With spring finally here, more and more women will once again be going into salons asking for the natural and sun-kissed highlighted locks of Eva Longoria Parker, Giselle Bundchen, and Sarah Jessica Parker. So why not try a different highlighting technique? L'Oréal Professionnel's Balayage Technique, French for "to sweep," refers to the color being applied in a sweeping motion from the base to the tip of the hair. This will accentuate texture and movement in the hair, providing soft, multi-dimensional highlights customized to suit each client.

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 Eva Longoria Parker  Sarah Jessica Parker
 Sunkissed Highlights This May L'Oréal Professionnel is launching their Balayage Riviera collection which includes three new techniques: Riviera Sunrise, which illuminates the face with dramatic, bold Balayage highlights; Riviera Sunkiss, which enhances brunettes with sun-kissed Balayage highlights; and Riviera Sunshine, which adds soft, natural Balayage highlights to any hair type.
 Giselle Bundchen  

Balayage is a low maintenance color option and can be customized to provide clients with specific results they are looking for. "Highlights done with Balayage provide dimension to the hair and look softer creating amazing results" says Nancy Braun, colorist at Christophe Salon in Los Angeles. "There's also no demarcation pattern at the scalp like you'd get with foils. The highlights look softer in the hair because painting is done thin on top, shifting to thick on the ends."

Balayage can also be a revenue building block for salons. It can be added as a quick value added service to clients and it's an inexpensive option for clients to brighten up their look.

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Interested? L'Oréal Professionnel is offering Balayage classes at their academies throughout the country. For 2010, the L'Oréal Professionnel Soho Academy is offering four classes this May that will feature the basics of Balayage taught by several L'Oréal Professionnel Balayage experts. The brand also provides the tools, education guides and promotional materials that will help draw attention to the Balayage expertise of salons.

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