Hot take: balayage is way overrated for thin hair

I saw a client last month with super fine hair who wanted that soft grown-out balayage look. After just 8 weeks her highlights had faded into this muddy orange mess because the toner couldn't hold. Why do salons keep pushing balayage on people with thin strands?

3 comments

3 Comments

young.kim1mo ago

I read that balayage on thin hair just creates more damage without the volume payoff.

bennett.jana1mo ago

Totally agree with you @young.kim. I tried balayage on my thin hair last year and it was a disaster honestly. It just made my ends feel so dry and stringy, and the volume was worse than before because the lighter sections looked so sparse. My hair is already fine and not super thick to begin with, so the lightener just emphasized every little gap and thin spot. It took months of trims and deep conditioning to get my hair back to feeling healthy. Maybe it's just me but I think it's better to stick with all-over single process color if your hair is on the thinner side.

taylorellis1mo ago

After my first balayage fail on thin hair, I switched to a babylights technique with a shadow root. The stylist weaved in super fine highlights close to my natural color, then painted a demi-permanent root smudge that blended everything. The grow out looked intentional, not patchy, and the toner lasted way longer because the highlights weren't as chunky. My hair actually looked thicker because the color variation was subtle and didn't spotlight every thin spot.