We need to look no further than images populating our social media feeds and the streets of our local towns and cities to confirm that balayage, ombre and dip-dye have become modern classic hair colouring techniques.

These three colour application techniques are so versatile and salon friendly that they can be utilised to service your clients who follow any type of fashion genre and are of any age.

There was a time when the only way a client could express their inner fashionista through their hair was to head to the nearest high end salon and emerge with a cutting-edge angular, precision graduated haircut and a solid statement colour. Salon services of the past didn’t seem to cater for long haired beauties that also wanted to be bang on trend or express themselves through colour.

Thank-goodness for the creative, passionate forward thinking individuals that the hair industry develops in abundance for their drive to offer creative, cutting edge, salon-friendly colouring services.

What is balayage?

Balayage is a French word that means to sweep or paint. The technique allows you as a colourist to create a bespoke colour application that takes into consideration your client’s haircut, the client’s natural hair texture and how the client will style and dress the finished look.

The application of balayage allows a colourist to create a more diffused colour near the roots of the hair and more intense coverage through the mid-lengths and ends.

Balayage is not just for blondes

Yes, balayge is the perfect technique for that blonde sun-kissed beachy look that is on trend at the moment. However, this technique can be used for a wide range of looks. It’s excellent for breaking up the intensity of dark hair and providing brunettes with greater dimension and movement. It can also add fashion shades to long haired clients. Alternatively, it works to blend grey or white hair, without your client having to commit to regular four weekly visits.

Balayage variation dark colouring technique Charmaine Piche

3 tips for mastering balayage

1 Use an application that is diffused near the top of the section

2 Use a spatula to assist with product saturation between the mid-lengths and ends

3 Protect your balayage lightener from drying out with either foil, meche, cling film or highlighting strips

What is ombre?

Ombre, meaning shaded in French, is the gradual blend from one colour to another. Ombre has been a staple fashion fabric dying technique since the early 19th century and made the transition to hair around 2000. Ombre hair is usually darker at the roots and gradually blends to a lighter shade through the mid-lengths and ends.

Ombre can be subtle or striking and, like balayage, can be extremely low maintenance. After your first application of ombre, your client’s repeat visits are focused on regrowth maintenance and refreshing any colour tone lost through the mid-lengths and ends. After a significant period of growing, you then book your client back in to replace the gradual blend from light to dark.

Dip Dye Ombre Hair Colour Madeline Murphy

What is the difference between dip-dye and ombre?

You often find that clients and stylists tend to use both dip-dye and ombre to describe very similar effects. I agree that the techniques do have some similarities, however dip-dye tends to have a clearer definition between the main colour and the colour on the ends of the hair.

That is not to say that we condone a harsh line, in fact it’s exactly the opposite. However, the transition from dark to light on a dip-dye hairstyle takes place through a much shorter distance than an ombre colouring technique. Finally, the colour choices of a dip-dye tend to be more fashion orientated as the less defined blend tends to look more edgy than ombre.

Red Multi-Tonal Dip Dye Madeline Murphy

Learn these modern classic colouring techniques with MHDPro

It’s no surprise that one of our most popular online colouring courses on MHDPro is Modern Play of Light, which features a variety of balayage, ombre and dip dye techniques. This CPD course is the perfect way expand your colour technique repertoire and includes five lessons that will have you creating bespoke balayage, ombre and dip-dye techniques in no time.

The online hairdressing course features video tutorials from Madeleine Murphy, Colour Director of London’s Ena Salon, former Vidal Sassoon educator and Saco Colour Director Charmaine Piche and Artistic Director of Aveda London Bruno Elorrioroz.

MHDPro.com’s online hairdressing training courses provide you a structured approach to learning from video tutorials. Every lesson within the Modern Play Of Light Course builds on the previous, so balayage, ombre and dip-dye techniques are learned, repeated and embedded, then taken to the next stage. You will progress naturally and once you finish the course you will be able to transfer you new modern classic colouring skills in to the salon. You will even be able to download a CPD Certificate of Recognition upon completion, recognised by employers worldwide.

Visit MHDpro.com today and discover a range of hairdressing training courses that you can easily incorporate into your in-salon training programmes to motivate and incentivise your team.

MODERN PLAY OF LIGHT COLLECTION