Balayage vs. Foil Highlights – What’s The Difference, And Which One is Right For Me?

Summer is in full swing, and that means a lot of people are looking to lighten up their hair to go along with the sunny skies and temperatures.

Two popular methods for lightening up your hair--other than simply going for full, all-over color—are foil highlights, and one of the hottest new hair trends, balayage.

If you’re asking yourself, “What’s the difference? And how do I know which one I should pick?”, then you’re in the right place. Let’s take a closer look:

Balayage – Balayage is great for natural-looking, sun-kissed highlights. It typically features a gradual lightening of the hair from the roots down to the tips, with the most concentration of lighter color being at the tips. Many people like balayage because of its more natural look, since it features a muted root and it literally hand-painted into your hair, making for a softer distribution of color. This also helps to extend the life of your new color because the natural-looking roots will need few, if any, touch-ups, and the grow-out is much more gradual than with foils. However, balayage typically offers less intense blonde, so for those who really want bright, lighter hair, balayage delivers less than foils do.

Foils – If you want more intense, “maximum blonde” all over, foils are the better choice for you. Foil highlights offer more color intensity, making it a great choice for covering gray hairs as well. One way to soften the intensity of the color, or to achieve a cool contrasting look, is to add low-lights on the under-layer of hair during every other touch-up. Foils do tend to look more “patterned” in their distribution, and often require more maintenance than balayage because of the intensity of the color from root to tip.

Why not make an appointment? Cutting Edge By Mora can offer personalized consultation and look at photos to help you determine the exact level of color you are looking for, and recommend whether balayage, foil, or any other method of hair color is right for you, to achieve the look you want.

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Could your hair use some expert help? Call or text Cutting Edge By Mora at (571) 249-6962 with your name and desired service to request an appointment.

Cutting Edge By Mora is located at 3000 N. 10th St., Suite C, in Arlington, Virginia in the Clarendon Metro area.