Ash Blonde Balayage Is The Perfect Cool-Toned Winter Hair Refresh

You know we’re big on balayage. The hair highlighting technique is pretty, dimensional and dreamily low-maintenance. Well, ash blonde balayage follows the same premise, only it offers up a winter-appropriate refresh, thanks to the breezy cool tones woven through strands.

You can’t have missed it, icy and ashy tones have dominated 2022, with Targaryen blonde and Milky blonde picking up momentum (and a few celeb fans, such as Kim Kardashian, Gigi Hadid and Megan Fox).

It’s the antithesis of the warm copper trend that’s claimed the likes of Kendall Jenner, Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney this year. But if the idea of brassy orangey tones in your hair makes you shudder, of if you just fancy turning down the temperature on your hair tone heading into winter, ash blonde balayage is an ultra soft way to introduce that icy energy without committing to fully platinum or silver strands. It combines both balayage and grey hues to create a stunning in-salon blend in hair.

Like OG balayage, the unique colour application technique delivers the most gorgeously subtle highlighted hair, icing strands with cool, shimmering smoked tones that meld effortlessly against a darker base.

And the good news is it works across a range of hair colours, depending on the ash tones you use. Blondes can go for brighter ash-white tones, whereas brunettes can sprinkle cooler ashier shades of grey-brown throughout their hair.

What is ash blonde balayage?

Ash blonde balayage taps into the classic balayage technique, combined with lighter, ashy tones to leave hair looking almost silvery-grey. Like the original balayage, roots are dark before the colour becomes lighter and lighter, finishing in ash blonde, grey tones on the ends. This incredibly pretty effect has taken off in salons and on social media, plus it’s perfect if you prefer a cooler colour palette.

How do I get it?

This is definitely a technique best left to the in-salon professionals. It’s quite a standard request, so most salons should offer it. Just explain to your colourist that you want to introduce cool, ashy tones. They’ll work to ensure the shades they use match your base colour and the end look your after.