CHANGING YOUR HAIR WITH THE SEASONS

There’s one trend in hair that remains from year to year, so much so that it is practically a hair coloring rule of thumb. We all know it. We’ve all seen it. We’ve all heard it: Dye your hair darker for fall and winter, and brighter in spring and summer. And while there’s no shortage of icy blondes in winter and sun-kissed brunettes in summer, there is an influx of coppers and chocolates and rich warmer tones that accompany the never ending Christmas music and pumpkin spice everything that comes when fall rolls around.

Call me traditional, but I love this trend. It allows for a change as subtle or dramatic as you’d like it to be. For me this past fall I made a change from a grown out, bright blonde foil highlight to an all-over, dimensional copper red. I’ll admit it is a bit darker of a color than what I’ve been used to, but I’ve kept it all winter because it is so low maintenance (thanks to Kérastase’s Reflection line of products and Elixir Ultime). The red has faded and changed tone beautifully, and who has time to worry about hair when the holidays are upon us anyway?

However now that we’ve entered the new world of 2018 and spring is sure to come, I, like many of you, now wonder what’s next for my hair journey. What is the easiest and healthiest way to transition back to being bright and light? This stylist’s answer: Balayage.

Balayage (BAH-LEE-ahge or BAH-LAY-ahge) is one of the most popular modern trends in hair coloring techniques today. Translating to “to sweep” or “to paint”, your hairstylist will literally paint the lightener onto sections of hair in upward and downward sweeping motions creating a softly blended, more natural looking, rooty result compared to that of traditionally foiled highlights. Many people enjoy this technique because it allows for a softer grow out, meaning you can often go longer between highlight appointments and therefore put a little less stress on your hair. And if you can’t stand the sight of your roots, your maintenance appointments may only consist of a root color touch up with or without a toner for the highlights depending on your vision for your hair. It’s as easy as that.

So if you don’t know what to do next with your deeper winter locks, “springing” into balayage may be a good option for you. Many UB stylists have a speciality in balayage and are more than happy to consult with you and create your best hair for the season. Let’s make this new year healthy and bright!