Balayage on short hair is an alternative to the popular ombre color melt on longer hair. To give shorter hair depth and dimension, opt for balayage highlights. The difference between balayage and ombre is that balayage is more of a technique, while ombre is more of a style.
The balayage technique, from the French word “sweeping,” is the free-form painting to change the color of the hair strand. It’s the opposite of the old method of foil highlights.
An important thing to take note of is that your colorist’s level of expertise is a high priority, as precisely hand-painted highlights are needed to work with the short length.
Start with this popular trend by consulting first with an expert about which kind of tones would best suit you and bring out a beautiful texture and dimension that you prefer in your hair. You will love your new short balayage hairstyle.
Make the most of your look with one of these stunning and best balayage short hair colors!
Ice Blonde Balayage Highlights on a Soft Wavy Blonde Bob
Tired of long hair? Switch to a fun and new sassy icy and metallic blonde balayage hair on a short cut. It looks cool to leave in your natural dark blonde roots. This balayage short blonde hair offers a really edgy and interesting dimensional style.
Dimensional Grey Balayage Highlights
Some layers on this amazing short bob balayage work so well with the grey-silver on black hair. The two neutrals create a deep dimension for the look. It’s one of the low-maintenance and new hair color ideas for short hair highlights to try. Balayage short hairstyles like this are suitable for casual and business looks.
Dark Blonde Balayage on Dark Brown Hair
Play with a dark blonde balayage on dark brown hair for a super chic appearance. The dark roots help to carry out warm hues to boost the contrast of hues and the rich color melt effect.
The result looks pretty awesome on a shoulder-length haircut. Finishing it off with waves is a great way to achieve a beachy blonde balayage bob style.
Midnight Blue Balayage
What could be cooler and edgier than an A-line cut painted with an awesome blue balayage on natural jet black hair? This short balayage hair color surely gives everyone’s eyes a delight for its beauty and uniqueness.
Short Auburn Balayage Hair
A nicely blended auburn/copper balayage with short hair is just what you need for this season. If you prefer a more vibrant result, hints of amber shade will do. This hair color for short hair looks totally magnificent on light waves!
Long Bob with Crimson Red Balayage
Ask for a long bob and go solid crimson with these reddish balayage highlights on your dark hair for a totally cool vampire vibe! Not much upkeep is needed compared to going all out on this balayage on short hair!
Short Blonde Balayage Highlights and Lowlights
Deepen your natural color by getting lowlights balayage for that wonderful dimension that’s stunning even on short hair! It’s a nice transition from a dark to a lighter color of locks. Go bolder and consider balayage highlights and lowlights for short hair!
Short Razor Cut with a Light Ash Brown Balayage
Spice up a short razor cut with a light ash brown balayage—the outcome will be dashing! The razor cut offers more detailed hair ends that go well with the color. Both the haircut and the shade give the tresses a more textured effect. Thus, choose this brown balayage short hair if you have fine and thin locks.
Layered Bob with Bangs with a Golden Brown Balayage
An effortless way to brighten your skin and frame your face is having vibrant gold balayage highlights all-around your wavy tresses! Short hair color ideas like this are an exquisite choice for women of all ages. Adding layers to this cut will make it defined and textured at the same time.
Chin-Length Bronde Balayage Highlights
Chin-length bronde balayage highlights with a dark root make a chic addition to a short haircut. It’s recommended for ladies who like to try a new hair color for the first time. A short hair balayage is an ideal technique to go lighter without damaging the tresses. What’s great about it is that it goes well with beachy waves.
These chin-length bronde highlights, created by stylist Casi Stauffer of Arizona, feature a brunette base.
“It has the dimensional highlights with both brunette and blonde shades throughout the ends, too. This is a great low-maintenance, lived-in color,” Stauffer describes.
This is for women willing to put in the time both in the salon and at home to maintain the bronde hues!
Short Blunt Cut with Honey Blonde Balayage Highlights
Beachy and sharp – this edgy neck-length honey blonde balayage short hair bob is a stunner! That sun-kissed finish works on ladies with any skin complexion!
