#1: Caramel Bronde Balayage with Loose Waves on Thick Lengths
The colorist focused the brightness of the color from the middle to the ends of the hair while keeping the roots a bit darker. This is called hand-painted balayage, and it helps create a nice seamless ombre look at the very ends. This can be done on thick, medium, and coarse hair. However, in fine hair, this look will be streaky as the painted sections are closer together. Color grow out will look clean for a long time because the color is painted on a narrow range, and the warm caramel and honey colors are only one single color zone. On thin hair it will look flat, and will lack dimension. The shape of your face here doesn’t matter that much because you see it from the back. The long layers are very minimal and the waves look quite separated due to the internal movement. It’s easy to see how even the wave pattern is, and that suggests it was done with one barrel size for the whole lot in one go and the ends were left unbent. It will be really difficult to recreate this at home because it’s an intentional wave pattern.
#2: Mushroom Brunette Balayage on Long Soft Layers
The difficulty to achieve and maintain a balayage is very high. This appears to be a hand painted balayage from natural dark brunette roots, cooling and melting to a blonde base that looks almost purple at times. If you look closely, you can see lightened pieces that aren’t even; some strands go through a mid that stops the look from going to an ombre. Thick coarse hair like this carries the gradient well because there’s enough volume for the transition to feel smooth. Thin hair, as opposed to this, does not carry the transition well. The long layers have very few pieces, just enough so that the waves can separate without it being too much weight at the bottom to let the weight be lost at the bottom. Water at your house needs to be hard and purple shampoo won’t save it. You’ll need to refresh your toner before 6 to 8 weeks or you’ll lose the nice tones.
#3: Champagne Beige Blonde with Old Hollywood Body
There is much activity going on with the roots. Above, we have some cool lilac tones and some warm beige that makes up the midshaft. This color contrast helps to keep the crown from appearing flat or one-dimensional. The result here is a single process toner on pre-lightened hair and not a balayage which means the color is uniform and glossy in a way that requires dense and healthy hair. If your hair is thin or fine, you will struggle to maintain this level of gloss without it appearing wispy. The length is past the shoulders and with no layers, so all that movement comes from styling and will fall flat before hour four. Unless you have thick hair of medium to coarse texture. If your hair is like that and you are looking for a blonde that feels muted rather than bright, then this is genuinely worth the upkeep.
#4: Honey Blonde Melt with Soft Curled Lengths
Your root area is working overtime. At your crown there is a nice dark blonde that fades into a warm honey colour. That’s a paint and not a foil because it looks like a hack dye job that blended super slowly over several inches. The hair is thick and long past mid-back and is only slightly layered so the ends alone do all the moving. If that colouring was done on finer hair it would look extremely flat, but here there is enough to reflect the light beautifully. If your natural base colour is darker than a 6, expect multiple appointments to achieve this honey shade and be prepared for maintenance. This colour goes brassy very quickly and without a good toner routine to keep it in check, you will be fighting your hair. For those with naturally thick warm hair who sit anywhere from dark blonde to light brunette, this is a super naturally lifted look.
#5: Buttery Blonde Melt on Thick Wavy Lengths
This color transition is very tricky to master. The roots are at a level 6 natural ash brown, and blend to a level 9 blonde with no line of demarcation, meaning this was done freehand and took hours. For this look to work, you need a lot of hair so the tips aren’t too blonde and causing that ‘see-through’ effect. The last inch of hair is a little drier than the rest, and that’s the reality of coloring hair that many levels. If you have fine hair, the fade effect will look very stripy. The ideal client is someone with a natural hair color of medium brown, as the grow out looks clean for a long time. If your natural hair color is very dark, starting from light bases to dark ends means you will get grow out that creates harsh lines which no toner will fix as the hair grows out.
#6: Cool Ash Bronde with Fine Foil Highlights on Loose Layers
Some ashy or gray tones will show up in some lighting, and the way it is all evened out looks, toned and intentional as you said, instead of just lifted and left. That cooler shift is how the highlights steer clear of looking like just any ordinary balayage. The highlights done here are traditional foils done close to the roots in some areas and further down in others to create that blend of brightness and depth underneath the hair. The hair in question has a medium density with long layers that create movement more towards the middle of the hair and not so much at the ends. Placed this way on fine hair creates a sparse and stripy look, so it is important to have enough hair to fill the spaces between the lighter pieces. If your natural base is darker than a level 5, keeping this tone will be expensive as it will require regular toner appointments due to the warmth that will inevitably show through after six weeks.
