How to take care of your Balayage
You just got your hair done, spent hours in your stylists chair, and just 2 weeks later your color doesn't seem to be as fresh and beautiful as it was? The first step to your perfect color is your hair stylists job, the second part although is more in your hands than you might think!
Keep reading for tips and tricks on how to keep your Balayage beautiful!
How do I keep my Balayage fresh and beautiful?
#1 Wait to wash your hair
One of the biggest mistakes made with freshly colored hair, is to shampoo your hair the day after a color service! There's a few reasons on why to wait, but the biggest and most simple to understand reason is, the protective outside layer of your hair needs some time after a color service to fully close again. Pigment that was deposited during a color process can easier be washed out when the hair strand didn't fully close again.
#2 Get the right products
Depending on your specific color, you need to use the right shampoo, conditioner AND MASK! I will soon write a post about why everyone should use hair masks!
Ashy and cool toned colors are more likely to have to use a purple or silver shampoo and conditioner! Warm brown, caramel, beige shades usually use color protection shampoo and conditioner!Red and copper colors are sometimes easier to maintain with a specific red toned shampoo and conditioner! Having said that, make sure to ask your stylist to recommend the perfect product for you, they know what products they used for color and by evaluating your hair (thickness, sensitivity, scalp check and on...) they will know exactly what's good for your personal haircare!
#3 Use your hair products right
Wash your hair as usual. If you use a mask, towel dry your hair, apply mask, let it sit for the recommended time and rinse well. Apply conditioner and rinse very good! Reason: Shampoo and water open the hair cuticle, mask deposits nutrients, conditioner closes your hair! If you just treat your hair with a mask but don't use conditioner your hair will most likely look and feel gross!
#4 Use heat protectant before blow drying or curling
Very simply, the healthier your hair is, the longer your color looks amazing! So before you blow dry your hair, make sure to apply a heat protector or a product that provides heat protection! Most of the professional styling products already include heat protection!
And then last but not least, you don't have to get your full Balayage done every 4-6 weeks like traditional color or highlights, but it's good to go in for little maintenance appointment in between to get the most out of your Balayage. More to that soon in another post!
I hope I could help with this post and I'm excited to hear from you if those tips helped you to keep your Balayage bright and shiny!
XOXO Sarah
Sarah Bigley Beauty
Balayage specialist, West Bend, Wisconsin