Balayage at Marram Hair is painted by hand, a section at a time, so the light sits where the sun would put it and the regrowth never draws a line. It's our most-booked colour in The Junction, and the one that stretches furthest between visits.
Balayage comes from the French for "to sweep", and that's how it goes on: painted by hand onto the surface of each section rather than packed into foils from the root. The colour is heaviest where light would naturally catch the hair, through the ends and around the face, and feathered out higher up. Because there's no hard start point, your natural root grows into it rather than away from it.
That's why balayage is the colour we recommend most to people in Newcastle who want blonde without a six-weekly appointment. Most of our balayage clients come back every three to five months. A foil client with the same brightness is usually back in six to ten weeks.
Every balayage starts with a consultation at the mirror. Bring photos of what you love, and of what you don't. We look at your natural colour, any colour already in your hair, how thick it is and how you wear it day to day, then we tell you the price and how long it will take before anything is mixed.
If you're new to colour with us, we book a skin test first, at least 48 hours before, as the colour makers instruct. It takes five minutes and you can do it on your way past.
On the day, the painting takes most of the time. Your stylist works section by section, often with a bond builder mixed into the lightener to protect the hair while it lifts. Some sections are wrapped in film or cotton to keep them separate, which is different from foiling: the colour is still painted on the surface.
Then the toner. Lightened hair is never the final colour on its own, and the toner is what turns warm, raw blonde into honey, beige, champagne or a cool ash. It's included in our balayage price, because balayage without a toner isn't finished.
A full balayage takes about three hours, with a blow-dry at the end so you can see the colour the way you'll actually wear it.
Not every blonde should be balayage. If you want bright, even blonde from close to the root, foils do it better, and we'll say so. If you want the brightness of foils around your face and the soft grow-out of balayage everywhere else, we'll combine them, and the consultation price will reflect it. There's more on choosing between them in our journal post, balayage vs foils.
Our balayage clients come from all over Newcastle, but mostly from within ten minutes of The Junction: Merewether, Bar Beach, Cooks Hill and The Hill. If you're in Merewether, our hair salon Merewether page has the parking and the bus. For everywhere else, see hair salon Newcastle.
The prices for balayage, foils, half heads and toners are in the menu below, and every other service is on our services and prices page. When you're ready, send a booking request and we'll find a time for the consultation.
Pick who you'd like to book with. The figures change to that stylist's level. Every price is set at your consultation, before anything starts.
"From" means the price for shoulder-length hair of average thickness. Longer or thicker hair takes more product and time, and we'll tell you the number before we start.
The full menuAt Marram Hair, balayage starts at $260 with a graduate stylist, $310 with a senior and $370 with a director, toner included. Those are from-prices for shoulder-length hair. Longer or thicker hair takes more lightener and time, and we tell you the exact figure at the consultation, before anything is mixed.
The painted colour itself doesn't wash out; it grows out. Most of our balayage clients come back every three to five months. The toner on top is what fades, usually over six to eight weeks, so a quick toner refresh between colour visits keeps blonde from turning brassy.
Foils lighten even strips from close to the root and give a brighter, more uniform result that needs touching up every six to ten weeks. Balayage is painted freehand and softened at the root, so it grows out without a line. Plenty of clients have both: foils near the face for brightness, balayage through the lengths.
Usually, yes, but it can take more than one appointment. Dark hair lifts through warm stages before it reaches blonde, and old box dye can lift unevenly. We'll do a strand test at the consultation and tell you honestly whether to expect one visit or two.
If you're new to colour with us, yes. The colour makers' instructions call for a skin test at least 48 hours before an appointment, so we book a five-minute visit first. If you've ever reacted to hair dye, tell us at the consultation. If a reaction is ever severe, call 000.
Wash in lukewarm water with a sulphate-free shampoo, use a purple shampoo once a week if your blonde warms up, and put heat protectant on before every blow-dry. Book a toner refresh at about the six-week mark if you want to keep the tone where we left it.
Tuesday to Saturday, late on Thursday. A consultation is free, and every price is set before anything is mixed.