#7: Bronde Balayage with Tapered Density Through the Lengths
The tips being much thinner than the mid shaft is a great advantage. It prevents the length from feeling heavy or shapeless, allowing the waves to separate instead of clumping together. This is hand-painted balayage done within a very narrow tonal range, probably only two levels of lift at the most. Everything is kept warm in the brown to caramel family. If your natural base is around a level 5 or 6, this really is low commitment, especially with medium to thick hair. On fine hair, those ends will just look sparse. From this angle, not considering face shape, the lack of layering around the front implies that those with a round or square face will not receive any framing benefit unless you instruct your stylist to add some pieces on top.
#8: Jet Brunette with Whisper-Thin Caramel Ribbons on Heavy Waves
Light pieces within this look can come from through a range of lighting conditions and this is made possible through a fantastic painted balayage technique! The colorist has used a caramel tone and kept in concentrated at the bottom and very few threads above so the crown looks almost black. The effect works especially well on this thick, dense hair that has enough body to hold those loose waves. The look has to be balanced, if your hair is fine or of low density, the scattered pieces will look accidental rather than intentional. The one-length cut with no visible layering keeps the weight nicely at the bottom and the sorts of flat, sleek root areas tell me the top was smoothed with a flat iron before the mids were curled. This looks like a real commitment every time you style and if you want a wash and go colour then this is certainly not it.
#9: Dark Plum Brunette with Wine-Red Depth on Long Waves
Unless the light hits it a certain way, it’s just dark brown and that can be hit or miss. This almost black base has a subtly reddish violet tone that leans more demi-permanent than heavy lift. See the ends? They’re that beautiful burgundy color, but the roots are nearly black. For this to look it’s best, you need a good amount of hair to really display it. If your hair is finer it’s going to look dark, and that’s about it. For certain, the beautiful highlights aren’t going to show. The really long soft layers are subtle, and added to help create that nice soft wave instead of losing weight at the bottom. If you don’t use color safe products, it’s going to fade quickly and look muddy. On cool and neutral skin tones, it will be beautiful and works on almost all face shapes. The length, and no face framing layers keep it simple.
#10: Near-Black Brunette with Barely-There Chestnut Glow
This color is only reflective under certain light and about how much color is put into it, you will probably be disappointed. Under certain conditions, this color may appear as a solid dark brown. The colorist did a fine hand-painted balayage, meaning she painted warm chestnut tones into the color and then blended it to concentrate at the bottom where the wave pattern lightens. A lot of the work is distracted by dense heavy hair because the weight of the hair is what holds the waves. With finer hair, the same cut and color as this hair would not show as much as what is shown. The ends of the hair are blunt, heavy and layered at the perimeter. Personally, I think that indicates the hair is very full, which I prefer for this kind of body in the hair. If you are dark naturally, and want something that isn’t much of a color change, this is perfect for you.
#11: Cool Ash Brunette with Scattered Light Pieces on Wavy Lengths
The placement of the pieces is interesting. The fine pieces are not clustered around the face and do not stack like most balayages but are instead woven into the mid-lengths in a more random placement. Placement looks as if the hair lightened naturally over a hot summer. It takes a lot of restraint not to over do it. The base color is a deep cool brunette and ashy foils which means this will not suit anyone very fair or with pink undertones. On olive and mid tones it is brilliant. This is thick, dense hair, and long layers are cut to hold weight at the bottom and the wave shape holds really well because there is bulk to support it. This won’t be the case with fine hair. You’ll end up with flat ribbons where these full waves are and the color will be stripy instead of woven.
#12: Warm Chestnut Gloss with Full-Body Curled Lengths
There’s no filter on this pic, given that the color gloss or glaze over a warm brunette base reflects light from root to tip, and shows no signs of matte patches. The amount of density also plays a huge role in size of the curls. If your hair is of medium or fine density, no product will help achieve this and the result will fall flat within an hour. The cut here is one length or close to it with a few minimal layers, so all that weight keeps from the bottom and so the curls can all stack on amazing. For coarse, thick or high density hair, this is genuinely stunning and color like this is the type that looks expensive without being complicated. It is also important to mention the warm copper undertones in the midshaft that can look natural in warm lighting but can pull orange under cool fluorescents if the toner formula isn’t precise.
#13: Deep Mahogany Brunette with Feathered Layering
The layers only start to move from the middle of the back and down. This is on purpose to keep the top half of this section heavy and sleek. The bottom third fans out in soft, feathered pieces. This works with thick, dense hair only. If the hair is fine, the ends would look really stringy because the hair would look as though it was cut to the same length all around. The color looks to be a cool-leaning mahogany, somewhere between dark cherry cola and natural brunette, maybe a semi-permanent gloss over virgin or lightly colored hair. With thin or sparse strands, this depth from a single-process will fall flat and be muddy. It needs a denser head of hair to bounce the light. The point cut ends help the look to not be blunt or boxy, and that is the little detail that makes the entire thing feel modern instead of old-fashioned.
