Trendy sombré layers? Check. Dimensional color placement? Check. Kick-ass money piece? Check. Do you have questions about how to achieve this gorgeous, contoured balayage? Christina Cook (@tina_theyoungamerican) of The Young American Salon in St. Tustin, Calif. has all the answers! Here’s how she did it.
Total Process Time: 3.5 hours
Pricing: balayage: $180; haircut: $55; Total: $235
The Formulas
- Natural/Starting Level:
- 5/6
- Formula A (base):
- Davines A New Colour 5,0 + 10-volume developer
- Formula B (balayage):
- Schwarzkopf Professional BLONDME + 20-volume developer
- Formula C (balayage):
- Schwarzkopf BLONDME + 30-volume developer
- Formula D (lowlight toner):
- Redken Shades EQ 1/2 oz. 7GB + 1/2 oz. 9GB + 1/4 oz. 9GI + 1/8 oz. 9V
- Formula E (highlight toner):
- Redken Shades EQ 1 oz. 9GB + 1/4 oz. 9GI + 1/8 oz. 9V
Steps
1. Apply Formula A, starting from the bottom and gradually moving closer to the root. Process for 35 minutes.
2. While Formula A is processing, balayage the whole head using Formulas B and C, alternating between sections. “I weave every section, leaving out some of her natural hair and teasing the top to create a seamless blend,” says Christina.
3. Tease the face-framing area, then weave in Formula B using foils.
4. Process until a pale yellow Level 9 is achieved (about 45 minutes).
5. Rinse, then shampoo using Davines MINU. Tone using Formula D on the midshaft and Formula E on the front pieces and the ends. Process for 10 minutes.
6. Towel-dry, then apply evo Day of Grace Leave-In Conditioner. Christina then used a straight razor to cut the hair, giving it a feathery finish with lots of texture. “I cut her with long layers, face-framing layers and rounded the edges around the exterior,” says Christina.
7. Blow-dry with a round brush, then style using a ¼-inch curling iron to create soft beach waves, switching directions with each 1-inch section. Let the curls cool completely before finishing with evo Shebang-a-bang Dry Spray Wax and combing through with your fingers for added texture.
