Norbi Borbás, Lakmé brand ambassador and education lead, helps you navigate your options. Whether you want a natural look, cover gray hairs, or go for a striking blonde, you’ll find the perfect match for you here.
The Expert:
Norbi Borbás
Head of Education at Lakmé Hungary
Photo: Edina Csoboth
Keep in mind that any color very different from your natural shade will grow out quickly. This makes your roots stand out more, meaning more frequent salon visits. “A great solution is to ask your hairdresser for techniques that create a transition with your natural color or that fade out less noticeably as your hair grows,” Norbi explains.
Long-Lasting Color Treatments
One of the most popular methods is long-lasting hair coloring. “I often do this for clients who don’t want monthly visits but want to cover gray hairs or just slightly change their hair color. The big plus is that it’s not permanent—a color like this fades out in 2-3 months,” Norbi shares.
Benefits:
- No harsh root contrast
- Not permanent
- Quick to apply
- Affordable
- Easily adjustable next time (cooler, warmer, darker, lighter shades)
Drawback:
- Can lighten only 1-2 shades at most
Balayage
Balayage is one of the easiest blonde techniques to maintain, taking about 3 hours depending on hair length. “It’s a great choice if you want a bigger change but don’t want frequent salon visits,” the expert adds. Norbi emphasizes that skilled execution is key.
Benefits:
- Highly customizable
- Offers many options depending on the ratio of blonde to natural hair and coloring
- One of the most popular blonde techniques
- Looks natural even with tied-back hair
Drawbacks:
- Requires a multi-step hair care routine to maintain: color shampoo, color mask, strengthening treatments, heat protection, detox
- More materials and time mean higher cost
Various Highlighting Techniques
This category includes airtouch, babylights, highlights, and lowlights. “Your hairdresser can fully customize these blonding techniques, but 99% of clients come with babylights photos,” Norbi says.
Airtouch uses very fine sections and the transition is created by tiny hairs blown out with a hairdryer. This way, all long strands are lightened, and the shorter new growth creates a natural fade.
Babylights are a foil highlighting technique where very fine sections of hair are carefully lightened.
Highlights and lowlights are two standard types of highlights. The thickness of the sections depends on how natural or bold you want the effect. Highlights are lighter shades compared to your natural base, while lowlights use darker tones to create contrast and make the light color pop.
Benefits:
- These techniques offer the most lightening
- Fully customizable
- With proper application, roots are less noticeable for 3-4 months
Drawbacks:
- Overdoing the lightening can backfire, making roots show quickly
- Hair needs extra care at home, using all available products
- Most expensive service among those listed
- Takes about 3-6 hours to complete
+ Tip: For blonde hair, pay special attention to heat and UV protection, especially if you spend a lot of time in the sun.
