If you’re at all into hair, balayage is a term you’ve probably heard thrown around a lot lately. But if you’re having trouble figuring out the difference between balayage, ombre, sombre, babylights and all the other buzzwords that those “every day’s a great hair day” girls are hashtagging their salon chair selfies with, don’t stress.
What is balayage hair?
A little education: Balayage isn’t a specific color or look, but rather the actual technique that stylists use to apply highlights. The name means “paint” or “sweep” in French, so with balayage, the dye is applied to the hair freehand, using vertical strokes and no foil, as if you were painting color onto the hair. This way, the stylist can easily build the level of color from the mid-shaft to the ends so that the results are softer, more natural-looking and grow out without screaming, “I haven’t been to the salon in a while.” And because it’s not really something that non-pros can achieve at home, balayage is head-turning and luxe looking.
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What kind of hair works best for balayage?
The method isn’t just used for getting those sun-kissed highlights that have made celebs like Miranda Kerr, Naomie Harris and Sarah Jessica Parker fall in love with it — balayage can also be a little wild. When the technique is combined with mermaid colors, an on-trend galaxy palette or silver granny hair, you get a rich ombre that blends two or three (or five) vibrant hues seamlessly. Plus, because balayage hair color is never harsh, it turns out amazing on all base colors and hair textures.
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So whether you’re ready for candy-colored hair or are just experimenting with highlights for the first time, balayage is a versatile choice. To prove it, we’ve rounded up 50 of the most lust-worthy balayage hair color ideas from celebrities, models, hairstylists and Instagram It girls that will make you want to get to the salon stat.
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50 Balayage Hair Color Ideas
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Go Blonder
Prepare your locks for winter with a conditioning treatment and brightening balayage. "I like to go blonder during the colder months," wrote blogger Pam Hetlinger.
Image: @pamhetlinger
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Natural Peanut Butter
"She wanted it natural. She wanted it to have pop. She wanted it to look like fall. She wanted it to have different tones," wrote colorist Julius Michael (also the stylist behind Jenny McCarthy's "hot bitch pink" transformation). He hand painted these peanut butter, golden and beige tones and put even more polish on the autumn look with a smooth blowout.
Image: @juliusmichael1
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Faded Purple to Gray
Balayage gives colored hair tons of dimension. We love the mellow but still eye-catching shade of these wavy tresses, which fade softly from muted purple to gray.
Image: @preendotme via @little_lele_scissorhands
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Angelic Baby Blonde
The subtle platinum highlights in this "angelic baby blonde" balayage color are stunning. This babylights look was created by Victoria, British Columbia hairstylist Tressa Yanchuk.
Image: @tressesbytress
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Balayage Brown Hair
Ask for a rich autumn look with this caramel brownie balayage blend. "Loving these rich warm fall tones!!" wrote hairstylist Malyssa Hallock.
Image: @mal_joy
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Dimensional Copper Red
Haven't you also wanted to let out your inner redhead? This "dimensional copper red" lets red-hot ginger tones shine.
Image: @houseofcabelo
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Sleek Balayage Highlights
They say that the mark of a really talented balayage artist is whether the finished result can be worn sleek and smooth without the color looking too choppy or streaky. This platinum fade by Ahna Spencer certainly passes muster!
Image: @blondebanannas
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Balayage Black Hair to Blonde
Who says you can't go blonde and stay natural at the same time? This balayage dark hair look celebrates your natural hair color at the roots, but fades to an ashy blonde at the ends for just a little more fun.
Image: @che.r.mariano
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Warm Mahogany Brown Hair Balayage
This luxe mahogany tone will keep you warm all winter. In-demand hairstylist Gina Bottoni transformed brunette into something really special with this balayage look.
Image: @gina_bott
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Beautiful Blend
For those who say there's no difference between ombre and balayage, check out this amazing color correction by Nickole Canestrale. Though the roots and ends are totally different shades, the beautiful hand-painted tones blend naturally.
Image: @colorwithnickole
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Fiery Redhead
Fan the flames of hair jealousy with this fiery balayage. The swept-back, face-framing highlights make this redhead style so much more intense.
Image: @blancnoirhair
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Natural Balayage
Curly lifestyle blogger Whitney White proves that girls with natural hair need not be afraid of livening up their look with balayage highlights. She recommends keeping from the root to about eye-level in your most flattering natural color with deep ombre highlights at the ends for more dimension. The pretty color shines brightest, she says, in a wash-and-go style.
Image: @naptural85
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Contoured Balayage
Believe it or not, hair contouring is now a thing and it's done not with makeup, but with balayage. Hairstylist Nick Penna told Allure that Sarah Jessica Parker's 'do is a great example of how placing hand-painted highlights near the sides of a naturally oblong face give it a wider appearance. "The blonde pieces right next to her forehead travel down to her chin area, drawing the eye to the sides, which emphasizes the width," explained Penna. "The tops and underneath sections of hair are dark, which serve as the shadow pieces that try to minimize the length of her face."
