The Perfect Blonde: Hybrid Balayage & Foil Technique

6 Tips For Executing The Perfect Hybrid Balayage Technique

Who says you can’t combine different haircolor techniques to get the perfect blonde? BTC Team Member Jenn Malone (@jmalonehair) dropped by The BTC House in West Hollywood to show us her trendsetting hybrid balayage technique—thin slices of hair alternated in foils and balayage around the entire head. 

This is the perfect blonding technique for your super blonde clients who want a more low maintenance look or who’ve damaged hair from lightener overlapping—the added root smudge gives them at least 16 to 20 weeks between sessions. Jump into the full step-by-step tutorial with lifetime access at BTC University! But first, check out these six tips to slay the technique behind the chair! 

Products Used

Demi-Permanent Color

Shades EQ

Redken

Tip 1: Thicken Your Lightener
Jenn prefers to mix her lightener to the consistency of yogurt for foil application. The thick texture gives her the lift and control she needs to reach to the desired level of blonde.

Tip 2: Use A Center-Profile Parting
Does your client like to part their hair in different directions? Use a center-profile parting when applying the lightener, so wherever they part their hair the blonde is always visible. 

Tip 3: Start In The Front
“There is nothing worse than a brassy face frame highlight,” says Jenn. Avoid this by applying extremely thin face-framing foils along the front hairline to get a radiant burst of blonde in the front.

Tip 4: Keep Sections Thin
The thinner you section the hair, the higher the lift you’ll achieve. Make sure you take your time with this step. You should be able to see through the sections. Also, always a leave a thin section in between each foil for the balayage application.

Tip 5: Go Over Your Lift
Once the foils have processed for a while and the balayage is applied, go back over each lightened section and pull the lightener down through the ends. This further distributes the product and ensures that the hair is fully saturated for an overall even lift.

Tip 6: Use It On Your Gray Clients
Looking to do this technique on one of your gray clients? Cover up unwanted grays by tapping the roots with a gray coverage formula after all the foils are complete.