Balayage in Munich: Shades, Techniques & Prices – A Guide by Our Colourist

What is balayage?

The word comes from the French balayer, to sweep. That is exactly how the colourist works. With sweeping brushstrokes, she paints lightener freehand onto the surface of individual sections of hair. The colour is lightest through the lengths and ends and fades out towards the root. The result is a soft blend, close to what hair looks like after a summer spent outdoors.

At DESSANGE the technique has a long history. It was already part of the repertoire in Jacques Dessange's Paris salons, and it still defines the DESSANGE look today: natural, with movement, and with no visible effort behind it. We work the same way in our flagship salon in Munich. Every colourist on our team trained at the DESSANGE Academy in Paris.

Why so many of our clients choose it:

• The result looks natural, because the lightening follows the way the hair falls and the shape of the cut.
• Regrowth is barely noticeable. One appointment usually lasts three to six months.
• Only selected sections are lightened and the root is mostly left alone, which is kinder to the hair.
• You choose the intensity, from a few light reflections to a clear contrast.

How does balayage differ from highlights and ombré?

In consultations I often hear: "I'd like highlights, but natural ones." Most of the time that means balayage. The table shows how the common lightening techniques compare:

The main difference is placement. Foil highlights are set at even intervals. With balayage, the colourist decides section by section where the light should go, around the face, for instance, or into the ends of a layered cut.

Balayage shades from brown to copper

For a balayage I usually blend two to four shades that sit well together. How far we lighten depends on your starting colour. For a natural result, the lightest pieces are usually two to three levels above your natural shade. These are the tones our clients ask for most often:

Brown balayage

• Chocolate
• Mocha
• Hazelnut
• Caramel

Brown hair takes the technique especially well. The base colour stays, and we simply add lighter reflections in hazelnut, caramel or honey. Brunette hair looks fuller and glossier as a result, without looking "dyed". On light to medium brown I like to use warm shades. Deep chocolate brown pairs well with mocha and cappuccino, because they stay close to the natural colour.

"On brunettes I place the brightest light where the sun would fall naturally: around the face and through the upper lengths. That is what keeps the result looking natural." Olena Nepomiashcha, colourist

Caramel balayage

• Toffee
• Caramel
• Honey

Many clients choose caramel for their first balayage. The warm golden tone suits women with a warm skin undertone and green or brown eyes best. On dark blonde to medium brown hair it gives a rich shine. In autumn we like to mix in a touch of copper.

Blonde, beige blonde & bronde balayage

• Bronde
• Sandy blonde
• Beige blonde
• Champagne

Blonde is my speciality. On dark blonde hair, beige and sand tones create a creamy blonde with no yellow cast. Bronde, a blend of brown and blonde, suits anyone who wants to move from brunette towards blonde without changing their whole colour at once. On natural blondes we strengthen the lighter pieces that appear on their own over the summer.

Ash blonde balayage & cool tones

• Ash blonde
• Pearl blonde
• Ice blonde

Ash, pearl and ice blonde suit a fair complexion with a pink undertone and blue or grey eyes. To keep these shades cool, the appointment has to end with a glossing that neutralises yellow and orange pigments. At our salon it is included in the price.

Copper & red balayage

• Mahogany
• Copper
• Red gold
• Strawberry blonde

Copper and red make the hair warmer and more eye-catching. On medium brown hair, copper and red gold really glow. Mahogany works on dark hair, and the more understated strawberry blonde on lighter hair. Red pigments fade faster than others. For these shades I recommend a glossing every six weeks and products that protect the colour.

Balayage on dark & black hair

• Espresso
• Chestnut
• Mocha

The technique works on very dark hair too. Espresso, chestnut and mocha give the hair depth without taking away its dark base. If you have black hair and want a noticeably lighter result such as caramel or bronde, we take it in stages, usually over two appointments. That keeps the hair healthy.

Balayage for grey hair (grey blending)

• Pearl grey
• Silver
• Ice blonde

Many clients no longer want to cover their grey every four weeks. With grey blending we place light silver and pearl shades so that they merge with the natural grey. Regrowth becomes far less noticeable, and the gaps between appointments grow longer.

