Balayage had its golden hour in 2016, worn by every it girl from Hailey Bieber to Taylor Swift. But ten years on, colorist Manon Lou is calling time on the version most people still associate with the look — and explaining exactly what to wear instead.
The internet has been in a nostalgic spiral lately, revisiting the beauty codes of 2016 with a mix of irony and genuine affection. Matte foundation, rose-tinted tie and dye, heavily contoured lips — the whole aesthetic is back under the microscope. And somewhere in that revival, a question surfaced: does the balayage of that era still hold up? According to one expert, the answer is a firm no.
The balayage of 2016 has a problem that grows with your hair
When Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid, and Taylor Swift were all sporting balayage simultaneously, the look felt effortless. Hollywood exported it to the rest of the world almost overnight. The technique, as it was applied back then, created a sharp contrast between dark roots and lighter lengths — a deliberate, visible demarcation that read as intentional at the time.
The problem is what happens next. Colorist Manon Lou, who shares her expertise on Instagram at @manonlouatelier, published an analysis this year identifying the core flaw: as the hair grows out, that hard contrast between the root and the rest of the hair produces an unwanted regrowth line. It is not a subtle shift — it is immediately perceptible. What was once styled as a statement becomes a maintenance trap, one that signals neglect rather than intention.
Manon Lou classifies the high-contrast balayage of the 2016 era as a definitive no-go. The visible, unblended demarcation at the root is the deciding factor.
Why the 2016 aesthetic is being re-examined now
Ten years is enough distance to look at a trend clearly. The current wave of nostalgia for the 2016 beauty era — the same moment that gave us the King Kylie lip kit obsession — has brought both admiration and critical reassessment. Some elements age well. Others do not survive contact with a more technique-conscious audience. The harsh balayage root falls squarely into the second category.
Manon Lou's Instagram post lands in that context. It is not simply a rejection of the past — it is a practical guide to understanding why certain coloring techniques create long-term problems, and what a more considered approach looks like today. Just as expert tricks for enhancing the gaze have evolved to prioritize flattering results over trend-chasing, hair color is following the same logic.
Balayage contouring and ombré are the techniques that replaced it
Manon Lou does not leave the question hanging. She points to two specific techniques as the modern alternatives to the dated, high-contrast approach.
Balayage contouring focuses the lightening work on the sections of hair that frame the face. The rest of the hair keeps its natural base largely intact. The result is targeted brightness that enhances the facial features — hence the "contouring" reference — without creating a uniform line of demarcation across the entire head. The effect is more sculptural, more deliberate, and far more forgiving as the hair grows.
Ombré: the seamless transition
Ombré, the second technique Manon Lou recommends, works differently. Rather than concentrating color around the face, it creates a graduated transition from root to tip across the full head of hair. The key characteristic is the invisible fusion at the root — there is no sharp line, no sudden shift. The result reads as homogeneous, as if the hair simply evolved in color from one end to the other. Regrowth, when it appears, integrates naturally rather than announcing itself.
- Balayage contouring: brightens the face without a visible root line
- Ombré: creates a seamless, low-maintenance gradient from root to tip
- Hard contrast between dark roots and lighter lengths
- Produces an immediately visible, unwanted regrowth line
The distinction between these techniques and the 2016 balayage comes down to one word: blending. The older approach treated the root as a fixed, dark anchor. The newer techniques treat the root as a starting point for a gradual shift — something that can evolve without creating a problem every few weeks. It is the same kind of thinking that has pushed other beauty professionals to rethink their methods entirely, whether in color, makeup application, or hair styling without the usual tools.
What this means for anyone still wearing the 2016 version
The practical implication is straightforward. If your current color still relies on that visible, unblended root contrast that defined the mid-2010s look, you are carrying a technique that requires constant correction. Every growth cycle makes the line more visible, and the maintenance cost — in both time and money — adds up fast.
Switching to balayage contouring or ombré does not mean abandoning lighter hair. It means choosing a method that works with the hair's natural growth pattern rather than against it. The light is still there. The brightness is still there. But the harsh boundary between dark and light disappears, and with it, the regrowth problem that Manon Lou identifies as the defining flaw of the 2016 approach.
Beauty in 2026 is trending toward techniques that hold up over time, that look intentional at every stage of the growth cycle, and that do not demand constant intervention to stay presentable. The balayage of ten years ago was a product of its moment — visible, maximalist, built for impact. But that moment has passed, and the colorists who are paying attention have already moved on.
