Natural, sun-kissed dimension that grows out beautifully — painted by hand, designed for your hair, your undertones, and your life.
Clients come to Brian Richard’s from Franklin, Bellingham, Medway, Wrentham, Milford, and even Cumberland, RI for one reason: when you find a colorist who truly understands balayage — who knows how to read your hair, place the color, and dial in a formula that lasts — you don’t settle for anything less.
Balayage is the most requested service at our salon. We perform it every single day. That’s not something every salon can say. Our colorists have been trained on the latest hand-painting techniques and work with both Goldwell and Wella Professional — two of the industry’s most respected color lines — giving us the flexibility to get your result exactly right.
Whether you’re coming in for your first balayage or fixing work done somewhere else, the result you leave with will be the result you asked for.
Goldwell & Wella Professional
Balayage is a French hair coloring technique where color is hand-painted directly onto sections of hair rather than applied with foils. The result is a natural, sun-kissed look with softer regrowth lines — and significantly less maintenance than traditional highlights.
The word “balayage” is French for “to sweep,” and that’s exactly how it works — your colorist sweeps color onto the hair freehand, concentrating it where the sun would naturally hit. No foils. No uniform sections. Just a trained eye, a skilled hand, and a formula built for your specific hair.
The result looks like you’ve spent a summer outside — only better, because it was designed specifically for your undertones, your hair texture, and how much time you want to spend on maintenance.
Traditional highlights use foils to lift color in uniform sections. Balayage is hand-painted, creating a softer, more natural gradient with less obvious regrowth — typically requiring touch-ups every 3–4 months rather than every 6–8 weeks.
| Balayage | Foil Highlights | |
|---|---|---|
| TECHNIQUE | Hand-painted | Applied with foils |
| LOOK | Natural, blended gradient | More uniform dimension |
| REGROWTH | Soft, grows out naturally | More visible line |
| TOUCH-UPS | Every 3–4+ months | Every 6–8 weeks |
| CUSTOMIZATION | Highly tailored | More structured |
| BEST FOR | Natural, low-maintenance look | All-over brightness |
We start every balayage with a conversation. Your stylist will look at your hair — its history, texture, and current condition — and talk through your goal, your maintenance preference, and the result you actually want.
Your colorist custom-mixes a formula using Goldwell or Wella Professional — whichever is right for your hair. Nothing off the shelf. The formula is built around your undertones and the result we're targeting.
Color is hand-swept onto sections of your hair, lighter at the ends and building toward the roots where needed. Your stylist works through the sections systematically — nothing is guesswork.
After processing, a toner or glaze is applied to knock out any brassiness and seal in the final tone. You leave with color that looks polished, natural, and exactly as planned — not close to it.
If you want color that grows out gracefully and doesn't require a salon visit every six weeks, balayage is built for you. Most clients come in every 10–16 weeks.
Balayage is one of the most forgiving color services — it's a natural starting point for clients who want dimension without a dramatic change.
Hand-painted balayage on darker hair creates beautiful warmth and dimension. Your colorist will build the lightness gradually so it looks intentional, not brassy.
Even naturally lighter hair benefits from balayage — we can add depth, contrast, or brightness in exactly the right places.
Sun, swimming, and outdoor activity all affect color. Balayage is built to weather those factors — the gradient absorbs fading better than uniform color.
If you've had color that went brassy fast, looked unnatural, or just wasn't what you asked for — come in for a consultation. We fix that regularly.
Book a consultation — it’s always complimentary. We’ll look at your hair, talk through your goal, and put together a plan before we touch a single strand.
Most balayage appointments at Brian Richard’s take 2.5 to 4 hours, depending on your hair’s length, density, and the result we’re going for. If you’re adding a toner or glaze afterward (which we usually recommend), factor in an extra 30–45 minutes. We’ll give you a more accurate estimate during your consultation.
One of balayage’s biggest advantages is longevity. Most clients come back every 10–16 weeks — some even longer — because the soft regrowth line doesn’t demand an immediate touch-up the way foil highlights do. Your stylist can advise on a maintenance schedule that fits your lifestyle and budget.
Yes — and it looks stunning on darker hair when done right. Dark-to-light balayage requires a careful lifting process to avoid brassiness. Our colorists are experienced with high-lift color on darker bases and will walk you through what’s achievable in one session versus a gradual approach over multiple visits. We’ll always be honest with you about what your hair can handle.
Brassiness is the most common complaint clients bring to us from other salons. It happens when the underlying warm pigments aren’t properly neutralized during the toning step. At Brian Richard’s, every balayage is finished with a toner or glaze formulated to neutralize your specific undertones. We’ll also send you home with recommendations to maintain the tone between visits.
Balayage pricing varies based on your hair’s length, density, and what we’re trying to achieve — so we price it after your consultation rather than quoting a number before we’ve seen your hair. What we can tell you is there are no surprises at checkout. We’ll give you a clear price before we start.
Yes. Corrective color is a significant part of what we do. If your balayage went too warm, too light, looked uneven, or just wasn’t what you asked for — book a complimentary consultation and we’ll assess what’s needed to get your hair where it should be. Come in with photos of what you wanted and we’ll have an honest conversation about what’s achievable.
Single process, glazing, ombré, and corrective color. Full menu of professional color services.
Brian Richard’s Salon serves balayage clients from Franklin, Bellingham, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Wrentham, Milford, Medfield, Holliston, Plainville, Foxborough, Mansfield, MA and Cumberland, RI. Located at 456 West Central Street, Suite 3, Franklin, MA — right off Route 495.
