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What is Balayage?

Balayage is a French hair coloring technique where lightener or color is hand-painted onto the hair rather than applied in foils. This allows your stylist to place brightness where light naturally hits, creating a softer, more blended result. Compared to traditional foil highlights, balayage grows out more gradually and looks less structured, making it ideal for clients who want a natural, lived-in finish.

Our artists at Monaco Salon in Tampa are experienced in balayage for all hair colors, blonde, brunette, red, and everything in between.

Balayage Techniques We Offer

Reverse Balayage

Reverse balayage adds depth rather than lightness, using darker tones to create contrast and dimension. This technique is ideal for blondes who want to go darker, add richness, or soften overly bright highlights while maintaining a lived-in look.

Braided Balayage

Braided balayage combines hand painting with braiding the hair before application, creating intricate, diffused patterns of light. This technique works beautifully for warm tones like copper and cowboy copper, delivering a unique, artistic result.

Wet Balayage

Wet balayage is performed on damp hair, allowing lightener or color to begin processing immediately. This technique can reduce time in the salon and is best suited for subtle, soft results. Wet balayage is a great option for clients short on time who want gentle dimension rather than high contrast.

Foilayage (Foilage)

Foilayage blends freehand balayage painting with the added lift of foils. By teasing and painting the hair before wrapping in foil, we achieve brighter results with seamless blending. Foilayage is ideal for clients who love the softness of balayage but want a lighter, more noticeable blonde.

Balayage vs Foil Highlights

Foil highlights typically start at the root and deliver consistent brightness from roots to ends. Balayage, on the other hand, is painted selectively, creating softer transitions and a more natural grow-out. While both techniques can produce beautiful results, balayage is often preferred by clients looking for lower maintenance and a less structured finish.

Color Melt Hair Color

Color melt hair color is a dimensional technique that blends multiple close-toned shades together for a seamless transition from root to ends. Compared to traditional balayage, color melts offer less contrast and a softer overall effect. When transitioning from foils to lived-in color, a root melt may be used to establish depth and balance at the base.

Request a Free Hair Color Consultation

Every color service at Monaco Salon begins with a thoughtful consultation. In many cases, this happens on the day of your appointment. However, if you’re planning a major color change, your first balayage, or a complex color correction, we recommend scheduling a separate color consultation.

Your complimentary consultation allows us to:

  • Review inspiration photos
  • Discuss realistic outcomes
  • Recommend techniques
  • Provide an accurate quote

Simply submit the form below and we’ll contact you to schedule a time.

 

Tell us your ideal dates and times and we'll contact you with a few options.

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Book Your Balayage Appointment

Because every color service is customized, services that require lightener, including highlights, balayage, and blonding, are not available for direct online booking.

The best way to reserve your color appointment is to call or text your preferred Monaco Salon location during business hours, or submit our online request form. This allows our team to ask a few quick questions and make sure we reserve the correct amount of time for your service.

Our goal is to set you up for the best possible experience, with no surprises and no rushed appointments.

Go to Appointment Request Form

Common Hair Color Questions & Concerns

Do you have a blonde hair specialist?

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Damaris, Klodjana, Mabelle, Gabbi, Kristi, and Meg specialize in blonde and lightening services.

Can you remove box hair dye?

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Box color is one of the most common reasons clients seek color correction. Depending on the situation, we may remove the color, neutralize unwanted tones, or strategically layer new color to restore balance and dimension. Results and timelines vary based on what was used and how many layers are present.

Box dye is unpredictable and difficult to remove. If you are unhappy with at-home results, call us. Our Color Correction experts can gently remove the dye and restore your hair, but we advise against experimenting further at home to avoid permanent damage.

What's the difference between highlights or balayage?

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The difference is the technique and the maintenance.
• Highlights (Foils): Create precise, defined streaks of brightness.
• Balayage (Hand-Painted): Creates a soft, sun-kissed gradient. Highlights typically require maintenance every 6–8 weeks, while balayage grows out more gracefully, offering a lower-maintenance option.

Which one should I get?

The answer depends on the look you want and how often are you willing to maintain it. Ask yourself how obvious you want your highlights to be, and if you want highlights all the way to the root. Highlights will have to be maintained every 6-8 weeks, while balayage usually grows out more gracefully, making it a lower-maintenance option.

Come in for a free hair color consultation.

Learn more about the difference between highlights and balayage here on the Monaco Salon blog.

Looking for inspo for your next highlights appointment?  View examples of our work in our hair color gallery.

Can I go from brunette to blonde in one appointment?

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It depends on the health of your hair. Going significantly lighter is a chemical process that often requires multiple sessions to achieve the desired tone without causing damage. As blonding specialists, we will give you a safe, realistic plan to reach your goal.

How do I keep my hair color from fading?

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Use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner, wash less frequently, protect your hair from heat with a thermal spray, and minimize sun and chlorine exposure.

Schedule a gloss or toner service to give your color a boost if you're not due for a full color service.

What is “lived-in color”?

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Lived-in color is a modern technique that blends multiple shades (often using a root melt) to create dimension that mimics how hair naturally grows out. It creates a graceful transition at the roots, allowing you more time between touch-ups while still looking polished.

How often will I need to touch up my hair color?

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It depends on the type of color service and your personal preferences.

  • Root Retouch: Every 4–6 weeks.
  • Highlights: Every 6–8 weeks.
  • Lived-In Color: Every 3–4 months (many guests visit sooner for a quick Gloss to refresh the shine).
  • Vivids/Reds: Every 4–8 weeks.

Should I wash my hair before my color appointment?

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Come with clean, dry hair if you're getting highlights, and avoid using heavy styling products the day of your appointment. It’s also helpful to bring inspiration photos and be ready to talk about your hair goals, maintenance preferences, and past color history so we can create the perfect plan for your hair.

Can you color my extensions or topper?

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Yes! This is a Monaco Salon specialty. Most salons struggle with this, but we are experts at custom-coloring extensions to blend seamlessly with your biological hair. Whether we are coloring your natural hair, the extensions, or both, we ensure a flawless match.

What is a Fusio Dose Treatment?

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Kérastase Fusio Dose is a customized in-salon treatment. Your stylist will mix a concentrated formula specifically for your hair needs (such as dryness, damage, or color protection) for an instant transformation that leaves your hair incredibly soft and shiny. Because it is customized cocktail just for you, it makes an ideal addition to your color service.