Learn how to tackle a bronde balayage maintenance appointment with Toronto-based colorist Diana Vivilecchia (@dvcolour): Get her secrets to creating soft, luxury-looking color that pops while avoiding overfoiling. Let’s begin!
How To Create Impact Without Overfoiling:
To refresh a client's balayage, Diana suggests always using fewer foils than the first appointment: “You’re maintaining the blonde, not building it. Putting in that work will actually have your blonde not stand out and the depth will not have impact. Your returning customers should take you less work,” she shares.
Try Diana’s go-to tips for strategic depth & brightness:
- Use the hair's natural Level: Diana foils about 50 percent of the hair while leaving 50 percent of the hair at its natural Level.
- Tease two inches away from the root: “This gives you the natural depth that will still look high but soft,” Diana shares.
- Utilize diagonal back sections: This will create a gradient effect to your blend.
- If you’re going to lighten the ends, gently tip them out using 6-volume developer to brighten them softly.
The Formulas
- Formula A (Zone 1 lightener):
- Oligo Professionnel Blacklight Extra Blonde Lightener + 10-volume developer
- Formula B (Zone 2 lightener):
- Blacklight Extra Blonde Lightener + 20-volume developer
- Formula C (Zone 3 tip-outs):
- Blacklight Extra Blonde Lightener + 6-volume developer
- Formula D (Zone 1 toner):
- Revlon Professional Color Excel™ Tone-On-Tone Creme Color 5.0 + developer
- Formula E (Zone 2 toner):
- Color Excel™ 8.34 + 7.23 + 6-volume developer
- Formula F (Zone 3 toner):
- Color Excel™ 9.23 + 10.0 + 10-volume developer
Steps
Before: Diana's client returned seven months after their initial appointment with heavy regrowth and slight base color shift.
1. Lighten Zone 1 with Formula A, working down the head to lighten Zone 2 with Formula B.
2. To softly brighten the ends, apply Formula C to Zone 3 as a tip-out and process to your desired lift.
3. Rinse and begin zone toning. Apply Formula D to Zone 1, Formula E to Zone 2 and Formula F to Zone 3. Process and rinse.
4. Style as desired:
