How to Maintain Your Balayage Colour

Our clients LOVE balayage because it produces natural-looking highlights that transition into the softer shades gradually, creating a 'surfer-girl' look that gets better and better over time as it naturally grows out.

It's relatively low maintenance because the technique isn't applied to your roots and the colour will remain in your hair without frequent follow-up visits to the salon.

However, it is still important that you take care of your balayage hair at home, which preserves the condition of your hair for as long as possible.

However, whilst low maintenance, it's still important that you take care of your new balayage hair at home. This ensures the condition of your hair is preserved for as long as possible.

Follow our top tips below for maintaining your balayage colour at home.

Wait before you wash your hair

As with all freshly coloured hair, we recommend waiting at least 72 hours BEFORE you wash your balayage colour.

Why? The chemicals applied during hair colouring leave the cuticles open (for up to 3 days) and therefore prone to damage.

Hair dye chemically alters your hair structure meaning it's more porous and susceptible to damage so HOLD FIRE on the washing for (at least) 72 hours after your colour appointment.

Treat your hair

Even though balayage is a low-maintenance option, you'll want to make sure you treat your colour-treated locks with a deep conditioner at least once a week to keep the moisture in.

Doing this will ensure your colour stays vibrant and glistening whilst keeping it in mint condition in preparation for your next balayage colour appointment. 

We especially LOVE using K18 - Wash your hair, then squeeze out as much water as you can. 

You’ll want two pumps for shoulder-length hair, working up or down from there in terms of quantity depending on how much hair you have. 

Work the product through your hair, focusing on the lengths and ends, and leave it in for 10 minutes (or longer if you can), then rinse.

Use salon grade shampoo and conditioner

Colour safe shampoos maintain your hair colour and keep it from unnecessarily fading - they also contain hydrating and nourishing ingredients that restore and repair your hair rather than stripping out the colour.

Ask our colourists to recommend a shampoo that will work best for your hair.

One of our favourite ways to maintain a balayage colour at home is by using a salon-quality at-home toner.

Blondes benefit from a silver toner to remove brassy tones and brunettes can use a colour-tinted at-home gloss conditioner.

Using these treatments will brighten your locks and give you a fresh glow between your professional appointments.

Ask our colourists about these options and we can mix up a take-home formulation for you.

Protect your hair from the sun

Even though balayage creates a 'sun-kissed' look, you'll want to make sure you protect your colour-treated hair from the actual sun.

Just like your skin, excessive exposure to UV rays can damage the quality of your hair as it causes your cells into a process called oxidisation.

Oxidisation causes the surface of your hair to break away; and once the surface (or skin) has been broken, the individual cells come in direct contact with air and oxygen molecules which start burning these cells (crazy right!).

The result is a natural bleaching of the individual hair strands and while these highlights might feel like a free hair colour from Mother Nature herself, the hair shaft is actually damaged in the process and cannot retain its natural pigment.

Excessive sun damage will also cause your hair to dry out - and we all know that dry and damaged hair become unruly, dull and hard to manage. No thanks!

Our advice? Wear a headwrap, an updo hairstyle (like a bun/topknot) or tuck your locks into a cap to prevent major damage from the sun.

Otherwise, you can mix 3 teaspoons of UV protection (regular sunscreen) with a cup and a ½ of water and place in a spray bottle and shake.

Apply to the hair and reapply after 2-3 hours - remembering that the ends of your hair are the oldest and therefore the most susceptible to damage.

Balayage is BEAUTIFUL and by taking charge of your at-home maintenance, you can preserve your hair health and give yourself that 'lived-in', GLOWY hair you've been looking for.