Neck-Length Balayage for Short Straight Hair
A neck-length balayage short straight hair offers a sleek and fuller finish. For babes with thicker locks, this is an excellent choice. The balayage straight hair blend brings out depth and dimension. Be one of those stunning blondes—wear it and shine every single day!
Short Bob Platinum Blonde Balayage
This platinum balayage creates a dirty metallic and ashy ombre effect, which is a totally unique and high-fashion hairstyle! It’s perfect for a casual as well as a business look and will suit any complexion.
To short blonde balayage, it takes great planning because the hair is shorter and there is less to work with. A colorist will measure the hair to make sure the colors streak perfectly.
Long Pixie with Mocha Balayage Highlights
A long pixie with mocha balayage highlights offers an exciting and low-maintenance look. Most of the time, this pixie would only require texture when styling. For a piece-y definition, use a texturizing spray. Women with a pale skin tone can pull this short haircut balayage the best. Go for it if you’re one of them!
Brunette A-Line Bob with Face-Framing Highlights
This short A-line hair with face-framing balayage is a must-have if you wanna keep the maintenance low with your locks. An easy-breezy dimensional angled and layered wavy cut appears so gorgeous and brightening when painted with subtle highlights, especially near the face.
Choppy Bob with Caramel Balayage Highlights
This is a concave choppy bob with a lived-in caramel blonde balayage color. Keep the front strands lighter to brighten up the face. Look creator Josie Lawrence of New Castle, AU styled this with a beach wave to show the dimension even better.
“The cut and the caramel balayage color are for the low-maintenance woman! Concave bobs with choppy layers on curly hair can also be amazing,” says Lawrence, providing hair tips.
Dark Blonde to Light Blonde Balayage Ombre
A dark blonde to light blonde balayage ombre is one way of adding texture and dimension to locks. It may be suitable for most haircuts, but it does a better job on fine, short hair. This balayage idea offers a combination of warm and cool tones to brighten up brunette hair. It’s a stylish option to highlight the layers of bob hairstyles for women.
Light Brown Balayage Bob
This textured chin-length bob with a side part and a dimensional lighter brunette balayage works perfectly straight or curly! It’s a creation by stylist Devyn Martinez of Goleta, CA.
Martinez states, “This balayage short brown hair is great for women who are seeing grays pop up but aren’t ready to commit to a permanent color. The light brown babylights and dimensional color can really disguise those new grays. Meanwhile, the short sassy length with no fringe can elongate a square or heart face shape.”
Short Shaggy Rose Gold Balayage
Here comes a rose gold balayage on a short shaggy bob cut that shows a feminine style. This balayage shaggy hairstyle for short-length hair is optimum for women with natural brown hair color who have fair and pale skin tones. For thin tresses, add a dark or shadow root as they create fullness.
Jaw-Length Maroon Hair with Subtle Red Balayage Highlights
The red balayage highlights on this cute maroon asymmetrical bob create a rich raspberry color and a sassy look. Made by colorist Lauren Robinson of Michigan, it’s perfect for ladies who always want funky and unique hair colors while maintaining “acceptable work hair color.” This balayage short hair color really is a showstopper for shine and pushing the edge just enough to feel comfortably bold.
The haircut, on the other hand, “has tons of added texture on the inside to add movement without shortening the layers on the silhouette that’s a tiny bit longer than jaw length,” says Robinson. It’s a very wearable short haircut for fine-haired women, especially because it has a more full baseline!
Robinson suggests, “Change the length depending on if you have a strong or soft jaw and again, voila! Color like this can’t be washed often so it’s more for women who are into no-poo routines or wash 2-3 times a week.”
Lob Cut with Blonde Balayage Highlights on Dark Hair
Get a lob cut with blonde balayage highlights on dark hair when craving a new style. A few blonde highlights can add freshness to any type of hair and cut. The balayage on this short chop creates a fuller-looking finish. Waves on bobs can also bring out a movement that ladies with fine hair need.
Angled Bob Balayage for Very Short Hair
This balayage short angled hairstyle is full, textured, and sassy! According to Illinois-based style creator Carly Anne Bigham, the loveliest things about this short hairstyle with balayage is the lived-in tones, the low-maintenance color, and the fact that you can have so much volume with little to no product!
