However light or bright you want to go, your blonde is built through a combination of balayage, highlighting, and toning — tailored to your hair, not a single fixed formula.
At Authentic Strands, “custom blonding” isn’t one named service on the menu — it’s the result of pairing the right balayage/highlight tier with the right toner during your consultation. Your stylist chooses the placement (all-over vs. concentrated at the top/crown), lightening intensity, and final tone based on your current level and hair health.
Whether you want a subtle, all-over lift or the boldest possible blonde, the path there is one of our real Color Bar tiers below, finished with a custom gloss.
Real service tiers used to create blonde results — see current pricing on our booking page.
| TIER | WHAT IT IS |
|---|---|
|
Heavy Full Balayage |
Maximum, all-over lightening for the boldest blonde |
|
Full Balayage/Highlight |
Full-head hand-painted + foiled lightening |
|
Half Balayage/Highlight |
Partial, concentrated placement (top/crown-focused) |
|
Express Balayage/Highlight |
A refresh between fuller services — money-piece touch-up plus a few foils through the top |
|
Express Balayage/Highlight + Grey Coverage |
Same express refresh, with grey blending added |
|
Gloss/Toner |
The finishing step that dials in your exact shade |
We assess your current level, goal tone, and hair health, then choose the right tier.
Lightener is placed according to the tier you and your stylist chose.
A custom gloss dials in buttery, golden, ash, or platinum tones.
Blow-dry and finish to see your new blonde.
Helps combat brassiness and keep tone cool between visits.
Commonly recommended for heavily lightened hair to help protect strength.
Use a heat protectant, especially on lightened, more porous hair.
Booking a Gloss/Toner between fuller services keeps brightness looking fresh.
Tiers range from a quick express refresh to a full heavy balayage — your stylist will recommend the right one at consultation.
Not a single named service — it’s built from our balayage/highlight tiers plus toning, matched to your goals at consultation.
At Authentic Strands they’re the same underlying technique — “blonding” just describes going lighter/brighter with our balayage/highlight tiers.
A refresh option between fuller services — it includes a money-piece touch-up and a few foils through the top of the head.
Reaching very light or platinum tones from darker starting hair often takes multiple sessions to protect hair health — your stylist maps out a realistic timeline at consultation.
