The perfect balayage

Colour by Ela and Cut and Style by Emily

The Colour

Kim came to me with a few different photos of subtle balayage, after having had Keune Highlift 3001 on her roots for a few months, her overall hair colour was very light & getting harder to maintain. We discussed possible options & after having another look at Pinterest, we decided on a darker ash blonde root drag with some babylights. I first went about achieving the colour we discussed by applying 10 to her already light roots using foils applied in a diagonal direction on her T-Section. I didn’t see the need to lift her hair any further as to do so would cause more unnecessary damage (& at Carmelo Alessi Hairdressing we like to advocate healthy hair!) After doing this I applied a pre-pig mousse to ensure the root drag result was a dark ash blonde as opposed to anything with warmth. I applied this to the root & about an inch or two below. Immediately after applying the pre-pig mousse, I mixed Keune Tinta (permanent colour) 20ml 8, 20ml 8.17 & 5ml 7.35 (for good measure!) 7.35 (& 5.35) in Keune Tinta range is great as it also works as a pre-pigging tool to ensure the colour looks natural and less ‘khaki’. I applied the colour to the root sporadically to ensure a natural looking root drag.

The Cut and Style

I had the pleasure of cutting Kimmie’s freshly coloured shoulder length hair! I got given plenty of inspiration from a few different pictures of Julianne Hough’s very on trend, perfectly tousled long bob. Under strict instruction not to add anymore layering into her style, we agreed to take around 2 inches off her overall length. Once I had taken the length off, I then graduated the back of the hair with a very square baseline, so that when Kim did blowdry her hair at home, it would sit with plenty of body and volume. I connected the left side to make it very square as that Kim would be wearing that tucked behind her ear, we then disconnected the the right side and kept the length slightly longer so that once styled she would be able to wear that side very full and messy. Using Keune’s Root Volumizer and plenty of Davines Absolute Beautifying Potion, I blow dried using a round brush, making sure I lifted the hair at the root to give Kim lots of body! Once the hair was dry, I used a medium sized Diva Tong to create messy, tousled waves. Here’s a few tips for creating the perfect bedhead wave – curl about an inch from the root and leave half an inch out from the bottom to get that ultimate beachy wave! Also, make sure you curl in opposite directions to give as much body as possible! I always make sure I let the waves set before I use my hands to disconnect the waves, finally using some of Davines Dry Texturizing Spray!

Special thanks to the gorgeous Kim for allowing us to take photos of her :)

Emily and Ela - Carmelo Alessi Hairdressing

balayage beachy wave hair carmelo alessi hairdressing

Posted by: Emily and Ela


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