The Balayage and Ombre hair colouring technique burst back onto the scene in the early 2010s and quickly become the top trending hairstyles for that decade. Fast forward 10 years and this style shows no sign of slowing down, if anything it has grown in popularity gaining new variations and methods. Heavily influenced by celebrities and models we just can’t get enough of the melting, gradient effect that’s not only stunning but super easy to maintain. People often wonder “What’s the difference between balayage and ombre?” and today we are going to explain that along with all the other burning questions surrounding these popular dying methods. At Cliphair we have a wide range of Ombre & Balayage Hair Extensions to try out, we will guide you through each shade in this blog!
What is Balayage?
Balayage is a highlighting technique that focuses on adding light pieces to the ends of the hair and framing the face. The colour is not usually applied to the roots which leaves a natural, grown out effect. Balayage was inspired by hair that has been naturally bleached by the sun which normally occurs around the face and on the ends. If you’re looking for a Sunkissed, beach-babe look then balayage is definitely for you!
What is Ombre Hair?
Ombre is a colouring technique that gives the effect of one colour fading into another in a smooth gradient style. Mostly, it comes in the form of a dark colour fading into a blonde or light shade but this can vary as more and more people play with the rules of this trend. Its often confused with its sister method, “Balayage”. Ombre tends to be more of a stronger contrast and is 1 colour into another rather than a multi-tonal effect.
What is the difference between Balayage and Ombre?
As you can see in the images above “Balayage” has more of a subtle and natural looking finish, the ends are not completely one colour, multiple tones are used. However, with “Ombre” the end and top colours usually have a stronger contrast still with a smooth transition, the end colour will normally be one block colour.
Read on to delve deeper into our Balayage and Ombre shades. We have everything from black to blonde ombre hair extensions to blonde balayage hair, with many more in between.
Espresso Melt Balayage
Espresso Melt Balayage is our most popular Balayage shade. The first 6inch of this colour is made from Darkest Brown (#2) which then melts into ends of Chocolate Brown (#4) and Chestnut Brown (#6). This creates a warm, mysterious mix of dark browns that complement each other perfectly!
This shades great for naturally dark-haired customers wanting to enhance they balayage they already have or add beautiful caramel tones to their dark hair without needing to dye it. This shade is available in all of our Clip-In Hair Extensions and has recently been added to our Tapes and Nano Rings too.
Soft Bronze Balayage
Soft Bronze Balayage is made from a root of our cool Ash Brown (#9) that melts into ends of Lightest Brown (#18) and Dark Blonde (#14). This shade is a neutral combination of dark blondes and cool browns to create a subtle bronzed balayage.
A great colour for adding some depth to mousey brown natural hair or to enhance a delicate balayage. Another one of our top selling Balayage shades her at Cliphair you can find this colour in most of our products, its super popular in our Seamless Full Head.
Chestnut Honey Balayage
Our warm and sweet Chestnut Honey Balayage shade is a root of our Chocolate Brown (#4) melting into ends of Light Chestnut Brown (#6) and Strawberry Blonde (#27). This perfect mix of our warmest browns and blondes creates the most delicious Balayage that will fit most brunettes wanting to add some colour to their hair.
You can find this shade in most of our Clip-In products and also in our Tape-In Hair Extensions.
Chestnut Bronde Balayage
Our Chestnut Bronde Balayage is made from a root of Light Chestnut Brown (#6) that blends into highlighted ends of Bleach Blonde (#613). This is a true Bronde, a mix of lowlights and highlights for a classic look that will fit most medium brunettes.
Whether your looking to add highlights to your hair or enhance what you have already, this natural shade works really well. We have this shade available in our Double Weft Clip-Ins and in our Tape-In hair extensions, plus more!
Cinnamon Swirl Balayage
Cinnamon Swirl Balayage is a scrumptiously warm ginger Balayage shade that has proven to be extremely popular! Its made from a root of Light Auburn (#30) going into ends of this shade with added Strawberry Blonde (#27). This shade is great for natural red heads as the roots are a perfect match to most light auburn colours.
This shade is super popular in Clip-In Hair Extensions like our Supreme Quad Weft One Piece.
Biscuit Blondey Balayage
Inspired by our sell out highlights shade (#18/613 Biscuit Blondey) Biscuit Blondey Balayage is a balayage version of this exact colour. A root made from cool, biscuity Lightest Brown (#18) going into ends of #18/613 creating a multi-tonal dark blonde Balayage.
Add to natural dark blonde hair to produce zero dye highlights or even add to highlighted hair to give some underneath depth. This shade is super versatile and can be found in many of our products including our Supreme Quad Weft and Tape-In hair extensions.
#T1B/SG Silver Black Ombre
This cool toned combination of Natural Black (#1B) melting into Silver/Grey (#SG) will set you apart from the crowd. This is one of our most popular Ombre shades due to its bold, unique mixture.
Use this colour to add a gothic edge to your look without the need for a speck of bleach! Simply add our Black Hair Extensions to Grey ombre hair extensions clip ins or tape ins and your good to go.
#T2/27 Espresso Honey Ombre
A dramatic Ombre with a high contrast between colours. A root made from our Darkest Brown (#2) fading into ends of Strawberry Blonde (#27), this shade works best in permanent hair extensions that are added to dark hair.
We have this shade available in Clip-Ins and Hair Wefts.
#T4/27 Chocolate Honey Ombre
A gorgeously warm-toned melt of Chocolate Brown (#4) into ends of Strawberry Blonde (#27). A lighter brunette option that the #T2/27 Ombre but still quite a high contrast.
This shade is most popular in our Tape-In Hair Extensions as it can be used to add blonde into brunette hair without having to dye it.
#T6/27 Toffee Honey Ombre
Subtle and sophisticated, the least contrasting of our Ombres. The warm tones of Light Chestnut Brown (#6) at the root and the ends of Strawberry Blonde (#27) work wonders together in this Ombre look.
This shade is most popular in our Double Weft Full Head Clip-In set.
Balayage and Ombre FAQS
How to match extensions to Balayage hair?
The beauty of Balayage hair extensions is that you can add colour to your hair without having to dye it! Simply go for a shade that’s slightly lighter than your own hair and you’ll have Sunkissed highlights without adding a drop of bleach.
How often should you get Balayage?
Another advantage of having a Balayage rather than standard highlights or a tint is the super low maintenance. As the style is already grown out you do not need to panic about a regrowth. Most people top up their balayage’s every 4-6 months, normal highlights is usually every 8 weeks! You’ll not only save your time but also your money when switching to balayage.
To get the perfect shade for you visit out all our hair extensions colour page or contact our colour match team.
