How To Transition Foils To Balayage

How To Transition Foils To Balayage

Plot Twist: Your client is so over her super blonde strands and wants to switch to a low-maintenance look that screams lived-in. What do you do? Below, we’re breaking down how to transition foils to balayage with the help of BTC Team Member Ashlee Allen (@aaashleee). Keep scrolling to see how it’s done, to get her fave formulas AND to learn Ashlee’s quick toning trick for extra security when blonding!

Products Used

Hair Color

Blacklight Extra Blonde Lightener

Oligo Professionnel

Hair Color

Blacklight Balayage Clay Lightener

Oligo Professionnel

Bond Builders

Olaplex

Olaplex

Hair Color

Calura

Oligo Professionnel

Tap The Arrow On The Below Post To See Each Step In The Process!

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ashlee Allen (@aaashleee) on Dec 6, 2019 at 6:19am PST

What Ashlee Used To Do
Because this client wanted to be super blonde, Ashlee opted to do very heavy foils. But after years of foil highlights and pesky grow out lines, they decided to transition to balayage for a more low-maintenance, lived-in color.

How She Transitioned Foils To Balayage

• Using a hand-painted balayage technique only, Ashlee blended the new growth (this client had about 5 months of regrowth) into her previous highlights. “I used my signature balayage placement so her hair would still maintain a highlighted effect at her root,” notes Ashlee. 

• Then, she feathered the lightener directly over the previous blonde to brighten her client up overall. “Whenever I transition someone from foil highlights to balayage, I always paint more blonde around the face for brightness and less in the interior to maintain more depth,” she added. 

Note: Worried about overlapping lightener? Ashlee isn’t. “Because of Olaplex, I feel comfortable overlapping my lightener on previously lightened sections and knowing that I’m not compromising the hair’s integrity.”

A side view of Ashlee's signature balayage placement.

A bird's-eye view of Ashlee's signature balayage placement.

Ashlee’s Formulas

• Formula A (lightener): Oligo Professionnel Blacklight Extra Blonde Lightener + Oligo Professionnel Blacklight Balayage Clay Lightener + 35-volume developer + Olaplex No.1

• Formula B (base toner): Equal parts Oligo Professionnel Calura 6NB + 6N + 7-volume developer

• Formula C (midlengths and ends toner): Oligo Professionnel Calura 9V + 9AI + 7-volume developer

A Quick Toning Trick For Extra Security 

Olaplex No.2 is known as a treatment, but have you ever thought to apply it before applying your toning formula? That’s what Ashlee does to ensure her client’s strands have extra protection! “I normally don’t mix Olaplex into my toners and glosses, however I do apply Olaplex No.2 onto the midlengths through the ends of my client’s hair and then tone directly on top of that,” she shares. “It acts as a porosity filler and I get an even tone every time. It also extends the longevity of my toners.”

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