Client told my balayage looked "muddy" - changed my whole approach

Had a client last month in Austin say my highlights were too warm and blended into a brown mess. Stung bad but she was right. I was doing too fine of sections and overlapping the lightener. Switched to thicker slices and more foil spacing. Now I leave more natural dark between. Anyone else get real feedback that changed their technique completely?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_piper6d ago

I mean, idk, maybe it's just me but I don't totally agree that overlapping was the problem here. Balayage is supposed to look blended, that's literally the whole point of the technique, so a little warmth in the mids isn't automatically "muddy" unless you're painting right on top of old color without any lift. Thicker slices and more spacing can actually leave you with those chunky stripey highlights that look dated, like early 2010s foil work. Maybe your client just had a different idea of what balayage should look like, something more cool and ashy, but that's a tone issue not a sectioning issue. I'd be careful about changing your whole method over one person's complaint when your other clients might love your softer blend.

schmidt.amy6d ago

Oh, hold on, I gotta push back a little on one thing. You said thicker slices and more spacing automatically give you chunky stripes, but that's not really true if you're still doing the right painting technique. You can take thick slices and still paint them super soft on the edges, it's not about the slice size alone, it's how you feather the product. I've seen stylists do gorgeous blended work with chunky sections, it's just a different look (like, more lived-in but still soft).