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Balay Powder Makes Any Color or Lightener Ideal for Balayage

This clay-based additive can be mixed into your favorite color or lightener so you can balayage with ease, with no fear of bleeding or messy application.

Jamie Newman
Jamie NewmanSenior Digital Content Strategist
Read Jamie's Posts
May 5, 2017
Balay Powder Makes Any Color or Lightener Ideal for Balayage

Balay Powder thickens any color or lightening formula to create the ideal consistency for balayage and free-hand painting.

2 min to read



Balay Powder's website poses readers with the question, "What if you could use your favorite lightener and still get the consistency needed for balayage?" Now you can. 

Balay Powder is a clay-based powder that can be added to any hair color, lightener or fantasy shade (yes, from any of your favorite brands) for a thicker consistency, thus less running, making it ideal for creating balayage creations on clients. 

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James Gartner and AdamSwanlund are the product's founders, co-owners of Bii Natural Salon in West Dundee, Illinois. Since the product's inception, it has been creating a lot of buzz, according to Gartner.

"We have been getting so much attention from large social media color gurus calling this 'game-changing,'" Gartner says.

To use, he suggests to add a little powder at a time until you get the consistency that works best for your application. Start with 1/2oz (1 scoop) Balay Powder to 1/2oz lightener powder or color (unmixed with developer). Gartner stresses to add a little bit of Balay Powder at a time into an already-mixed color or lightener formula until reaching your desired consistency for your application. 

Gartner commonly gets asked if Balay Powder impacts lift or deposit, and the answer is no. 

"Balay Powder will not impact lift or deposit," he says. "No developer adjustment is needed. Any issues with processing time or lift can be solved by using less Balay Powder. As some lighteners provide more than nine levels of lift and others only four, everything may be adjusted based on personal preference."

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Watch the video above to see Gartner demonstrate how to add Balay Powder to your own formulas. For other video tutorials from Balay Powder, from using it for balayage to free-hand painting and more, click here


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