Partial balayage is a subtle form of the usual balayage technique where the highlights are hand-painted onto one section of the hair, usually, the top layer or around the face, creating a less dramatic yet more natural-looking effect.
This free-style hair coloring approach is cheap, quick, and a must-try for ladies who are looking for something that’s less radical yet vivid enough to make a statement and involves minimal hair damage.
Although balayage and partial balayage mostly involve the intricate placement of blonde streaks, there are so many ways to customize your look, and we’ve got a few gathered below!
Inspiring Ideas for a Stunning Partial Balayage
Partial balayage is low-maintenance and gives you the freedom to choose your shades and the areas to be lightened.
1. Caramel Drizzle
Warm caramel blonde is the best hair color to brighten up any skin tone, especially olive and fair ones.
Ladies with light brown tresses can add a few streaks of caramel around the face to bring those gorgeous eyes under the spotlight. The best sun-kissed glow one can ever get!
2. Classic Blonde Balayage
We love this blonde balayage look. Blonde shades are the most sought-after tones when it comes to both balayage and partial balayage.
Put your new hair color on full display with a classic top knot ballerina bun. Don’t worry about those emerging roots as they’ll add up the look.
3. Barely-There Highlights
The best thing about getting a semi balayage is its natural-looking low-key outcome that’s barely noticeable yet makes a huge difference.
Ask the hairstylist to paint the chunks around your face in a shade that’s a tone or two lighter than your natural hair color and that’s it!
4. Pretty in Pink
Make sure your hair color is one of a kind by opting for an unusual shade like this pretty pink.
Try money pieces and add subtle hints of light blonde in between to achieve a unique dimension. Finish off with soft layers and beach waves.
5. Vivid Copper Streaks
Dark-haired beauties can add streaks of copper all over the head limiting them to the top layer only to achieve the perfect dark and light interplay.
Go lighter to create a sharp color contrast or try darker tones of copper and auburn for a subtle outcome. The choice is yours!
6. Blue Beauty
The characteristic feature of any kind of balayage is highlights that concentrate/brighten towards the ends.
Express your wild side by playing around with a vibrant cobalt blue hair color that’s sure to pop against a black base. Set it on fire with loose waves and voila!
7. Multi-Tonal Partial Balayage
Ensure the uniqueness of your partial balayage by asking the hairdresser to incorporate two close-lying shades of blonde against a warm brown base.
The result will be a stunning color melt that won’t be ignored for sure. Toss those tresses in a loose bun and let the shades shine through all by themselves!
8. Seamless Color Melt
Talking about a color melt, ladies who prefer ombre hair shades can minimize the damage by restricting the highlights to the uppermost layer of their hair only.
A brown to blonde transition will never disappoint. Blending is the key!
9. Peachy Perfection
This peachy salmon hair shade is a must-have this season. Blonde beauties can try it without applying even a single drop of bleach to their mane.
Paint bigger chunks around the face to brighten it up instantly and finish off with some sexy beach waves.
10. Just a Hint
If you’re into short balayage looks, go for this. The subtleness of a partial balayage is what makes it popular among the low-key gals.
Ladies climbing the ladder of age can shed off a few years by adding the slightest hints of blonde to enlighten their faces and eyes. Small changes surely go a long way!
11. Flawless Face Frame
Can’t take off your eyes, right? Recreate this magical sun-kissed look with delicate babylights that blend in seamlessly with your natural shade creating the softest appeal.
Take things up a notch with subtle money pieces, curtain bangs, and a perfectly layered lob.
12. Frosted Rose Lob
Regular root touch-ups are the biggest hassle when getting frosted metallic hair colors. But not anymore if you’re trying them as a semi balayage!
Lighten those tresses in a shiny yet muted frosted rosy lilac hue and get ready to be amazed once your roots start growing!
13. Peekaboo Partial Balayage
Although partial balayage involves the placement of lighter streaks around the face or topmost layers only, you can also sport it as a peekaboo hairstyle.
Try a pastel orange hue to pop against your auburn tresses and paint the strands nearest to the hairline all the way to your nape!
14. Ashy Halo Highlights
Worried about those increasing greys on your head? No need to fret! Instead, embrace them with utmost confidence with some ash blonde highlights.
Accompany those chunky money pieces with delicate streaks all over the top layer and you won’t regret it!