Image: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Entertainment
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Galaxy Balayage
The galaxy trend for hair and nails is undeniably out of this world. To get this stellar style, ask for shades of indigo, magenta, teal, violet and blue balayaged onto a jet-black base color.
Image: @venalove
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Copper Lowlights
Here's a fresh 'do for ladies who love short cuts. "Copper balayaged lowlights w/hints of blonde" add depth to an asymmetrical cut.
Image: @hairbychanel_c
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High Gloss
Make your balayage as cover-worthy as Chiara Ferragni's with a high-shine treatment. Her colorist Matt Rez wrote: "Sometimes a gloss can really give pop to your color and refresh desired tones!"
Image: @balayagebymatt
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Lighten Up
Makeup artist @sheikhbeauty lightened up her naturally dark hair with a golden balayage. "I'm getting use [sic] to this blonde/ash/grey tone in my hair," she wrote the day before posting this #carselfie.
Image: @sheikhbeauty
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Gray Brunette
This curly girl got some gray balayaged into her naturally brunette spirals and used a shine product to define both the curl and color. "My hair is usually so frizzy but I used @axishair Mōr oil and I'm frizz free!!" she wrote.
Image: @sahargolestani
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Dark Hair With Highlights
Jenna Dewan Tatum's balayage highlights are the perfect example of the "less is more" effect. Her golden-brown babylights are really limited to her underneath layer so that they blend naturally with her darker primary color and play peekaboo to catch the light.
Image: Brian To/WENN.com
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Balayage Highlights Transformation
Do you think this blondie's friends will recognize her after her hair transformation? Russian hairstylist Nikita Zhelezniy created this princess hair by balayaging on Wella Blondor Freelights, then sealing in the magic with a treatment called Olaplex.
Image: @nik_zhelezniy
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Dreamy Fishtail
Fashion blogger Mimi Ikonn's dreamy fishtail gives us major hair envy. Braiding (whether as intricate as this style or not) makes balayage hair color look even more incredible.
Image: @mimiikonn
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Low-Maintenance Roots
Because balayage highlights are painted on vertically for a more natural-looking result, the technique allows you to skip a few salon sessions without developing a harsh growth line. Low-maintenance beauties can ask for rooty blond waves like Elizabeth Olsen's without having to worry about expensive upkeep.
Image: Dominique Charriau/Getty Images Entertainment
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Rose Gold
Rose gold balayage hair color this good makes you want to wear nothing but. The warm, metallic tones are gorgeous with her bronzed skin.
Image: @miss_campbell1
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Toffee and Caramel
"For the world premiere of Spectre, we wanted Naomie Harris to stand out on the red carpet and for her colour to almost change when seen from different angles. I used a combination of luminous toffee and caramel autumn tones, creating a soft natural yet glamorous-chic result in the hair," Jennifer Lil Buckley dished to Independent Style.
Image: Lexi Jones/WENN.com
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Milk Chocolate Balayage
Celebrity hairstylist George Papanikolas told Byrdie that actress Caterina Scorsone's seamless balayage is best achieved when highlights are hand painted on a chocolate base shade. "If you are starting with a naturally dark base, you may need to lighten your base color to achieve the milk chocolate foundation," he explained.
Image: Dennis Van Tine/Future Image/WENN.com
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Black to Blonde
This girl pulled a Kim Kardashian and went blonde despite the odds. Luckily, balayage gives really natural-looking results. This hair 180 was captioned: "Second session from black virgin hair."
Image: @excellenthairsalon
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Cool Fall Color
"Not all fall colors need to be warm," was the caption on this cool autumn look. This ashy brown was babylighted and balayaged with mauve tones for a luscious result.
Image: @balayagedandpainted via @via_kiiim
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Dusty Violet Rose
If your hair motto is "go purple or go home," look no further than this awesome silvery purple balayage using Fanola hair color. The hairstylist calls the freehand color "dusty violet rose."
Image: @sammiiwang
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Balayage Brown Hair Tortoiseshell
"The tortoise look is the evolution of Ombre and Balayage. It has a similar effect of lighter ends, but it's more subtle and blended with honey and amber tones. It’s subtle sophistication with a modern effect," Papanikolas told Examiner.com, explaining why hand-painted highlights like Kelly Rowland's are so chic. The singer turned heads with this tortoiseshell look at the Public School exhibition during New York Fashion Week.
Image: Mireya Acierto/Getty Images Entertainment
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Bangin' Balayage Brown Hair
Bangs and highlights can be a tricky combination, but Halle Berry's recently debuted 'do is all the proof we need that balayage bangs really work. Face-framing highlights give her a free-spirited vibe and the vivid color of this post-divorce blond "breakover" completely lights up the actress' look.
Image: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images Entertainment
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Pumpkin Spice
We often think of summer as the time to chop off long locks, but a drastic hair makeover is just as welcome in autumn. Celebrate all things fall with this pumpkin spice-inspired color and fresh lob.
Image: @salonjosephkenneth
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Caramel Balayage Ombre
Face-framing caramel highlights look ridiculously pretty in balayage dark hair. "Blending in a beautiful shade of caramel with a rich darker base was the perfect combination choice resulting in hair that will create a buzz!" wrote the stylist.