For ladies wanting to try this look, Bigham recommends to “get yourself texture sprays such as sea salt or a dry shampoo that will give you that grit for great volume and bounce. Any face shape is ideal for this short hair balayage.”
Wearing an angled cut is a perfect way to remove extra bulk from thick hair. It’s easy and fun to throw some beach waves in it, too!
Ear-Length Silver Balayage
This ear-length silver balayage short hair with bangs is a balayage pixie inspiration, created by stylist Bethany Axe of Phoenix, AZ. The shades aren’t the common pairing and that makes it remarkable!
“This white blonde balayage is one that you need to style! Put in a little mousse to give it some body and grit,” Axe mentions.
Golden Blonde Balayage for Short Curly Hair
This short balayage ‘do is a full head of warm and golden dimensional painted highlights and a stacked curly bob with bangs. It’s a masterpiece by a stylist from Florida, Stephanie Lieblich Mero.
“If you want this short balayaged hair, book a full balayage highlight and curl shaping. Find a stylist who only uses balayage on short hair (in French it means, “to sweep”) because it’s more gentle on the hair than foil highlights. It doesn’t conduct heat as foil does which can cause the hair to overprocess and damages the curls. The result is a dimensional balayage highlight with lots of different tones in one process,” Mero points out.
Mero’s other advice is to be sure you’re okay with an uncertain result. Since balayage (a true balayage, not foils used to try and create a dimensional look) doesn’t use foil to conduct heat, you won’t be guaranteed a blonde result unless you have never processed your hair and have naturally blonde hair. Sometimes it takes multiple sessions to get to blonde, especially if you have naturally dark hair.
Make sure you choose a stylist who is a strong colorist and can tone out unwanted brass if your hair lifts to a color you won’t be pleased with. Mero adds, “Toning is really where the magic happens in this process since really anyone can lighten hair, but not everyone knows how to properly tone to a beautiful result!”
Once you have reached your color goal, this balayage short curly hair is very low-maintenance as it grows out beautifully. Mero explains, “You could go 3-12 months between touchup appointments depending on how tight their curls are (tighter curls take much longer to see the natural root come in).”
Pixie Cut with a Purple Balayage
Short dark hair with a purple balayage results in a pixie cut that complements an edgy vibe. For ladies who want to carry out a strong impression, this fits the bill. This balayage short hair features long bangs, neat sides, and nape. If the hair on top is tousled with a blow dryer, the style helps achieve greater density and volume. This is one of the excellent short haircuts for women with thin locks.
Ash Blonde Balayage Highlights
This is a series of mushroom brown ash blonde balayage by Chloe Thomas, a color specialist from West Hollywood, CA.
If you want it more silvery than brown, play around with formulating with similar tones. Thomas points out that “the money piece trend is in and women are very vocal about wanting styles with money pieces.”
When getting a haircut the same day, ask for the haircut first. Then do the color application. Thomas explains, “It’s a nightmare when you do such beautiful color and then all the bright bold pieces are gone. Style it with beach waves, it’s the best way to show off the color and the tones of the hair.”
Be mindful that these balayage highlights may not be achieved in one session as warned by Thomas. Be prepared to be there for about 4-5 hours, especially if you have darker hair. Rushing through this is the worst thing you can have your hairstylist do.
Thomas notes, “It’s definitely a high-maintenance color so investing in products is a must. Try Isles Formula Shampoo, Conditioner, and their Finishing Serum. It enhances the color and you can go a week without washing.”
Caramel and Chocolate Balayage
If it’s your first time getting highlights, consider going with a balayage on your shorter hair for a low-maintenance color with soft chocolate brown and caramel honey tones. Here’s a hair inspiration by Christina Burnett, a colorist from Morristown, NJ. Adding the highlights will accent your cut, so opt for a short, slight A-line bob with some soft layering for movement.
This is a great example of how to balayage short hair, as almost any girl can wear even taking it a little shorter or longer.
Burnett explains, “It has an easy effortless style with a shape that works for most hair types with styling options. With a blowout balm, you can do a smooth blowout. Then the next morning you can wand some loose waves with a little dry texture spray or scrunch some mousse in for a natural wave.”
