I’m a huge fan of highlighting because it really adds texture for lifeless looking hair.  Especially being an Asian-American girl, it’s hard to stand out amongst the million black haired people in the world.

So… what is Balayage? It’s becoming a more well known technique of highlighting hair and many people are doing this instead of foils. Literally, it means “to sweep” and they often use the term “painting hair.” It’s supposed to look more natural and subtle!

Here’s a video of what the process is like:

“When hair is colored with the balayage process, the highlights are painted on by hand in a sweeping motion which moves from the base to the tip of the hair. At the base, the color is applied very lightly, while at the tip, the color is very heavy. The result is a chunky highlight which looks naturally sunbleached, and as the hair grows out, the root will be concealed for the first few months by the thinner color applied to the base of the hair.” — Wisegeek’s explaination

(Here’s a great article about what the differences are between foils & baliage…)