Hand-painted, grown-out on purpose, and never a stripe.

Balayage is a technique, not a shade. Lightener is painted on by hand, freehand, so the depth sits where the light would naturally hit it and the regrowth line is diffuse rather than blunt. That is the whole point of it: it is designed to grow out well. Foils place lightener in a controlled, saturated packet and get you brighter, faster, more uniformly. Most heads want some of both.

Partial and full foil/balayage are priced at consultation, and that is not evasion. The price of a balayage is set by how much hair there is, what is already on it, and how far it has to travel. Someone with virgin mid-back hair and someone with three years of box dye do not cost the same and should not be quoted the same. Face-framing foil/balayage is the smallest version. A gloss and tone at $85 keeps it alive between appointments.

Four to six months on the placement, six to ten weeks on the tone. Tone is the part that fades. Booking a gloss between full appointments is cheaper than stretching until it turns brassy and then paying to correct it.

Consultation first, in daylight, before anything is mixed. Then painting, processing, toning, shampoo and conditioning treatment, and a blowout. Plan on three to four hours for a full balayage. Bring photos of what you want and, more useful, photos of what you do not.