My balayage journey *Que dramatic music*

Let's talk balayage! NOT dip dye or even Ombre! In my many years of trying to achieve the perfect balayage (7 years to be exact) I have come to realise that Balayage, Ombre and Dip dye all mean different things to different hairdressers.

I have always wanted that sun kissed, beachy look by turning my naturally black hair blonde, in a natural looking way. It sounds impossible but it's not. So many girls on Instagram have the exact look i'm after, and 9/10 of them are asian or naturally have black hair. Balayage is an art, especially when you can make naturally black hair look sun kissed blonde. Unfortunately all of these girls I draw inspiration from are either in America or Austrailia - the countries I soon discovered, are where the balayage gods reside.

Here in the UK if you ask for a balyage like this:

You get this:

Both styles are lovely don't get me wrong! But I can not express to people enough what a difference those tiny pieces of highlighted hair which fade up to the root make! Hair which is only dyed at the bottom will always look like a colour that's growing out, it will always look like a dip dye. Some people want that look but when I ask for a balayage, I want that sun kissed highlighted natural graduation! Not an ombre or a dip dye, but unfortunately I find that the UK hair scene is so behind on the whole balayage trend. I don't know why! it frustrates the hell out of me.

But alas, I am writing this review to tell you all about the little gem of a hairdresser I discovered in Essex. Daisy - the balayage sorceress with techniques to match the hair gods of Australia & America. Daisy owns a hair salon in the Southend/ Leigh on Sea area which is called Balayage Boutique! - the name says it all. I have had daisy dye my hair a few times and every time she listens to my hair dreams and she tells me what's realistic. I described the exact situation I have just explained and she immediately knew what I meant and what I wanted. I was beginning to think that balayage was a really difficult process which would cost hundreds because I just couldn't find a hairdresser who would give me those blended highlights & an Ombre AKA Balayage. But Daisy made it sound super easy, she just said 'Oh yeah I know what you mean, you want free hand highlights and an Ombre' I blinked in suprise, she made it sound so easy! YES Daisy that is exactly what I want!

My dreams of looking like a Californian beach babe were back on! Daisy was super reasonable in price and cost me a fraction of what local salons were charging for a 'balayage'. We bleached and toned my hair around 3 times, in the space of 6 months. Because I had dyed my hair back to black so many times, the colour was stubborn. But here are my results (excuse my messy hair - it knots within seconds which is why I've always thought the beach babe look would suit me haha) :

& here's a neater photo, my hair was cut and styled by my other favourite hairdresser @mobile_hairgf

I didn't want a clear line of thats your natural colour and that's bleach on the ends! I also didn't want a  'oh i see you've tried ombre'ing your hair but have just bleached your entire head except for the very roots' look. Sorry if i'm sounding like a sassy bitch but this hair rant has been a long time coming (7 years *echos out*). Daisy did a fabulous job of making sure my hair had the perfect blend of bleach and natural colour. I love how there are still dark bits poking through, it definitely creates a sun kissed illusion by making it seem only the parts the sun would touch are lightened. Thanks to Daisy i'm one step closer to being this girl:

I just need the beach and care free mind to follow :)

Follow Daisy on Instagram: @hairbalayard
She also runs a balayage school for hairdressers looking to master the technique
https://www.balayageschool.co.uk/

Her salon is based in Southend/ Leigh - Essex and specialises in freehand colouring. A bonding hair treatment is included in all hair packages which helps strengthen and moisturise the hair which is really important after you bleach the hair - especially for us brunettes. I can not recommend her enough. So if you're looking to transform your look - check her out!

Thank you for reading, and I hope I haven't offended too many of you. Until next time..... rant over.

- Robyn x