If you’re looking for a way to revitalize your hair without completely changing your color, highlights and balayage are two popular options. Both techniques help to give your hair depth and dimension, and can be customized to suit your needs.
However, there are some major differences between balayage and highlights you should be aware of before you make your decision. We collected insights from our expert stylists here at PERFECT X HAIR to create this ultimate guide.
Keep reading to learn the differences between balayage and highlights and how to choose the right one for you.
Balayage vs Highlights: What is a Balayage?
Derived from the French word meaning “to sweep”, balayage is a technique for coloring hair which requires a stylist to hand-paint colors and lightening solutions onto different portions of your hair. Most of the time, balayage styles involve adding colors lighter than your base color to the hair, to create a subtle and more natural sense of depth.
However, there are different types of balayage to choose from. For instance, a full balayage includes lightning hair all over your head, while a partial balayage involves applying colors to fewer portions of the hair, creating a “spotlighting” effect.
There’s also a technique known as “reverse” balayage, where your stylist uses darker colors for “lowlights” around the roots, and throughout your strengths. For instance, if you have a blonde balayage that currently looks too brassy, a reverse balayage can help tone it down.
The Pros and Cons of Balayage
Pros
- Natural appearance: Balayage is often more subtle and natural-looking.
- Low maintenance: Balayage styles grow out naturally, requiring less maintenance.
- Versatility: Balayage is suitable for any hair length, color or texture.
- Customization: Stylists can easily customize your look to your specific needs.
Cons
- Cost: Balayage is usually more expensive than traditional highlights
- Skill: Balayage requires a highly skilled stylist with a lot of experience.
- Time: Balayage treatments can require you to spend more time in the salon.
Balayage vs Highlights: What are Highlights?
Highlighting is another partial hair coloring technique which involves using a lightener or hair color to lift the color of certain hair strands. Similar to balayage, this technique is suitable for all hair colors and types. However, unlike a balayage, highlights aren’t applied free-hand.
For the most part, they’re applied to specific portions of the hair using different techniques. For instance, a stylist might use foils to apply highlights to certain sections and chunks of hair. There are also caps available for smaller highlighting processes.
Highlights can come in many different styles, from the trending “peekaboo highlights” option, to babylights, which can create a more subtle effect. Highlights can also be applied to the entire head of hair, or specific sections, depending on the look you want to achieve.
Pros and Cons of Highlights
Pros
- Versatility: Highlights are suitable for any hair color and type, and allow for a wide range of looks.
- Simplicity: Traditional highlights are quick and easy to apply, so you spend less time in the salon.
- Affordability: Most of the time, highlights are more affordable than balayage treatment.
Cons
- Harsher contrast: Highlights create a more dramatic contrast in your hair, making them less ideal for subtle looks.
- Maintenance: Highlights typically require more upkeep and maintenance to retain the same effect.
- Potential damage: Because highlights expose your hair to more heat, there’s additional potential for damage.
Balayage vs Highlights: What’s the Difference?
So, what’s the major difference between these two methods of hair coloring?
Colorists usually recommend highlights to people who want to make a big change to their color, or achieve a more dramatic result. If you want hair with a lot of contrast, highlights can be an ideal option. Balayage creates a more subtle, natural look.
Additionally, in many cases, highlights are often placed closer to the scalp, and applied in specific, balanced sections. Balayage usually starts lower on the hair, and creates a more “graduated” appearance. If you’re looking for non-uniform streaks, or a more subtle set of “sweeping” colors in your hair, balayage might be the better fit.
Another major difference is the maintenance and cost associated with both highlights and balayage. Balayage treatments are often more expensive, and take more time to complete. However, they do require a lot less maintenance, giving you extra value for money in the long term.
Highlights are somewhat less expensive, but because they start so close to the root in most cases, they do require more maintenance and upkeep.
