Tape-In Balayage Extensions: Your Best Blends Yet
Balayage—a technique born in the 70s, revived in 2016, and now settled as a salon staple. But as much as we love its signature golden, hand-painted shades, applying lightener can not only damage the hair but soak up time on a stylist’s busy schedule.
For hair-friendly, lived-in looks, please welcome tape-in balayage extensions!
What Are the New Balayage Shades?
Thanks to all the love you showed our Balayage Ideal Hybrid Wefts, we decided to bring them... to our Tape-In Collection! So, what does that mean? Well, the sun-lit and silvery shades you sewed and blended can now be applied in as little as 30 minutes for striking color—fast.
We’d love to introduce you to our new additions.
- Shauna: Sunkissed caramel, enjoy the all-over warm brown of color #2-4/6/27A/12/613.
- Crystal: A wildflower blonde, color #5B-27A/12/600/613 includes soft and varied gold tones.
- Caitlin: Color #5B-5B/8/12/600 is a stonewashed brown with bright and subdued blondes.
- Danielle: A creamy ivory, color #8-12/60 blends medium brown and warm blonde tones.
- Lacey: Color #8-8/12/600's smokey beige tones meld striking pops of blonde.
- Lizzie: A chestnut bronde, color #6-6/30/10 incorporates rich, reddish hues.
Unlike natural shades, the Balayage Collection prioritizes dimension in each weft with rich hues swept across the strands. Achieving a balayage effect can take a stylist hours, but we took time to ensure our assortment mirrors stylists’ most natural, layered work.
What Are the Benefits of Balayage Tape-In Extensions?
For the stylist with 10 appointments on their calendar or the client on a hair-health journey, our Balayage Tape-Ins deliver the following perks:
- Easy-To-Apply: No need to painstakingly brush each extension—create a bold transformation in as little as 30 minutes! Plus, each hair weft comes pre-taped for an even smoother application.
- Damage-Free: say bye to bleached, brittle strands and keep natural hair thriving.
- Low-Maintenance: Using the premium standard of extension quality, 100% Remy human hair, maintains the extensions' vibrancy without frequent toning and touch-ups.
- Natural-Looking: While bargain, click-and-buy extensions may contain synthetic fibers or clunky application points, our Tape-In Collection flows as natural hair and features a discreet adhesive.
- Versatile: Whether a client seeks length or volume, a subtle shade lift-up or bold color pops, our Balayage Tape-In Extensions swish and stick to fit a variety of hair needs.
Which Clients Are Balayage Hair Extensions Best For?
Enter Balayage Client #1... Suppose they have pre-existing highlights (let’s say cooler blondes against their medium brown base) but want to build length and volume. Match the client to their perfect shade, Caitlin, and craft their dream fullness!
Step in Balayage Client #2. While they don’t currently have highlights, they’re hoping to wear extensions as a bleach-free alternative. You choose one of our natural shades for their base color and a balayage shade for added brightness, either sandwiching the two colors together or alternating in a brick-lay pattern.
Frequently Asked Balayage Questions
1. Is Balayage Bad for Hair?
Traditional balayage requires stylists to directly sweep lightener onto the natural hair (AKA, stripping the cuticle of its pigment). Opening the cuticles in this way reduces their moisture which can result in dry, damaged strands. Not ideal. Balayage tape-ins, on the other hand, require no use of bleach on the hair itself.
Still unconvinced? Imagine someone walks into the salon, wanting to keep their hair as natural as possible but looking to experiment with a new balayage color. While they may be hesitant to try tape-ins, these extensions are actually one of the gentlest options on the market. More lightweight than weft extensions, stylists can curate their tape-in placement, zeroing in on the places that need boosted volume or pops of color. Plus, for clients with ultra-fine hair, stylists can take advantage of single-sided tape to cut the number of extensions used in the transformation by half.
2. How Is Balayage Different From Ombre?
Balayage, which originates from “to sweep” in French, refers to the technique of painting directly on the hair. Stylists can adjust how close the lightener comes to the root depending on the desired brightness, but a balayage almost always features more subdued highlights. An ombre effect, on the other hand, refers to a dramatic color gradient where a darker shade transitions to lighter ends (although this can be reversed).
Those with short hair may find balayage a better option, as ombre requires some length to achieve the color gradient. Anyone hoping for a more natural look will likely prefer balayage as well.
3. Are There Other Balayage Extensions Available?
Our Ideal Hybrid Weft Collection debuted the first blonde and brown balayage shades in October 2024! Considering these do-it-all wefts went out of stock by December (rest assured, they’re back and ready to ship), you can certainly say they’re a favorite among Babe stylists.
4. How Many Shades Should I Blend?
Most stylists stack two to three shades to achieve the most natural results!
5. How Much Hair Do You Need to Order?
For thin to medium-textured hair, we recommend three to five packs of our Tape-Ins. For thicker hair textures, we suggest six to eight packs. If a client simply wants to build volume, just one or two packs can complete the transformation.
6. How Do You Match the Extensions?
We recommend matching the client’s root color. Stylist Jacquelyn Flores (@thatgirljacqq), for example, created a wedding transformation for a bride-to-be with natural #2 Sally (to match the bride’s root color) and #6-6/30/10 Lizzie (a balayage that matched her highlight color).
Remember to check out our Balayage Swatch Ring to achieve a perfect match every time.
7. How Long Do the Tape-Ins Last?
With proper care, our Tape-Ins will last three to six months and can be re-applied up to three times. Be sure to wash the hair with a clarifying shampoo to remove any residue before re-taping.
Balayage Extensions: Before & After
Now cue the transformations! Our Tape-In Balayage Extensions effortlessly build dimension—stick, style, and you’re all set. We can’t wait to see your vision come to life!
