45 Balayage Short Hair Ideas for All Colors

Balayage has been with us for quite some time now. Yet, it still has the power to surprise and mesmerize us.

The term “balayage” comes from the French term ‘to sweep.’

The idea behind it is to color the hair with a free hand so as to give it a very natural look. Therefore, when it regrows, it won’t show any harsh or ugly lines.

This makes it perfect for the modern woman, who is very busy and always on the go, and who simply doesn’t have that much time to visit her hairdresser.

Here are 45 easy balayage short hair ideas to inspire you, categorized by color.

I. Blonde Hair

1. Blonde Balayage Short Hair

Let’s start off our list with the most basic of all balayage colors – blonde. This shade is called white honey, and the reason is quite simple. You have a darker, light brown base or undergrowth covered by a diamond white or beige blonde top layer.

2. Balayage for Short Blonde Hair

This is a diamond blonde in a lob or long bob. The basis, this time, consists of a dark brunette, which helps makes the white even more prominent and shiny. The cut itself is very shaggy and edgy, with layer upon layers of strands everywhere.

3. Nutmeg Balayage Short Hair

If you don’t like the very pronounced blondes, you can keep it a bit more demure with this nutmeg blonde. It’s a darker shade that actually borders on brown more than anything else, which means you’ll be able to get away with it as a fall color. Which brings us to this.

4. Fall to Winter Blonde

You will, evidently, need a shade of blonde that can make the crossing between seasons and take you from autumn to the snow season. This might just be the perfect balayage short hair one. The top and back are all about rich browns while the front is pure white snow.

5. Caramel and Copper

Here is how you do balayage short hair the professional way. This blonde shade is a mixture of caramel, copper, and honey highlights. They come together to create one of the most beautiful shades of blonde we’ve ever seen.

6. Silver Balayage Short Hair

This hipster take on the old platinum blonde is the stuff of dreams for a New Year’s Eve party. The great thing about it, however, is that it also works in the middle of the summer, especially as your festival look. Coachella, here we come!

7. Golden Blonde Balayage

Since metallics are the new rage right now, replacing the matte trend in everything, from lipsticks to makeup to hair colors, it’s only natural that pure gold would have made an appearance sooner or later. This is golden blonde balayage.

8. Sandy Blonde

Here’s a classic that will never go out of style, according to us. Sandy blonde is that kind of shade that simply looks good on everyone, no matter your skin tone or the color of your eyes. Plus, you can wear any color you want with it.

9. Manhattan Blonde

This is one of the newer and more cosmopolite shades of blonde which you can use to construct your balayage short hair. It’s called Manhattan blonde, and it’s just as posh, luxurious, and beautiful as you would expect it to be.

10. Dirty Blonde

We end the blonde portion of our balayage short hair ideas list with dirty blonde. The amazing thing about this one is that it requires low maintenance on your part. Even if you have some re-growth, it will still look as if it’s a part of the original color.

II. Brown and Black Hair

11. Balayage on Short Dark Hair

Let’s take a look at brunette ideas for balayage short hair. This is a soft brunette which will work perfectly if you need a special look for Christmas day or your Christmas office party. It has a few eggnog highlights which will keep you in tune with the holidays.

12. Blended Balayage on Short Hair

You might have heard about this version of balayage. It’s called blended, and this is what it looks like. Essentially, it offers a seamless transition from one color to another. Therefore, as time goes by and your hair grows, you won’t even notice the changes.

13. Caramel Brunette

Not only is this a gorgeous and warm brunette with an obvious chestnut glow, but it also has caramel highlights that sweeten up the deal. The roots are dark and smudged so that they look completely natural and in tune with your own color.

14. Dark and Toffee Balayage

If caramel is not really your color and you want to go for something even more scrumptious as far as highlights go, how about toffee? It has a silky and shiny finish to it, and it really plays into the whole metallics trend we’re experiencing right now.

15. Dark and Copper

Speaking of metallics, you can go for the real deal with some copper peekaboos on brunette hair. They will soften your features and attract light. Pair this amazing color combo with a burgundy wine lipstick, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

16. The Subtle Balayage

Ok, let’s say that you don’t really want to go all out with your hair color or that you have an especially strict office dress code. What do you do then? You go for subtle balayage, of course. This, for example, is a dark chocolate base with just a few vanilla lowlights.

17. Honey Brunette

Another shade which you can try if you only want to get some lowlights or peekaboos is honey. It works wonderfully on brunette, especially if you place them right around the face. They will illuminate your features, making them look a lot softer and more feminine.

18. Balayage Highlights on Short Hair

This gorgeous asymmetrical bob is the perfect choice if you’re in love with balayage short hair ideas. The blonde highlights come down in layers and make it look like it has a lot of volume by adding more depth and dimension to the cut.

19. The Jessica Alba

Here’s a celebrity who couldn’t resist this trend and went for brunette balayage short hair herself. Jessica Alba is still wearing her signature dark chestnut hair color, only enriched with some barely visible highlights.

20. Brunette and Gray

Not just any gray, of course. This is mushroom gray on a very dark brunette. As far as balayage short hair ideas go, this one is perfect for those cold and dreary fall months which precede the snowy December when everything is happy and colorful.

III. Red and Copper Hair

21. Red Balayage Hair

Let’s move on to the reds. There are so many shades of red out there that it can become difficult to choose from, especially when you’re going for balayage short hair. However, you can pick according to mood, season, a special event, or simply if you find a shade which attracts you most.

22. Tiger Red Balayage Short Hair

Meet tiger red. This is a very modern red that has been sweeping Instagram up and down in the past few years. It’s called thusly because it mixes darker and lighter shades of orange-copper red in a pattern which resembles stripes.

