I've been having my blonde hair professional coloured for about 20 years; from full highlights to babylights, balayage, 'Brazilian illuminage', moneypiece highlights, and even the occasional home dye, I've tried it all. But I've always been unsure about which technique is best for my hair type and desired look – until now. I recently visited Haug London Haus in central London where I had an in-depth consultation with Siobhan Haug , the salon's co-owner and award-winning colourist.
I told her that I'm a fan of a creamy, beige blonde look but with a lived-in, rooty appearance that would grow out naturally without a strip of dark roots showing after a few weeks. I thought traditional balayage – where highlights are hand-painted throughout the lengths for a sun-kissed look – might be the solution, but Siobhan used a technique called 'foiliage' on me instead. READ MORE: 'Covered all my greys' – the £5 hair dye with glossy results that 'cheats a trip to the salon' Also known as 'balayage highlights', a trend that has hundreds of thousands of likes on TikTok, foiliage involves applying highlights with lightener and foils right up to the roots, and then blending it out with toner to give a lived-in effect, reports OK! .
This was also best suited to me as I already had existing highlights fairly high up to my roots (balayage works best when applied to uncoloured hair to get the right graduated effect). Siobhan highlighted another advantage of this method: applying lightener right up to the roots can also add volume and texture to lifeless hair. This was perfect for me, as I have long, fine, flat hair and found that balayage, without any bleach near the roots, quickly made my hair look flat and greasy.
After washing out the lightener, Siobhan applied a beige/violet toner mix to neutralise any yellow tones and create a slightly rootier effect, while keeping the areas around my face light and bright for the most flattering result. Once dried, it was exactly what I had hoped for: bright, fresh and the perfect tone neither warm nor ashy that instantly lifted my complexion. Another pleasant surprise was the condition of my hair: usually after highlights my hair is much drier and more tangled than usual, but this time it felt incredibly soft afterwards, and the comb just glided through.
Siobhan and Haug London use Schwarzkopf hair products, and the Schwarzkopf lightener includes a bond building complex in it (plus the salon wraps your head in a hot towel at the back basin while your conditioner's on; this helps to open up the hair cuticle to let the product penetrate deeper, and feels absolutely heavenly). I could really notice a difference, and will definitely opt for a Schwarzkopf colour appointment where possible in the future. Laura's favourite haircare products L'Oreal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Shampoo, £3 from Boots Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Conditioner, £22 from LookFantastic Living Proof Full Texturising Foam, £27 from LookFantastic Virtue Healing Oil, starting at £25 from Space NK.