Image: @gmichaelsalon
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Sun-Kissed Highlights
Miranda Kerr's hair is key to her eternally sun-kissed vibe. Her signature streaks are balayaged from root to tip, but kept close to the face for a natural, subtle glow.
Image: Brian Dowling/WENN.com
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Lived-In Color
Celebrity hairstylist Jack Howard told Hairdressing.uk that he plays with a combination of "Babylights throughout for a gradual blended minimal look, and a face frame of Balayage around the front" for a warm, lived-in look like Nicole Scherzinger's. The amber, honey and golden blond highlights complement her skin tone beautifully.
Image: Michael Stewart/Getty Images Entertainment
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Surfer Highlights
Believe it or not, Cat Deeley's perfect surfer highlights are painted by hand. The actress' colorist Negin Zand explained to Fear No Beauty that this effortless, summery look was achieved by sweeping the color down so that it gets more saturated toward the ends, creating a subtle ombre look that mimics children's sun-lightened hair.
Image: Apega/WENN.com
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Super Long Highlights
Balayage creates a two-tone effect that's softer than a traditional ombre, as seen on Lily Aldridge. With her long, Victoria's Secret model locks, the highlights, which don't even start until her chin, give Lily a free-spirited vibe.
Image: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Entertainment
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Beach Blonde
Being the beach babe that she is, one-tone hair color just wouldn't work on Gisele Bündchen. The supermodel opts for shimmery, balayage highlights that lighten up her whole face.
Image: Alberto Reyes/WENN.com
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Strawberry Curls
Balayage is an excellent way to add depth and interest to your own hair color if you're not feeling a huge change. Golden ribbons of highlights painted throughout really enhance this beauty's natural color and curl without looking too fake.
Image: @minthairstudio
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Rust Spirals
Writer Janet Mock keeps her fabulous curls looking fresh with balayage. Her multifaceted rust color is an ultra versatile choice for anyone with naturally black hair — not to mention you can skip a few sessions and it will grow out into an enviable ombre.
Image: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage/Getty Images Entertainment
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Pearl Blonde
To update your #blondebalayage for fall and winter, consider this pearl blonde over sunnier highlights. A shade more natural than the full granny hair trend, this icy color is perfect for cool skin tones with a subtle pink pastel shimmer that gives hair a lavish look.
Image: @classycutshampton
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Dark Hair With Highlights
Avon global colorist Lorri Goddard told Allure that she recommends balayage to brunettes who are experimenting with going blonde. She helped transition Jennifer Lawrence's raven hair from The Hunger Games films toward her current beachier look and recommends "gently hand-painting on different shades of lightening cream without foil to mimic the effect of the sun."
Image: Susan Dopke/Future Image/WENN.com
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Smoky Pearlescent
Even the stylist found it hard not to be obsessed with this smoky pearlescent hair color. "I totally wish this was my hair," she wrote. She balayaged a ribbon of blue onto the bottom half of an ashy base color with a pearl of violet hand painted onto the mid-shaft.
Image: @venalove
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Balayage Ombre Updo
A classic chignon is given a touch of edge with balayage blond tips that peek through at the nape. This bridal look finds the perfect balance between timeless and trendy.
Image: @sonersactasarim
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Opalescent
Check out the before, during and after of this multifaceted 'do. The stylist balayaged pink, seafoam and lavender streaks onto a blond ombre base with grown-out brunette roots for a whimsical, opalescent finish. The colors are just washed out enough so that it's bright, but not obnoxious.
Image: @sydniiee
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Champagne Rose
Who says your roots have to be natural? Inspired by a delicate rose, this balayage hair color takes the rooty blond look that's trending now and adds a bloom of dusty pink at the roots to a champagne bob.
Image: @siren_salon
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Blue and Coral Pastels
This blue and coral colormelt uses balayage for a balayage hair color that's perfectly pastel. A double-braided half-back style puts the finishing touch on this fairy tale look.
Image: @doug_theo
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Glam Highlights
Chrissy Teigen gets her glam blond balayage from celeb colorist Tracey Cunningham. For her Cali-girl streaks, the stylist uses traditional highlighting with hand-painted balayage at the tips for extra blondness. You can hand your stylist the exact formula for this look from Modern Salon.
Image: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty Images Entertainment
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Candy-Colored Gray
Have even more fun with the granny hair trend via some neon highlights. Ask your stylist to balayage in some candy-colored yellow and pink ribbons to get this creative style.
Image: @marije_salonb
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Brunette Honey Chop
We were obsessed with Jourdan Dunn's chin-length chop, but what really made the look stand out was her cool-girl balayage. Honey blond highlights transformed her natural brunette and that edgy wave nailed it.
Image: Lia Toby/WENN.com
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Smoked Out Silver
Edgy girls will freak over this smoked out silver balayage hair color. The slightly ombre look uses a Schwarzkopf silver formula with a charcoal shadow root effect.
Image: @bescene
