How-To Video: Balayage and Foiling

At this year’s Premiere Orlando, our Facebook Live lounge in partnership with SalonCentric played host to some of the most talented artists and influencers in the industry. And Redken R-Team Member Cassandra McGlaughlin (@cassandraplatinum) paid us a visit to live demo the secret to her beautiful balayage technique.

In her video tutorial, McGlaughlin walks us through a salon-friendly technique that she uses every day in the salon. It’s a technique that combines balayage with foiling. “It’s a cool option to include foiling in some of your hand-painted looks because you get control with foil, you get the incubation and you also get the isolation that foil affords,” says McGlaughlin. “When you’re dealing with a darker canvas, you can get some of those lighter ribbons through the top with a pop of brightness on the ends. Combining with balayage, it achieves a really beautiful balayage ombre.” Another plus: Salon-friendly timing. The technique uses minimum foils for maximum impact.

For a softer, more lived-in look, McGlaughlin recommends applying a buffer like Redken City Beats in Clear or a conditioner right at the scalp to create an automatic transition with lightener. Anything with a neutral pH softens the effect of a lightener and keeps it from working at full strength. And, when working with a canvas that’s already light on the ends, she suggests feathering out the application to get a little bit of brightness, but not full saturation.