Time for something new - Balayage

Balayage continues to be one of the most popular colour services in the salon, but how can you update it for 2017, and what else should you be offering clients?

While clients love the easy, free and non-committal nature of balayage, is it time for a refresh? And how can you persuade clients in love with the service to upgrade and try something new.

“Balayage has been a client favourite and it’s not hard to see why. It’s a so, beautiful seamless merge from dark into light with the darker colour usually being quite close to the client’s natural shade,” explains Clayde Baumann from D&J Ambrose, Pinner, Middlesex. “is means that the technique is fairly low maintenance, so is gentler on the pocket. e downside for the hairdresser is you’re losing up to half your potential appointments annually with these clients.”

Colour contouring

So are services such as colour contouring the next big thing? It’s easy to wear, easy to apply and bespoke to each client. “I think the time has come to move clients towards more bespoke techniques. I also believe we should reintroduce techniques that have waned in popularity and look at revamping them,” says Clayde. “I would love to see more graphic, block colour placement make a return, perhaps with an element of organic and uid placement and clever colour choice to keep it beautiful.”

Menu changes

While colourists may be wanting a change, persuading your client to take the plunge may take more convincing. One way is to move all balayage services from the trend-led colour menu onto the classic colour menu. “It’s good to prime your client with the knowledge that you want to change her look at the next appointment, then give her some suggestions to take home and think about. Most clients come back with an excited attitude towards their new look. Balayage has now been in the colour bar for the last ve years. is is no longer a trend but a staple colour technique. If we want to keep our clients, it’s imperative that we start bringing some new, innovative techniques out.”

Gemma Amura from Paul Mitchell agrees and believes ombré and blending can work side by side. “Balayage essentially blends tones from darker at the roots to lighter at the ends. Contouring, however, can be used as more of a concept for analysing the guests face shape and customising their balayage to suit their individual needs. Inevitably all colour services start with a consultation looking at client’s face shape, skin tone and eye colour,” she adds.

Green future

So what is the next big thing? Pantone named Greenery as its Colour of the Year, and Instagram is bursting with bright bold colours from fuchsia to canary yellow. “We’ve seen pinks, blues, greys and lilacs so it was only a matter of time before green came into the mix,” says Paul Dennison from Ken Picton Salon, Cardiff. “There’s so many options for this shade, from deep teals through to soft mints via pine and emerald. There’s a green out there for everyone; the only question is how bold you dare to go!”

There’s not just lots of tone choices, but it’s great news for salon business as it is a high-mainenance colour. “The colour has to be applied on prelightened hair and the client must be educated in keeping their tresses in good condition to make sure the colour looks it’s best,” explains HJ’s current Southern Hairdresser of the Year Anne Veck. “It’s like a coat of nail polish for your hair – it won’t last forever, but that means clients can change it as oen as they like to match their outfit.”

“I’ve created Colour Blast with Wella Professionals, to engage hairdressers and start a conversation about colour. There are 12 colours that are touch points of what we will see in nails, fashion and hair. So if you take the colour green – clients may not necessarily have it on their hair, but they may wear green nails, or a green shirt. People are seeing colours everyday on Instagram and Pinterest and this helps influence and inspire them.” Josh Wood, Wella Professionals