The Dos and Don’ts of Balayage Pricing | Typical Balayage Price
Balayage and ombré have swiftly become some of the hottest hair trends of today, but what is the typical balayage price that you charge? Do you charge the same as a traditional foil highlight, or because it’s a trendy option (but less time consuming), do you change more?
BTC BFF Allison Grandt recently asked the question, “What/how does everyone charge for balayage services versus a traditional highlight?” So we reached out to our fellow BTC BFFs and here’s what they had to say.
“I charge by time and color service…technique doesn’t determine my cost. I stopped doing “balayage partials” and “full heads”—My typical balayage price is more if more product is required.”
—Carrie McDonald Vick
“I have a “creative color” charge that covers techniques other than normal color, highlights or retouch applications, such as ombré, balayage or a fashion color.”
—Jen Tyson
“I see a lot of suggestions regarding product use and time. What about the cost of educating yourself on the latest techniques. Education isn’t free, but it’s necessary. Don’t sell yourself short, and be sure your guests know you are taking care of them; Not advantage of them.”
—Erica L. Bazer
“The reason why people charge more for balayage even though it is ’less work’, is because it’s not a service everyone offers. And the client can go longer between the retouch so you have to account for that too.”
—Kenna Elise Buckner
“You charge more because you know a technique that not everyone else does. The people saying they charge based on product must be doing $10 singles. This is a skill that I have spent YEARS and countless hours to learn, so I’m not going to give it away. However, I don’t over charge. An ombré to me is a full highlight regardless of time. You’re highlighting the FULL head are you not?”
—Patrick Bucket Rogers
“My typical balayage price is the same, I just decide whether I’m doing a balayage partial or full-head. Balayage is way easier than highlights, and a lot less tedious, so I wouldn’t charge more than a highlight.”
—Julianne Favela
“I am an artist, my work is my art. So I charge for my Art. It’s the same as painting a beautiful picture. My clients pay for my Art.”
—Charlie Marvel
“Balayage is what I consider most stylists are doing now as a shortcut approach to foiling. I use it mostly as an accent for one step balayage touch up, $10 to $15 is fair for a single tone.”
—Jack Lo Cicero
“We charge ombré and balayage at the same price as a double process which is between a single process and a partial. It’s more work than a single process but less work than foils, so it works out. People charge more just because it has a fancy sounding name, but that seems insincere. If a client comes in wanting highlights, it’s up to the creative discretion of the stylist to decide if balayage, a partial or a full foil would before appropriate and the client shouldn’t pay more for less work. How much education really goes into learning balayage anyway?”
—Marshal Bradley
“I charge $40 more for balayage or ombré than a full head of highlights. I heard this suggested at a color class I attended.”
—Noriko Kerns-Podue
“My typical balayage price is $70 for a partial and $90 for full-head unless the balayage I’m doing is an ombré, then I start at $130.”
—Jessica Gomez
“I base price off time, length of hair and product used. Balayage does not require foils, therefore it shouldn’t take as long, so I charge less…but not by much!”
—Hallie Jessop Aragon
“I charge $75 for highlights plus length, and my typical balayage price is $95 plus length.”
—Michelle Mitchell Foster
“I charge the same. With balayage and ombré I almost always walk away using less product anyways and it’s faster. a “partial balayage” for me is 12 foils only or just around the hairlines and partings which will run $70. Anything more than 12 foils is charged as a half head, costing $95 to $130. Based off that criteria is what I base any of my other highlighting techniques.”
—Jose Garcia
Looking for more information on how much you should charge for balayage and ombré services? Check our the articles below.
- Balayage and Ombré: How Much Should You Charge?
- Start Charging What You’re Worth With These 5 Tips
- What Would You Do: Charging For Extra Haircolor
- These 3 Factors Determine How Much You Should Charge
