Should You Choose Balayage or Ombre for Your Next Color Treatment?

Solid color hairstyles are still popular, but there’s a growing trend towards variations of highlights. Whether your hair is dark or light, short or long, there’s a highlighting treatment that can match your hair type and your style. Two of the most popular treatments are balayage and ombre.

Balayage vs. Ombre: What’s the Difference?

Both highlighting treatments lighten your hair towards the end. But the difference is in the journey. Ombres are more dramatic, with a distinct color fade line where the lighter tones are introduced. Balayage treatments are more gradual, with different sections of your hair lightening up closer to the top for a more natural highlighted look.

There’s also a difference in the application method. Balayage treatments are painted onto your hair. This control lets stylists use the color to frame your face. Ombre treatments often use color melting for that distinct and dramatic color shift.

What’s the right choice for your hair?

Both highlighting styles can be a perfect fit for your hair, no matter what length and style you have. Darker hair works really well with balayage color treatments because it’s easier to work in tonal varieties as the hair lightens up. If you have shorter hair or you want a non-natural hair color like purple or blue, then ombre treatments are a better fit.

Ultimately, the best way to find the right choice for your hair is to find a picture and talk to a stylist. That picture operates as a great starting place for a conversation because a stylist can ask what you do and don’t like about the image. But a stylist can help find a compromise between that picture and your hair; not every picture is possible to duplicate.

Go to Shelley’s Day Spa and Salon to browse our gallery of finished looks and to schedule an appointment.