balayage

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 6, 2024 is:

balayage • \BAH-lee-ahzh\ • noun

Balayage is a technique by which a colorist creates highlights or lowlights in a person's hair by painting freehand using long, sweeping strokes. Balayage may also refer to the highlights or lowlights produced by this technique.

// The stylist was lauded for his skill in balayage.

// The monotone dress perfectly complemented her ombré balayage.

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Examples:

"Freshen up a classic mid-length brunette base with golden face-framing balayage." — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2024

Did you know?

Your local salon probably has a bounty of tonsorial options to choose from: highlights, lowlights, frosting, streaking, foils, gloss—the list goes on. If it's a trendy lewk you're after, you might consider balayage, a technique for creating highlights or lowlights in a person's hair by painting color freehand, using long, sweeping strokes. (Balayage is a French borrowing that literally translates to "sweeping.") When done properly, balayage results in a more natural look than other traditional methods. The technique was developed in France in the 1970s and quickly made its way to the U.S. While it was fashionable in the 1970s, the technique—and the word that refers to it—faded from use during the 1980s and 1990s, only to be rediscovered in the early 21st century.