The Overall Comparison
| Balayage | Highlights | |
| Cost | Generally more expensive, but affordable to maintain | Less expensive upfront, but may cost more to maintain |
| Time | Takes longer to apply | Takes less time to apply |
| Look | Soft, blended, and natural looking colors | Deeper contrast, with uniform, structured lines |
| Maintenance | Lower, with less need for frequent touch-ups | Higher, requiring additional treatments and appointments |
| Customization | Highly customizable | Still customizable, but less so than balayage |
| Best hair type | All kinds of hair, particularly hair with light tones | All kinds of hair, particularly hair with darker base tones. |
Balayage vs Highlights: What Should you Choose?
Whether you choose balayage or highlights for your hair all depends on the goals you want to achieve. Both hair styles are extremely popular, and can be fantastic for all kinds of curly, wavy, and straight hair types.
Generally speaking, here are our recommendations.
Choose Balayage If…
If you’re looking for a soft, natural, and subtle sun-kissed look, balayage is the better option. It’s a highly customizable option for hair coloring, and suits a range of hair colors and textures. It’s also a fantastic way to cover gray hair more subtly.
You’ll also benefit more from balayage if you want a low-maintenance approach to your look. Balayage grows out naturally, meaning you won’t need to book as many touch-up appointments to keep your style the same.
Plus, balayage is ideal if you’re worried about damaged hair. Because it doesn’t expose your hair to the same heat involved with traditional foil highlights, you may find that you can keep your hair healthier for longer, even if you already have slightly dry or brittle hair.
Choose Highlights if…
If you want to add dimension, brightness, and significant contrast to your hair, highlights are the better option. Similar to balayage, highlights are great for all different hair colors and textures, and they give your hair or more uniform look from root to end.
You can get much more dramatic lift with a set of highlights than you would with balayage, due to the use of foils. Plus, you’ll be able to experiment with a wide range of colors and styles. Although highlights do require a lot of maintenance, they can also last a long time, depending on how quickly your hair grows.
Additionally, highlights can be a good choice if you’re looking for a dramatic change to your appearance, but don’t want to fully color or bleach your hair. For shorter hair, highlights can also be more effective, as short hair doesn’t offer as much opportunity to create a “sweeping” look.
Maintaining Highlights and Balayage Hair
Regardless of which treatment option you choose – balayage or highlights – it’s worth remembering that your results will depend heavily on how well you look after your hair. Just like any hair coloring process, highlights and balayage can dry out your hair if you’re not careful, so it’s worth making sure you keep your hair well moisturized with masks and conditioners.
A salon may also be able to apply glosses and treatments to your hair that will help to keep it strong, shiny, and looking perfect for longer. Ask your stylist about potential treatment options that will help to maintain your look. They should also be able to give you advice on what kind of products to use.
For instance, if you’re adding blonde highlights to your hair and you want to prevent them from going brassy, a purple shampoo is usually a good option. Use sulphate-free products to prevent color from fading, and avoid exposing your hair to excessive heat.
The Final Takeaway
Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to whether balayage or highlights will be right for you. Both coloring techniques are great, and can help you to achieve a wide range of different looks and styles. The right pick for you all depends on what you want to accomplish with your new style.
If you’re not sure which treatment option to choose, the best option is to seek insights from a professional. Salon experts at PERFECT X HAIR can discuss your hair goals with you, and direct you towards the right service, based on your specific needs.
Contact our team to book a consultation, and start your journey towards perfect hair.
FAQs
Is balayage better than highlights?
Balayage techniques can create a more subtle and natural look than highlights. They also allow for more customization based on your personal characteristics than most traditional highlighting options. However, if you want more contrast in your hair, or a bold change, then highlights may be the better option. It all depends on your hair goals.
Is balayage more expensive than highlights?
Prices vary from one salon to the next, but balayage is often more expensive because it requires more time and expertise to apply this specific treatment to your hair. However, balayage also requires less maintenance and upkeep, so it could save you money in the long term.
Is balayage or highlights better for grey hair?
Balayage is often the better treatment option for grey hair, as it allows for natural blending of greys and white hairs. The hand-painting technique helps to connect your grey roots to the rest of your hair in a way that doesn’t look as dramatic or blocky as highlights.