#14: Warm Golden Blonde with Layered Ends
The honey color of the roots shows how the lighter pieces are on the ends and outer layers. This is a partial balayage which means there is less foil work and the grow out is more forgiving. The long layers are cut with a slight bevel which creates the flipped out movement at the ends without a curling iron. This look works best for medium to thick straight or slightly wavy hair. If your hair is fine it won’t hold that layered shape at the bottom and will look straggly. If you have warm skin undertones this golden tone will be naturally blended. However on cool toned skin it can pull orangey.
#15: Espresso Brunette with Subtle Cocoa Lift on Dense Waves
You might not believe me, but you will not be achieving salon-quality waves at home. The images of the waves were done at a salon on thick and healthy hair. The stylist used a specific method with a 1.25-inch curling iron to create the wave, then she brushed the curls out in a way to create one singular wave pattern. This color is special because it is close to a natural color, at a level 2 or 3, but it has warmth throughout the midshaft which adds dimension so it doesn’t look flat. The lights also catch only the outer layer of color, giving the hair a glossy, sheer cocoa color. This look works well on people with medium to thick hair that is collarbone length or longer so the waves can show. If you have fine hair, you will not get the same volume or reflective quality. Below collarbone length, the shape of the face becomes irrelevant, because it all does the framing. If you are a dark brunette and want to make your hair darker, a directional gloss in that tone will add something without anyone being able to put their finger on what it is.
#16: Dark Chocolate Base with Red-Copper Peek-a-Boo Pieces
The red tones in this haircut are not placed like a standard highlight, where color is just layered on top. Here, they are woven underneath so that they ‘flash’ when the curl bends, and disappear when it doesn’t. I would say this is a targeted BALAYAGE painted on the interior sections. It is of medium density, collarbone length, and has been textured with either a razor or point cut to give that choppy wave the shape like it hasn’t been styled too much. This looks best on naturally dark brunette hair because the copper-red tones blend seamlessly with the dark base. If your hair is lighter than a level 4, the color won’t have enough contrast against your base. Also, red-copper tones can fade quickly. This is the reality with this color, and no gloss or color-depositing shampoo will fully solve the fading. You will be back in six weeks or watch your hair turn muddy, it’s something to keep in mind before you go ahead with this look.
#17: Warm Toffee Blonde with Bounced-Out Ends
The copper strawberry blonde shade you’re interested likely will take several appointments. Each salon is likely to achieve this in a similar amount of time, since it is such a specific hue. Due to this look’s single-process or gloss-layered appearance, it does not have a balayage look that involves a lot of lightness from the roots to the ends, and so it is very uniform from the roots all the way to the ends. This type of uniform appearance is especially stunning on thick hair, as there is ample volume to show off the warmth without looking bland. In contrast, a similar appearance on thin hair will likely look quite dull. The long layers here are quite subtly done as I don’t see a whole lot of light layering, and the face-framing pieces are not particularly severe either. So when it’s curled like this you can see the shape, but when it’s straight it’ll just sit there. It is important to note that the toffee gold shade will fade very quickly. Several weeks after this appointment, it will become a much warmer, much more orange color unless you use color-depositing products in between appointments.
#18: Strawberry Copper with Golden Foils on Long Textured Layers
This color could fade quickly. Copper tones require maintenance, as they are the most high-maintenance in the warm color family, and the golden-blonde highlights interwoven through the mids and ends shift in a matter of weeks without color-protecting care. Moving on. What works here is the great quantity and even better quality of the colorist who had foils placed just so in the spot where the light hits to make it look wavy, and great deeper-strawberry copper tone can breastfeed everything to the root and inside from the strawberry blast of color at the base to the ends of the hair. That’s purposeful. The longer layers with a softer internal texture hold the weight from pulling the waves down, and there is good volume here at your mid-back length so the ends don’t look sparse. If your hair is fine or thin you won’t see this result. What you want to compliment the warm base and lighter pieces is warm based dimension plus the bright pieces. Particularly warm skin tones with peach or gold under tones will feel just right here.
