Best Balayage Highlights NYC; Highlights, Balayage, Ombre or Color?

When it comes to hair color, you basically have 3 options: highlighting, single-process color or double process. Here are a few tips to help you sort out the best option for your hair.

To Color or to Highlight, That’s the Question

If you have a great base hair tone, you’re better off with highlights. You don’t want to mess with nature or your natural hair color; what you want to do is enhance it. If your base color washes out your skin tone or is “blah,” consider single-process color.

Highlights look best when the colorist uses at least two different shades. More highlights around the face, usually can brighten your complexion.

With highlights, the colorist would be using more than one color, not just bleach. Great highlights should be layered to produce tonal variations. There should be lights, mediums and darks to create depth and translucence in the hair. Highlighting should be like painting a masterpiece and you can’t do that with just one color.

Keep in mind that due to root growth, all-over coloring will need to be touched up every three to six weeks, while highlights can last up to two or three months. We always, highly recommend a gloss/glaze treatment following your color. Gloss/glaze boosts color and makes hair shinier.

You’re Going for Highlights, But Which Kind?

There are basically 4 types of highlights: basic foil highlights, balayage or “hair painting,” chunking or “piecing” and lowlighting.

Foil highlights add strands of color to hair. You can get up to 5 different shades in hair for a more natural look.

Balayage, or “hair painting,” allows the stylist to add natural stripes of color to hair in large or smaller swaths. This is best for women with a great base color who want to go just a couple shades lighter.

Lowlighting allows the colorist to add darker shades to hair. This gives color more contrast. A 3D effect.

Should You Do Your Color At Home Yourself?

Absolutely NOT! Especially if you want a drastic change, don’t do it yourself. Definitely go to a professional.