Just because you have short hair doesn’t mean you can’t still play around with beautiful shades and tones of your natural colour, and a few unnatural ones too. This is what makes these beautiful balayage ideas for short hair such great ones.
Just take a peek and you’ll see…
1. Short Bob Haircut + Honey Blonde Balayage
If you have fine hair, a bouncy balayage look like this one is a really great idea, curly layers added to give it a 3-dimensional effect and honey blonde balayage highlights thrown in to complete the look.
Instagram / cabelocurto
It all works together to add oomph where it may have been previously rather lacklustre.
2. Choppy Bob Cut + Ice Blonde Highlights
Cutting your hair short will give it a new lease of life because you’re cutting inches of dead and dying hair off, dead and dying hair that will be stealing nutrition and vitamins from the rest of your hair and body.
Instagram / leahhofffhair
Cutting the hair short will focus all the good stuff on the hair that can actually benefit from it so by cutting inches off, you’ll find the inches grow back much quicker than you’d think, and in much better condition too. When you have great condition hair, you can go for bolder and brighter styles that your previously dead hair wouldn’t have been able to cope with. Just like this beautiful ice blonde highlighted look over a choppy bob cut.
3. Messy, Short Bob with Bangs + Caramel Balayage Highlights
Bobs and bangs are quite a brave move but as this beauty shows, can be done quite easily with the right knowledge, shade of hair, and cut.
Instagram / katiezimbalisalon
The bangs are counteracted here with the bounciness of the curly short tresses, and the darker on top, lighter on the bottom approach really helps to give the look a new lease of life too.
4. A-Line Bob with Blonde Balayage Lowlights
Before you decide to go for the chop, you should make sure you have the right texture of hair for a choppy bob. Wavy, curly, coarse and medium types of hair are best suited to a medium (yet still short) hairstyle.
Instagram / hair_do_salon
If you have fine hair, you’ll want to opt for a more one length cut which you can then bulk up with highlights and curls, or a much shorter look.
5. Brunette Bob Hairstyle + Light Balayage Highlights
If you have long hair, going for the chop can often be a very daunting experience but as these balayage ideas for short hair show, there really isn’t anything to worry about.
Instagram / kellymccormickhair
You can have just as much fun, and still play around with different dyeing techniques, even when you don’t have length on your side. Plus there are so many advantages associated with going for the chop.
6. Layered Short Bob + Front Blonde Balayage Highlights
There are some disadvantages to cutting your hair short of course. There is an element of regret whenever you watch your beloved hair fall onto the floor behind you. How about you take a slightly different approach to things however?
Instagram / cabelocurto
You could donate your hair to a charity who makes wigs for young children with cancer, for example. Put a positive spin on things and going under the chop won’t seem so bad. You could even fundraise as you go if your hair is your thing and this is a brave move. Imagine raising money, helping kids with cancer, and having a hair look like this one all at the same time? We think that could just be a winning combination.
7. Sunset Balayage Look
Long hair is high maintenance. Why would you go through the hassle of high-maintenance hair when you could have low-maintenance hair like these balayage ideas for short hair?
Instagram / hairbyamyz
You have all the beauty of those ombre and balayage designs without the hassle of split ends, dealing with split ends, worrying about cutting split ends off…. etc. The circle of hair life. Sigh.
8. Honey Blonde Highlights on Dark Hair
Although it might sound pretty obvious, short hair really does dry in a fraction of the time it takes long hair to dry. You really don’t appreciate that fact until you have gone for the chop yourself.
Instagram / victorfol
If you’re half tempted by balayage ideas for short hair like these, you should be aware that a fraction of the drying time means more time for you in the morning. There’s also a fraction of the styling time, curling time, straightening time, washing time, conditioning time, etc… Need we go on?
9. Blonde Balayage Ombre on Dark Hair
Despite not having quite as much hair to play with, short hair can still be styled in a whole host of different ways, giving you more than enough options when you want to change the way your balayage ideas for short hair look.
Instagram /simplicitysalon
This look would look amazing whether it was worn curly or straight, and as the look grows out, it will just create a longer balayage ombre.
10. Caramel Balayage Highlights
There are both advantages and disadvantages to going for a short look like one of these beauties, and you will need to have a long, hard think about it before you make any cutting decisions.
Instagram / alexgodoy
For a way to rock short summer hair, we can’t recommend this caramel balayage look enough. It’s highlighted in a natural way, the lighter sections in the same places the sun would naturally hit were you to sit in the sun all day. For a first timer, the more natural approach is often the easiest one.