#19: Cinnamon Brunette with Copper Ribbons Through the Ends
The copper tips are the most eye-catching part of the style, but the roots are nice enough to provide contrast with the deep roots. This is a hand-painted balayage technique, on very thick dense hair, and the waves are styled not natural which is important because on straight or finer hair those copper pieces will sit much more flat and lose a lot of their dimension. There needs to be volume for this to land well. The base color is a rich chocolatey brown with copper and amber tones feathered through the mid-lengths and concentrated at the ends. This combination not only gives the color a stunning gradient, but it also creates movement that shifts depending on how the light hits it. On finer hair, this will not look like this photo. It will look muddy. This warmth will pull orange within a few washes if you are not using color-depositing products. This is perfect for anyone with medium to thick hair who wants a brunette that also feels nice without going full red.
#20: Rich Auburn with Loose Barrel Waves
This red color will fade. When a color is this bright, it is almost guaranteed to be a gloss or demi-permanent mixed in with a base lift. Reds always wash out the fastest. What is most impressive is that the tone is so even yet looks so natural. Most all over reds go patchy and hot at the ends. The hair here is thick, long, dense hair past the mid back with long layers cut to keep the weight at the bottom. If your hair is finer than this, then this exact look won’t translate. The density is doing half the work.
#21: Lived-In Sandy Blonde with Seamless Root Melt
You can tell there are no extreme contrasts between where the roots stop and where the blonde starts. It takes true artistry to achieve that with foils, and it is the primary reason this colour looks expensive instead of grown out. It appears to be a medium to thick hair density and is styled into some loose waves that display the tonal contrasts between cooler sand and warmer wheat tones underneath. For light natural brunettes, this colour works best as the root shadow is already near their natural base colour. If your natural hair is very dark, it will take multiple sessions and constant upkeep to get there due to the tendency for the toner to go brassy. The one length cut has no layers, which gives that heavy, full curtain effect, but it will look different in fine hair as it will fall flat.
#22: Chestnut Brunette with Sun-Kissed Dimension
The lighter pieces are placed at the bend of each wave on purpose. The colorist finished with very fine balayage strokes on the top and left the bottom dark to conceal the interior of the hair when it is straight. The medium to thick density is doing the most work here, providing the loose waves enough body to hold without looking like it took much. The same technique on fine hair tends to fall flat. The overall shade lies within a warm chestnut range, without ashes or cool tones. This will wash out anyone with a very pink or ruddy complexion. With this length, the face shape is a non-issue. The cut is straightforward, with long layers starting around the collarbone and minimal interior texturing, which is what keeps the ends looking full rather than wispy.
#23: Copper Caramel on Glass-Straight Long Hair
Unfiltered, this is some medium density hair with glosses over a warm copper base with the cuticle lying flat. The color is in the range of caramel and light copper. This is a single process color so there are no highlights or dimension so it will start to fade in just a few weeks if you aren’t using color preserving products. One length cuts like this show every flaw, like thin ends, breakage, uneven density, etc there is no hiding it. If your hair is thick and healthy enough to hold a blunt hemline at waist length without looking wispy, it is going to be stunning. If not, it will look neglected pretty quickly. The back is cut straight across with no layers, which means the weight will be slick and straight. This only works for hair that is naturally straight or has been chemically straightened.
#24: Pearl Blonde Waves with Warm Root Shadow
The warm root is what helps this to have some depth. Otherwise, the platinum would make this flat and one-dimensional. The root adds just enough dimension at the crown so that you can see the waves clearly instead of looking like one big block of hair. This is a full foil with a toner that was pulled cooler through the mid and ends so they’re a mix of pearl and ice. Fine hair will not be able to achieve this look. It needs the right amount of volume and wave definition, which comes from the proper hair density. If your hair is finer or damaged and you want this blonde, you will end up with unmanageable breakage that you won’t be able to style around. The ideal hair type is thick, medium to coarse. It is also worth noting the ends are straight and healthy with little layering. This is what allows the waves to maintain that rounded look all the way to the ends.
#25: Icy Platinum Blowout with Bouncy Curled Layers
A lot is going on in the root area. The light shadow at the scalp with a half inch of natural tone left in is what prevents this platinum from looking like a wig on a mannequin. Under salon lighting, this color almost looks white with a full head of foils lifted to a level 10 and toned cool. If you’re someone who doesn’t want to spend four plus hours in a chair or doesn’t want to come back every five weeks, this is not the color for you. The layers start around the chin and get their shape from a round brush blowout, curled under and set, which means this look is gone the moment humidity or a pillow gets involved. For these curls to hold this much volume, you need medium to thick density hair. Fine hair will fall flat within the hour. What I appreciate is the uniform tone mid-shaft to ends, no banding, no warmth bleeding through which shows good condition prior to the lift, or an extremely precise stylist with no over-applying.