Balayage

When I was about fifteen, I decided it was a good idea to cut my hair really short and colour it purple.  It did not end well.  I've been growing my hair out since then, but I've come to a point where I was bored of my super long, plain, straight locks.

So, into the hairdresser I went, and out I came, three hours of my life gone and my hair four or so inches shorter with layering and balayage.

Balayage has been popular with celebs for a while now.  It's a hair colouring technique which allows highlights to grow out without getting obvious roots.  The highlights are painted on freehand.

It can be really good, or really bad.  I think my hair has turned out somewhere in between:

Not surprisingly, it looks a lot better when the hair is textured and wavy as opposed to dead straight. The biggest drawcard is that it's low maintenance and will grow out on its own, if you want it to.