“Balayage is a French term which means to sweep. Painting the hair with this technique can give a wide range of colors and styles from warm and beachy to ice blonde even fashion tones as well.” – Lindsey Burgess (Astrid), Seattle/Australia based hair artist.
Here, she talks about her hair art specialty, balayage, all-over color process, and the works!
When did you decide to be a hairstylist? How did you know it was your true calling?
I decided to become a hairstylist shortly before graduating high school after experimenting with my own hair color and cuts.
Elaborate on what you do? Haircut, color, styling?
I color hair, do keratins which is a smoothing treatment, and style hair.
I’ve seen how your hair painting/balayage technique has really become so amazing over the years. Tell us about that work of art. Is it a French technique of hair color?
Balayage is a French term that means ‘to sweep.’ Painting the hair with this technique can give a wide range of colors and styles from warm and beachy to ice blonde even fashion tones as well.
What has been the most challenging work that you’ve done in the hair business?
The most challenging is always taking someone with dark natural or dark-colored hair and trying to get them blonde especially if they have blonde underneath the color because you have to be careful to treat the hair very well so it doesn’t become damaged or brittle. Another hard project I had was a blonde whose hair was pretty fragile and another salon made her roots orange. I had to carefully place blonde pieces in a foil packet with conditioner and add a false root darker and cooler than the orange between the packets. Being a woman in the hair industry isn’t too tough but I definitely look younger than I am and that has been challenging sometimes because people might not think I have as much experience as I do.
Share some of your exciting hair projects.
I helped with three fashion shows coloring extensions, I helped do hair for three charity events, I’ve done hair for models headshots, and honestly making people feel good on a day-to-day basis is the best thing.
Stylists have a very intimate, emotional bond with their clients. Tell us about your experience so far. Any memorable clients or bonds you’ve had?
I have been very fortunate to build some fantastic relationships with people. You are definitely one of my favorite people and I felt so fortunate to be included in your baby shower. Also, I have another client I have been seeing since the advanced training salon and have been doing her for about six or seven years now.
Maheen Mustafa is the writer of this article. She is the CEO/Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Senior Writer of Maheen The Globe (MTG) a Seattle-based, independent media outlet covering global stories and perspectives. Whatever rings global, we’re on it! Maheen covers social impact, education, health, fashion, culture, business and music on MTG. Her Twitter handle: @MaheenM_