15. Natural Brightening
Partial balayage techniques are all about creating a subtle natural-appealing brightness on the face.
Curly beauties can make their bouncy mane more noticeable by adding the slightest hints of any shade that’s a few tones lighter than their base shade. Gorgeous beyond words!
16. Auburn Glam
There’s no need to go for drastic changes when the slightest enhancements create the drama you wish for.
Achieve a color-blocked effect by dying the front of your cropped wolf cut in an auburn tinge to stand against a brown back. Unique!
17. Dark Dirty Blonde Semi Balayage
Those who wish to stay on the darker side can try a dirty blonde partial balayage without second thoughts.
The wheaty brown streaks concentrate toward the tips resulting in a stunning two-toned look that’s low-maintenance too. Put it on display with a classic half-up braided bun.
18. Funky Color Block
Set that shaggy wolf cut on fire by adding bright orange stripes unevenly all around the face.
Dye the ends of the longer strands at the back to match your bangs at the front. Finish off by adding several fine highlights all over the head and see eyes pop wherever you go!
19. Ravishing Red Tresses
Celebrate your womanhood by going all red this year. Opt for a dark mahogany red base shade and add lighter streaks of rust red, especially around the face.
Finish off with a soft U-shaped haircut, subtle layering at the front, and some gorgeous loose curls. Voila!
20. Warm Platinum Accents
Platinum blonde hair is still going strong! Minimize the hair damage by trying out a partial balayage instead of an all-over hair shade.
The highlights start thin near the roots and broaden toward the ends creating a seamless yet very noticeable transition of color.
21. Pink and Purple Play
Gone are the days when dark roots and light hair shades were considered a mismatch. Recreate this dreamy pastel look by choosing powdery shades of pink and purple and getting them hand-painted onto your mane.
Avoid a flat look by adding bouncy curls or brush them out into sexy beach waves.
22. Toffee Highlights
Toffee blonde is undoubtedly one of the best luminous hair shades you can ever get.
Senior ladies can brighten up their aging tresses by adding highlights around their faces at the front only or all over the uppermost layers. A fresh haircut will make a huge difference too!
23. Statement Money Pieces
Money pieces are the next closest thing you can get instead of a full balayage. The objective still remains the same; imparting a lived-in glow to that pretty face.
Choose the lightest shade of blonde to stand against those remaining dark tresses and you won’t be able to hate it!
24. Brown Balayage
Brown balayage is trendy in 2024. Women with dark hair who are looking for a very gentle change can skip blonde and other colorful tones by jumping directly onto the brown color spectrum.
Golden light to medium brown will be your best shot for sure and there will be no need to visit the hair salon for a long time!
25. Beige Blonde Mane
Beige blonde is another fantastic shade of blonde that’s neither too golden nor too ashy hence making it suitable for all skin tones.
Focus all the attention on the front with the careful placement of highlights. Curtain bangs and feathered layers are another must-try here!
26. Soft Cinnamon Stripes
Maintain a soft appeal by experimenting with a cinnamon-colored partial balayage making it appear as if you’ve got natural highlights.
The technique, however, remains the same; free-style painting of the lighter streaks all over the head with or without money pieces.
27. Vibrant Hidden Color Contrast
Partial balayage gives everyone the choice to place as many stripes of lighter colors in whatever region of their hair.
Take this look as an example where the highlights emerge from beneath the natural hair midway to the ends instead of placing them on the topmost layers. Distinctive!
28. Sandy Partial Balayage with Layers
Make your natural skin color pop by asking the hairstylist for a semi-balayage in any shade of sandy blonde including cool or warm tones.
Get the highlights blended in perfectly to end up with a gorgeous bronde mane that’s sure to drop jaws every day. Don’t skip the layers!
29. Green Glory
Enough of keeping it all natural and subtle! Why not go a little dramatic for a change?
Get your hands on a magical shade of jade green and paint it onto your raven black mane to look like an anime character straight out of the movies!
30. Yellow Drama
Talking about drama, here’s another wild partial balayage inspiration for all the groovy fashionistas out there.
Bring the bedazzling sun rays onto your head by getting balayage highlights in the brightest shade of yellow. Those money pieces are to die for!
Partial balayage ideas mentioned above include everything from bright and bold to soft and subtle. There are no harsh lines in between the colors and hence you can grow out your tresses without the need of any touch-ups. Just give it a go!