Which balayage shade suits me?

Which tone suits you depends above all on your skin undertone. A simple test: if the veins on your wrist look greenish and gold jewellery flatters you, your undertone is probably warm. If they look bluish and you prefer silver, your undertone is more likely cool.

Types of balayage, from Face Frame to Full Head

Depending on how much change you want, we work on areas of different sizes:

Face Frame & money piece

With a Face Frame we lighten only the front sections that frame the face. It brightens the complexion, and the appointment takes around 75 minutes. It is a good way to try the technique for the first time. A money piece is the version with especially high-contrast pieces right at the face.

Head Crown balayage

Here we lighten the sections you see when the hair is worn down: the top layer and the sides. The underneath stays in your natural colour and provides depth. The result looks very natural.

Full Head balayage

Here we spread the lightening all the way round, including the underneath and the nape. It is worth it if you often wear your hair in a ponytail or pinned up, because then the lower sections show as well.

Balayage on short hair

The technique also works on a bob, lob or pixie. We use shorter, finer brushstrokes that bring the cut to life.

Reverse balayage & root shadow

If your hair is already very light and you would like more depth, reverse balayage places darker shades through the lengths. A root smudge softens the line at the root and noticeably extends the time until your next appointment.

Balayage on video

This is what a fresh balayage looks like straight after the appointment: a soft blend from brown to blonde, filmed at our salon on Ludwigstraße.

Bronde balayage with soft waves and lighter pieces around the face, DESSANGE salon on Ludwigstraße.

Your balayage appointment at DESSANGE Munich, step by step

1. Personal colour consultationWe talk about what you want, your daily routine and any previous colour, and choose the right shades based on your skin undertone and eye colour. The consultation is in English or German, as you prefer.
2. Hair and scalp analysisIf your hair has been coloured before, we do a strand test where needed so we can plan the result with confidence.
3. Freehand applicationYour hair is divided into sections. The lightener is then painted on section by section with a brush, following the lines of your cut.
4. Processing time with checksWe check the level of lift regularly so the result matches exactly the tone we agreed on. While you wait, we are happy to serve you lunch from the café next door, brought straight to your chair.
5. Glossing (included)The glossing fine-tunes the tone, neutralises any unwanted reflections and adds shine.
6. Haircare (included)The haircare treatment smooths the hair surface after lightening and leaves it soft and supple again.
7. Styling & aftercare adviceIf you wish, we style your hair to finish (booked separately) and send you home with a personal care routine.

Balayage Munich: prices at DESSANGE

How much does balayage cost in Munich? The price depends mainly on how much of the hair we work on and how much time the technique needs. At DESSANGE, glossing and haircare are always included in the price and never charged separately.

How do you look after balayage so the colour lasts?

The colour grows out very naturally. Most of my clients come back after three to six months. To keep the tone fresh until then, I recommend the following:

• Use a sulphate-free shampoo for coloured hair and wash with lukewarm water rather than hot.
• Apply a mask once a week, because lightened sections dry out faster.
• Always use heat protection before blow-drying, straightening or curling.
• Purple shampoo only on cool blondes and no more than once a week, or the hair turns dull.
• On holiday, use a leave-in with UV filter and rinse out chlorinated water as soon as you leave the pool.
• Plan a glossing every six to eight weeks. It refreshes tone and shine, and the next big appointment can wait.

Common balayage problems and how we fix them

Some clients come to us after a lightening service elsewhere did not turn out as hoped. The most frequent cases, and what we do about them:

A hard line at the root

If the lightener was placed too high or too evenly, a visible band appears. A root shadow in your natural colour blurs the line again.

Yellow or orange tones

Lightening exposes warm pigments. A carefully chosen glossing neutralises them and brings back the beige, ash or caramel tone you wanted.

Too little effect

If the result is barely visible, we add light around the face (Face Frame) or through the top layer, without treating the whole head again.

Dry, straw-like ends

A trim of the ends and an intensive treatment help here. Going forward, we plan the lightening so that lengths that have already been stressed are left alone.

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