Women often wonder what is the difference between balayage and ombre hairstyles. To be honest, they are pretty similar and could seem like the same thing. If you are a professional hairdresser you know these differences by now, and if you are not you are completely excused for not knowing the differences. That’s why we are here to explain it to you.

The real difference between balayage and ombre is that ombre is a style whereas balayage is a technique. If you go to the hair salon and ask for balayage, they will most likely ask what style. On the other hand, if you ask for ombre, they will probably ask you what shade!

Balayage, Ombre and Sombre

balayage vs ombre vs sombre vs flamboyage

Coloring your hair is the perfect way to change your style in an instance. Any haircut can look refreshed after your hair has been colored. hairstyles with Ombre and Balayage hair color are huge at the moment with thousands of salons offering amazing deals.

Although the two words mean very similar things, there are a few key differences between the hair salon terms “ombre” and “balayage”. Understanding the balayage vs ombre hair color differences can help you to make sure that you get what you want next time that you visit the hairstylist.

Balayage

The term ‘Balayage’ is derived from the French verb ‘to sweep’. The term has been applied to a freehand hairstyling technique in which sections of hair are ‘painted’. Hair is normally placed against a backing board and daubed with a lightening agent using a special hair painting tool. The hair is then wrapped for a while to allow the painted dye or lightening agent to take effect.

Balayage highlights tend to be thicker than highlights done using traditional foil highlighting methods. The technique also produces more random-looking results, which help to give the hairstyle a really casual, beachy cool look. In general, balayage is used to describe a technique whereas ombre is used to reference a style.