look. Because it’s a technique, it’s not a predetermined shade or contrast, just a way to apply highlight colors to look like they are a natural part of your hair. This also keeps balayage as a low-maintenance option that requires few, if any, touch-ups as it grows out. Because balayage is hand-painted, every head of hair is a work of art, so your look will always be unique.
 

Hand painting. Hand painting is also a freehand highlighting technique, but it’s a little different than balayage. With balayage, your professional colorist colors the top of the strand, leaving natural lowlights for depth and dimension. Hand painting colors both the top and bottom of each strand, which gives you the look of a soft foil in an artistic, hand-painted style.
 

Foils. Foils are the most traditional highlighting technique, where chunks of hair are colored and wrapped in foil to cure, making them stand out from the rest of your hair. The chunky highlights trend we’re seeing more of these days is done with foil. They are less natural-looking but create a bold, high contrast look that’s unique and has an intense dimension.
 

At D’Ametri’s, our hair colorists are experts who can help you choose the perfect highlight style using the best technique to get the look you want! Download our free mobile app, available on iTunes, or Google Play. If apps aren’t your thing, use our convenient online booking tool, visit us at 5760 Olde Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada, CO or call 303-274-7838 to book an appointment.