About Nancy Braun

Nancy Braun is the owner of Balayage by Nancy Braun, a Beverly Hills hair salon focused on superlative color and hair care that opened in December 2012. As a color specialist in Balayage and all hair color, Braun has a simple hair color philosophy: less is more. Her branding of the Balayage technique (highlighting that duplicates what nature gave us as children) has been honed to the level of an art form and her approach has made her one of the most sought after colorists in the industry.

In addition, Nancy has worked to bring clients the best in home hair care through the development of her own Balayage “B-Line” products which help maintain the color and texture of hair between salon visits. These products have become a staple for women throughout the U.S. with Braun consistently working to provide the most innovative […]

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The Balayage Effect

What is Balayage?

Balayage is a French word meaning to sweep or to paint. It allows for a sun-kissed natural looking hair color – similar to what nature gives us as children – with softer, less noticeable regrowth lines. The principal idea being less is more when creating soft, natural looks. Balayage is a freehand technique where the color is applied by hand rather than using the traditional foiling or cap highlighting techniques. Balayage can be used in even the shortest pixie crop however the best results are in hair below the shoulders.

The Appeal

You can achieve so many different effects from soft, natural highlights to something strong and punky. The fact it’s so low maintenance is such a draw for women too. People want to look fashionable and feel good about their appearance but in this day and age we don’t all have the time to be in the salon every few weeks for a touch up.

It’s also a very economical way to color your hair, as you never have a solid demarcation line or regrowth, so if you can’t afford to get it done for another month it won’t look atrocious. However, if your Balayage isn’t done correctly you can end up with excessive overlapping that can cause damage.

The Process

The process varies depending on the length of the hair and the desired result. You can expect to have individual strands colored with a brush and a backing board. Some colorists like to separate their sections with cotton wool or foil, others tease the hair in sections first then freehand color the ends.

I find that all my Balayage clients are going for different looks and need to maintain it at different rates. You will need to have a minimum of three appointments to really build up the color initially. These appointments are spaced six weeks apart. From there you could go up to four months without having more Balayage. You would just need to come in for a toner and a treatment to freshen up the color in between appointments.

Testimonials

If you’re looking to brighten up your look with some highlights, it’s time to acquaint yourself with the increasingly popular balayage highlight technique. I have been a friend and client of Nancy Braun since the late 90’s so I am always nervous to have color done with anyone else. That’s until I met Kristina. Amazing, just amazing. She like Nancy creates beautiful and natural but stunningly noticeable color using the balayage technique.

Balayage, which is also called “hair painting,” creates the most natural-looking results because the colorist paints on the highlights by hand, and can scatter them throughout your hair in a more truly “sunkissed” and haphazard pattern. In my opinion, when using foils, you work row by row, which makes the highlight pattern look very linear and grid-like. With balayage, you have more flexibility on where you want to place the highlights so the resulting pattern can look more natural. It also has another added benefit: Longer lasting results. […]

Christie Lyn McMahon, Read Full Review