3 Balayage Bosses Share Their Tricks
She’s one of the best balayagers in the biz (which is why she’s the official balayage expert of BTC), so we couldn’t put on our #thebtcshow without inviting Jamie Sea (@prettylittleombre) to our stage. Joining her to talk all things balayage were two social media stars, Masters of Balayage Founder Ryan Weeden (@ryan.weeden) and Sadie Gray (@saidjcre8s), and they each demoed their unique balayage techniques, while also sharing PLENTY of helpful painting tips. Here are a few you should know!
Products Used
Wide-Length Panels = SO Much Dimension
If you’ve seen Jamie work, you know she’s a big fan of wide panels. Why? Not only do they allow her to work quickly, but they also help to create a softer, more dimensional balayage.
Some advice from Jamie? Just make sure not to saturate too high up the shaft when working with bigger panels—this causes harsh horizontal lines!
Ryan’s Lightener Cocktail
One of Ryan’s go-to tricks for lightening to perfection? Mixing powder lightener with clay. “This gives you the power of a powder with the control of a clay lightener,” says Ryan. And his preferred consistency? “I go for Greek yogurt!”
Do You Work Slowly? This One’s for You
Not the fastest balayager in the world? Sadie feels you. That’s why she keeps her lightener at a wetter consistency. “I work slowly, so keeping my lightener more on the wet side keeps it from drying out too quickly,” she notes. Her go-to lightener? Scruples Power Blonde.
Balayage Globs? Not Anymore!
Here’s Sadie’s quick fix for those pesky globs of lightener that make their way into your balayage. “Take the end of your tail comb, and smooth through!” she says.
And here’s how Sadie gets those seamless blends: hold your pointer finger straight out and bend your middle finger in, then use this as a “lip” to blend the lightener down the hair shaft.
Make the Most of Your Money Piece
To make your money pieces look as natural as possible, Ryan suggests creating “nano lights”—three to five, back-to-back micro-weaves around the hairline. This will give your client a bold—but not stripy—look.
