Balayage on Asian Hair

I'm not Asian, but I do color my hair pretty frequently. Even if it does turn brassy, a good stylist should be able to tone it out and you can maintain it in between appointments by using a purple or blue shampoo and conditioner, depending on what they recommend. I agree though, I don't think it can be achieved in one session and I'd be hesitant to color my hair for the first time (especially with bleach) right before the wedding if you haven't done it before.

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Hello . I definitely didnt intend this to be a post only for asians but i figured since our hair is a bit different when bleached I wanted to see what should be expected lol.

I am not afraid of it being brassy when its first done but I am more concerned about keeping it a light color without being brassy overtime. I know you can go to get touch ups but I also know it can be pricey. I was wondering if there was any at home solutions that are a bit more price efficient cuz going to a salon every 1-2 months would get expensive. Also I will be doing this after my wedding . I just wanted to have it before I go on my honeymoon. I've bleached my own hair at home before but was always afraid to go too light and kill my hair so I was always left in that brassy stage lol.

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I know! I just wanted to say it since I don't have asian hair so my experience may be different. You can absolutely tone your hair at home and get a similar effect by using toning shampoo/conditioner but those are costly too. I would avoid bleaching your hair at home if you are wanting a specific look like balayage.

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Yeah I definitely won't be bleaching it at home anymore. That's why I decided to go with a hair stylist in my area and looked at her yelp reviews . Seems like shes done quite a bit and is booked like crazy. Have you ever tried the Wella toners? I've seen some youtube videos of people using it to tone their highlights/balayages.

I don’t have asian hair but my friend does. She has long thick almost pure black hair and enjoys doing fun things with it. Right now she has purple higlights. She had to go to her stylist several times to lift the color enough for caramel higlights a few years ago. It sounds like she only had to gradually lift it that one time and the rest of her hair experiments could be done in one appointment.

Hi! I am Asian and have dark brown hair and I have been getting balayage once a year for 4 years now! It’s such a great alternative to highlights and looks great even when hair grows out. Here’s a pic of it curled in a half up half down

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Oh thats great! Yeah I figured going in that I would possibly not be able to reach caramel highlights but they look so pretty! lol. I always wanted purple highlights but I like to match so I feel like if I had purple highlights I'd be wearing purple all the time with it . Maybe one day I will be brave enough to give it a try lol.

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I have, I tried them at home since you can get them at Sally's but I've never had a professional use them. I think they work well, I usually get better results if my husband puts on gloves and makes sure I get toner everywhere, and even more on spots that turn brassy. Then I leave it on for 10-20 minutes. Sometimes my hair gets a tone of purple, but I'd rather have it overtoned than brassy and the color usually washes out in 1-2 days.

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Wow thats amazing! You were able to go a year without having to go to the salon?

What were some ways you kept your hair from becoming too brassy?

View Quoted Comment I am not super particular and do not dress up every day, so it didn’t bother me to wait at least a year before getting it redone! I actually workout everyday so I wash it everyday and it stays pretty nice still... credit to my hair stylist though she is outstanding and a family friend so it’s only about $80 each time so I can’t complain!

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Oh nice! I'm pretty sure the hair stylist won't use the wella toner to tone it after bleaching but I have a feeling after a month or 2 I'll need to use toner to keep it looking nice. I actually wash my hair every day (been doing this for the past 5-8 years). I used to work as a chemist so washing my hair everyday was necessary to make sure I didn't have any chemicals leftover in my hair (I was a production chemist at one point so I was dealing with a lot of powders and stains lol). After getting out of the industry I just got used to washing everytime I shower and its actually helped keep my acne at bay since my hair and skin gets very oily. I'm thinking after I get the balayage to cut it down to washing my hair every other day and maybe just use dry shampoo if I have to when it gets oily.

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OMG that is amazing! I actually just mentioned in my other comment that I also wash my hair every day. Thought I was the only one .

You can definitely get a caramel on the first bleach. But yes, after a month, you'll get some brassiness. The brassiness after a month happens because the toner that hid the brassiness has washed out. You can buy a toner at a beauty supply store to maintain it. I've had mine done twice. There is still a little brassiness after the toner washes out. One more time should do it.

So I'd recommend toning it after a month. You could do a double process in one sitting with conditioning treatments in between. But It's pretty damaging so I'd recommend spacing it out between 2 weeks to a month between bleachings

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Oh thats good to know! I think the hair stylist said it would take 2 hours so I'm assuming she will try to reach that color if possible. She did say she will do a consultation before we start.

What toner did you use and what color was it in? I looked into Wella toners but they have so many choices lol.

I think Wella is a good idea. Maybe this will help

https://images.app.goo.gl/XEMV6maCYAYxexyJA

Unfortunately, I tone mine pink. Part of it lifts to an icy blonde. Some parts are brassy. I will post a pic of my hair later today when I'm on my laptop. With the toner, I think it's important to check for the undertone to cancel whatever you don't want. It's okay to ask your stylist after she does your hair for a suggestion

Https://images.app.goo.gl/GcWNq6wJsUKEuNgC9

"T18 toner WILL NOT correct Orange hair. Ive been bleaching/toning for 23 years. T18 has a violet base and is for yellow/gold blondes, for orangey blondes you need a toner with blue in the base.. T10, T14. All of the beige toners add neutral/sandy tones you can mix a little into your cool toners if you don't want to be too ashy or silvery.

violet cancels out yellow

green cancels out red

blue cancels out orange"

So it depends on how light your hair gets. The trick is to pick one that is a little darker or else it won't show up on the brassiest parts

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Oh thats good to know! Yeah I've seen some people recommend the t18 but I recall seeing a youtube video or hearing for someone that the T18 did not work and it had to be mixed with one of the other 2 you listed.

I think you can ask your stylist after your bleaching if you should use a blue or violet one. Usually, it's blue because our hair is resistant to lightening so the first time doesn't lift it as much. I used to use a blue shampoo. For that you need to do it 1-2 times a week. For toners, you can do it once a month depending on how fast the dye fades

current hair

as promised