Certain hair trends come and go faster than you can say “modern mullet,” but there are a few timeless cut and color trends that have serious longevity.
Enter balayage. As the ultimate minimal-maintenance color technique perfect for summer, the treatment involves sweeping sections of hair lightly with blond and golden highlights, and it has dominated salon requests for years.
The reason people are such staunch fans of the look is because, unlike other coloring techniques, the highlights are blended seamlessly throughout lengths (think soft caramels harmonized with luminous blonds) to ensure that there's never a band of color or telltale roots left visible. In fact, it only gets better and more blended with time, so it's ideal for anyone who wants to stretch their color out as long as possible.
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Want an even fresher take on the trend for summer 2021? Of course you do.
As we venture out of lockdown to our first hair-color appointment in forever, one hair expert predicts a new color technique will dominate salons—and it's basically balayage 2.0.
“The new balayage, otherwise known as ‘the color sweep,’ will be the hottest hair trend of the year,” proclaims Sam Kerswell, founder of Mode Hair Lab.
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It's also been the perfect hair-color solution during the pandemic, and with lockdowns coming to an end soon, the color sweep could be the solution for you.
As Kerswell explains: “We’re set to see an even bigger increase in this service post-lockdown due to the ease of the grow-out period. It still looks flattering six months down the line.”
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When you get a color sweep, your professional hairstylist virtually hand-paints color onto your hair, which creates an effect similar to that of getting highlights in your hair, but the process is much more complex and creates much better and softer results.
“The main benefit is that it looks completely natural and grows out without any awkwardness,” promises Kerswell. “Unlike highlights or other hair-color techniques that look unnatural and obvious during the grow out, this is so flattering.”
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Want more color inspo? We've compiled all the hair-color trends you'll definitely want to consider this summer.
This story originally appeared on Glamour U.K.
