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10.12.2025
What is Air Touch Balayage?
By: Zara Kenyon
While balayage has transcended trends to become a staple salon service, offshoots of the lightening technique are giving you new ways to illuminate your clients' hair. Enter Air Touch Balayage, a service you'll want to add to your colour menu today – not just for its soft-focus results, but for the boost it can give your profit margins, too.
But what exactly is an air touch balayage, and how does it differ from everyone's favorite freehand technique? Here's everything you need to know about creating the look for your clients...
What is an Air Touch Balayage?
Air Touch balayage is, in many ways, like a traditional balayage. It still features soft, freehand highlights that are swept through the mid-lengths and ends of your client’s hair for a lived-in glow. But, instead of backcombing the roots, you use a blow dryer to blow any shorter hairs out of the way, so you're only painting lightener through the longer sections of hair. The result is an ultra-diffused, seamless blend that makes a balayage look even more natural. Plus, the lack of backcombing makes it a gentler highlighting technique for clients with finer, more fragile hair.
What's the Difference Between Air Touch Balayage and Air Touch Highlights?
While an air touch balayage lightens and brightens the mid-lengths and ends of your client's hair, air touch highlights are applied in a consistent pattern from root to tip. Both techniques involve you using a hair dryer to blow away the shorter internal layers, but the placement of the lightener differs, depending on the final look your client wants.
Want an example? Below you’re seeing air touch balayage on the left and air touch highlights on the right.
Image Credit: @paolamallozzi.co
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
Is Air Touch Balayage Less Damaging?
Yes, air touch balayage tends to be a less damaging option than other balayage hair colour services. This is true for two reasons:
There's no backcombing. Instead of teasing hair, which can cause breakage, you use the air from your hair dryer to move shorter strands out of the way.
Reduced chemical exposure. Unlike a full head of bleach or back-to-back highlights, air touch lets you leave more of your client’s natural hair out of the colouring process.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Air Touch Balayage?
The Benefits:
Natural-looking results: Balayage has long been hailed for its beautiful, luminous, sun-kissed glow, and air touch balayage takes that dreamy effect to new heights. It diffuses the line between the root area and the mid-lengths, so you create an ultra-seamless, silky finish your clients will love.
Softer regrowth: If your client wants low-maintenance colour, air touch balayage is their ideal technique, thanks to the soft, diffused lines that allow for undetectable regrowth. If they want a root shadow to enhance their natural shade or blend away stray greys, use a demi-permanent colour like Color Touch, which fades beautifully over 28 washes.
Improved profit margins: Air touch balayage takes more time and skill than a traditional balayage, so make sure you charge accordingly. Base your prices on expertise and time, rather than just product, so you can maximize your revenue while offering clients a premium service.
Things to Consider:
Air touch balayage delivers flawless, seamless, natural-looking results. The main difference? It typically takes longer than a traditional balayage. That extra time can affect your client’s schedule and budget, so set expectations before you start. Our verdict? It's worth the slightly longer appointment for the super-seamless results at the end.
How to Give Your Client an Air Touch Balayage
Step 1: Mix the Lightener
Start by preparing your lightener. For balayage, we recommend using Blondor Freelights, which is specially formulated to enhance your freehand lightening services. It features an adhesive mass that ensures it stays exactly where you paint it, so you don't have to worry about lightener dripping or smudging. It's perfect for high-precision looks.
If your client is concerned about damage, you can also use BlondorPlex for up to 97% less breakage*. It features an anti-brass complex that keeps yellow tones at bay, so if your client has some unwanted warmth in their base, it creates the ideal canvas for toning.
Tip: If you want to use Blondor Freelights, but with the kind-to-hair benefits of BlondorPlex, add WellaPlex No1 Bond Maker to your Freelights formula.
Step 2: Section the Hair
Start by dividing the hair horizontally, working layer by layer from the nape to the crown. Aim for sections around 5mm or thinner, as small sections help the airflow lift shorter strands, so the longer hair is ready for lightening.
Tip: Use clips to keep layers separated and maintain control throughout the process.
Step 3: Blow Away the Shorter Hairs
Holding a section of hair taut, use your hair dryer to blast air onto the surface. The shorter hair strands will be blown out of the way, ensuring only the longer hairs are lightened for a soft, natural blend.
Tip: Make sure you use a hair dryer with a strong airflow to move the shorter hair strands out of the way.
Step 4: Apply with a Balayage Board
Using a balayage board to isolate your section, paint Blondor Freelights or BlondorPlex through the mid-lengths and ends of your client's hair. Saturate the section to achieve a clean, even lift, then wrap in foil to develop.
Tip: Fold your foils at the sides to insulate the heat and boost the lightening power.
Step 5: Repeat the Process
Once you've 'air touched' one section of hair, move on to the next, making sure the internal layers that have been blown away remain free of lightener. To ensure the perfect lift, check your client's lightener as it develops. Once the hair has reached the desired level, head to the sink and rinse.
Tip: If you used BlondorPlex to lighten or added WellaPlex No1 Bond Maker to your formula, rinse your client's hair with the WellaPlex No2 Bond Stabilizer to complete the service. This will lock in its breakage-defying benefits.
5 Air Touch Balayage Looks to Inspire You
1. Ash Blonde Air Touch Balayage
Image Credit: @luca_brusini
Give your client's hair an ash blonde glow with air touched sweeps of BlondorPlex, toned with Shinefinity.
Formula:
Lightening: Blondorplex + 4% Welloxon Perfect
Root Shadow: Shinefinity 04/12 + 06/0
Glaze: Shinefinity 07/13 + 00/89 + 09/81
2. Copper Air Touch Balayage
Image Credit: @friseur_brian
Elevate copper hair with an air touch technique for added depth and dimension. Shinefinity locks in a mirror-like glow for up to 250% shinier hair**.
Formula:
Full-Head Balayage: BlondorPlex + 1.9% Welloxon Perfect
Glaze: Shinefinity 8/34 + 7/59 2:1
3. Creamy Blonde Air Touch Balayage
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
This dreamy, creamy blonde is a masterclass in seamless blending, with the lit-from-within glow of Illumina Color delivering flawless luminosity your clients will love.
Formula:
Lightening: BlondorPlex + 4% Welloxon Perfect
Root Smudge: Shinefinity 06/0
Toner: Illumina Color 10/69 + 1.9%
4. Bronde Air Touch Balayage
Image Credit: @luca_brusini
Bronde, the shade of the season, pairs beautifully with an air touch technique, letting you melt chocolate browns and caramel blondes together for the most ethereal finish.
Formula:
Lightening: BlondorPlex + 1.9% Welloxon Perfect
Toner: Shinefinity 07/13 + 07/75 + 06/71
5. Vanilla Blonde Air Touch Highlights
Image Credit: @paolamallozzi.co
For a traditional highlighting technique with a twist, try these air-touched root-to-tip ribbons, teaming BlondorPlex with the uncompromised vibrancy and shine of Color Touch.
Formula:
Lightening: BlondorPlex + 6% Welloxon Perfect
Toner: Color Touch in shades from the Warm Blondes portfolio
* When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex versus Blondorplex alone.
** Versus untreated bleached hair.
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