Maintaining highlights or balayage takes a certain level of commitment. A single colour option is easier to maintain and can be better for the health and condition of your hair, as you don’t have lightened sections which are inevitably weaker and drier due to the effects of the lightening process.

Our Top Tips for covering highlights or balayage:

1. Select a colour close to your natural colour:

• A neutral colour close to your natural colour is the best option to cover lighter sections.
• Neutral colours are the best to cover highlights. They have a balance of cool and warm secondary tones, and they do not have prominent tones which can appear brighter over highlights. 
• However, if you do have challenges with unwanted warmth, it you can use a colour with cool tones to fill your highlights.

2. Covering highlights/balayage while lightening your base colour by 1-2 levels:

• A good colour option can be a blend of a lighter cool toned with a lighter neutral colour.
• Brassy secondary tones which are present in the hair are revealed during lightening (natural contributing pigment). The best colour choices to manage unwanted warmth when lightening are colours with cool secondary tones. Cool tones will counter-act and neutralise unwanted warmth, leaving a tonally balanced finish.
• Neutrals are best to fill highlights (and to cover greys). Pre-lightened hair lacks pigments. Neutrals re-introduce a balance of cool and warm pigments and leave a tonally balanced finish.
• If you are lightening by 2 levels, select the 27 vol developer, which has more lifting power and will give a cleaner lift.

It is important to keep your secondary tones balanced. Colouring with cool tones over highlights can result in visible green tones.

A lighter neutral colour won’t mute brassiness which is revealed during lightening.

A Duo colour blend with a lighter cool and neutral colour can be the best approach to covering highlights or balayage while lightening your base colour level.

Talk to our colourists who can recommend a colour which will work for you to fill and cover your highlights.

Absolutely over the moon with my new colour! The support was fantastic and the product is AMAZING – came so beautifully packaged too. Great price too – cannot recommend highly enough 🙂

D. Parsonage

The Shade Colour system is easy to use, gives a natural look & leaves hair silky soft with subtle hi-lights. Having a subscription & hair colour that arrives on your doorstep when you need it is a plus.

E. Lemenkuehler

I’m happy I decided to buy my colour through Shade because the result was perfect. The condition of my hair has improved because there no harmful chemicals in the product. Thank you Shade

M. Cox