balayage

This term is borrowed directly from French, meaning to sweep, which describes the physical motion the stylist uses to paint the color onto the hair. It is used primarily in professional salon contexts and beauty industry discourse to distinguish this freehand method from traditional foil highlights.

Because it describes a specific artistic process, the noun is typically used as an uncountable mass noun when referring to the technique or the resulting look. It is rarely pluralized unless referring to multiple distinct styles or sessions of the treatment.