23. Pale Red Balayage Short Hair

Just to show you how exhaustive and extensive our research is, we even have a solution for the ladies who love red hair, but don’t really want to commit to it. This is pale red on a brown base. You get the best of both worlds with no actual commitment.

24. Twilight Orange

At the opposite end of the spectrum are the ladies who want to show the world just how brave they are with their hair color. For them we have discovered this amazing twilight orange red shade. It descends in a beautiful balayage from top to bottom.

25. Velvet Red Balayage Short Hair

The inspiration for this one was red velvet cake. You can start with a dark chocolate base and add some red velvet strands to a long bob. If you layer the strands and create beach waves, they will separate from the brunette and you will see them better.

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26. Fiery Red Balayage Short Hair

This combination has a cherry cola red base and a fiery shade on top. Once again, simply twisting the upper strands around your iron curler and creating some sweetheart curls will showcase them a lot better.

27. Auburn Red Pixie

If you’ve ever wondered what would a modern fairy’s hair look like, this is it. It would be an auburn red pixie with tangerine highlights and blonde ends. Remember to keep the roots a bit darker than the rest of the hair, to make everything look more natural.

28. Red Blonde Balayage

Mixing and red blonde is always a good idea. Depending on the shades you choose, the result looks like a big scoop of strawberry and vanilla ice cream. And, let’s face it, who wouldn’t want that? However, we do advise that you see your stylist about this combination and you do not attempt it at home.

29. Summer Red Balayage Short Hair

Red and blonde also go perfectly well together in the summer time. They mimic the colors you see in nature, allowing you to blend in to the landscapes. Start off with a deep red base and use golden blonde for the tips.

30. Comic Book Red

What could be simpler and more fashionable right now than comic book red? You can be your very own Scarlet Witch or Black Widow with this amazing balayage short hair idea. The basis here consists of a rich mahogany and the ends are neon red.

IV. Purple Hair

31. Purple Balayage Short Hair

Now it’s time for purples so let’s see how they lend themselves to balayage. The easiest and most basic way you can use this color is by applying it over a dark brunette base. You can even use several shades to make it look more organic.

32. Lavender Balayage Short Hair

Probably the most loved purple shade of all time, lavender is one pastel girls all over the world simply cannot get enough of. If you decide to go for balayage instead of a solid block of color, it will look a lot more effortless and natural.

33. Royal Purple Balayage

If you’re feeling regal and don’t know how to express it, try royal purple. It’s a perfect color for the winter holidays. Just think how amazing you’ll look in your sparkly New Year’s Eve party dress with this purple hair color.

34. Purple and Blue

Real balayage means mixing more than one tone or shade in order to get a realistic and natural feel and look. This is exactly what we’re going for here. This style combines purple and blue strands for added depth and dimension.

35. Purple and Turquoise

If you’re feeling creative and a little crazy regarding your balayage short hair, you can always go for some turquoise strands in your purple hair. They will brighten your look completely and highlight the color of your skin and eyes.

36. Grape Purple and Blonde

Now here’s a combination we could really get behind. This shade is called grape purple and it’s mixed with sandy blonde. The result looks like swirls of ice cream and we cannot get enough of it. It’s perfect for your easy balayage short hair ideas.

37. Orchid Purple Balayage

Meet orchid purple. And once you do, say goodbye to every other shade on the planet because this is going to be your color forever and ever. Yes, it’s that gorgeous. Make sure to use several shades of orchid purple, so that it’s true balayage and not just one block.

38. Lilac Long Pixie

This long pixie with side swept bangs is really giving us maximum jealousy feelings because our hair doesn’t look like that. It’s mixed with a dark plum base, and just look how well it takes deep matte red lipstick! Simply fabulous.

39. Pearl Shine Balayage

There are all sorts of shades of purple in this look. However, the thing we love the most is the mother of pearl white strands which tie everything in together and bring a fantastic luminosity to the entire structure of the haircut. The bob simply looks illuminated from within.

V. Blue and Green Hair

40. Inky Balayage Short Hair

Where to start with this look? We love everything about it. It’s an overgrown or long pixie cut, very feathery and asymmetrical, with side swept bangs. It has been died in a washed out inky purple with a few dark lavender streaks crossing the fringe. The feather embellishments on one side are also to die for.

41. Greens for the Wins

We now enter the final stage of this article, the green balayage ideas. This is the classic dark forest green, with darker roots and slightly lighter tips. You can almost feel how cold it is and how it smells of pine and knotted grass.

42. Short Hairstyles with Highlights and Lowlights

This is a shoulder length bob with green highlights and turquoise lowlights. The basis is the same forest green we saw earlier. However, it also has a blueish tone which you might miss unless you look very closely.

43. Lime Green Balayage Short Hair

Just as the name suggests, this is acid lime green on an all-natural brunette base. It looks like something out of a comic book or out of a superhero movie, which we absolutely adore. We also love the carefree beach waves.

44. Peacock Green Balayage

Not sure which shade of green or blue to choose? Not to worry. You can always go for peacock and wear them all at the same time. Here’s a pro tip – though. Try to find shades that actually work well together, such as shades that belong to the same palette.

45. Moss Green Balayage

As much as we’re in love with the color in itself for being so dark, rich, and glossy, something else has caught our eye. The model has chosen to add a little something extra to the hairstyle. It’s a blue streak right at the back of her head, that makes this cut look very architectural.

Ready to Change Your Look?

Here are the 45 easy balayage short hair ideas we promised.

They have been broken down into categories by color so that it can be so much easier for you to find what you need.

You have blonde, brunette, red, purple, and green or blue.

All that is left now is for you to decide which shade you’re going to get!

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