The ‘70s are known for many things: thigh-high boots, flower power, the words groovy and rad—and, as it turns out, it also happens to be the decade that balayage highlights was developed. Balayage is a freehand hair highlighting technique created by French colorists—and we’re here to tell you that it looks absolutely stunning. Even if you’re not sure what balayage is, chances are you’ve definitely seen these highlights on A-listers as they’ve strutted down the red carpet. That’s right, it’s still going strong decades later! You might even say it’s overtaken the ombré hair trend. If you’re looking for a low-maintenance way to change your hair color and give yourself a new beauty look, here’s everything you need to know about balayage, from what it looks like, how to get it, and how to maintain your color.

Balayage is done freehand rather than using tools like foiling and caps that are often used during other highlighting techniques. That means the color is applied by hand on an individual. As you now know, balayage stands for sweeping in French. This technique gets its name because of the process of sweeping the color through the hair with a brush and a backing board. As you may have already guessed, this is a technique best left to professionals, as it requires a certain skill to do. To find the right colorist, look for one who specializes in the balayage technique, and go in for a consultation before actually having your hair dyed. Make sure to bring inspiration pics with you so that your colorist knows exactly what you want. When your colorist sees and hears what you want out of your balayage highlights, they’ll be able to create a custom look that flatters you.