At Matthew Jonathan Salon, every member of our team brings something unique to the chair — and Fenny has built a devoted following for one craft in particular: beautifully hand-painted, dimensional balayage. If you’ve been searching for the right colourist to trust with your hair, this is your chance to get to know her.

Fenny is one of the senior colourists on our Oakville team, and balayage is where her artistry truly shines. Clients book with her specifically because of how natural, soft, and lived-in her results look — and because of how careful she is with the health of their hair through every step of the process. You can read more about our balayage service and what makes it different at Matthew Jonathan Salon.

Fenny’s Signature Technique: Foilayage

While classic balayage is hand-painted in the open air, Fenny specialises in a refined variation called foilayage — sometimes spelled foilyage — where the painted sections are weaved into foils rather than left exposed. The foil traps heat from the lightener, which lifts the colour faster, more evenly, and to a brighter end result than open-air painting alone.

For clients, this means two real advantages. The colour lifts more efficiently, which makes the appointment more comfortable and time-effective. And on darker base hair in particular, foilayage achieves a brightness that’s difficult to reach with traditional balayage in a single sitting. It’s the technique of choice for anyone who loves the soft placement of balayage but wants a little more punch.

If you’re after the brighter, more uniform result of traditional foils instead, Fenny is equally skilled in our classic highlights service — she’ll always recommend the right technique for the result you’re actually after, not just the one she’s known for.

Hair Health Always Comes First

The thing that separates Fenny’s work from a rushed colour service anywhere else is her almost stubborn commitment to not over-processing the hair. Every balayage she does is built around Olaplex and our bond-protecting colour process, which preserves the integrity of the hair through the lift. She watches each section carefully, pulls foils the moment they’re ready, and never pushes the hair beyond what its condition can handle.

It’s a slower, more attentive way of working — and it’s the reason her clients leave with colour that’s not only beautiful, but hair that still feels soft, strong, and healthy weeks later.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fenny’s Balayage

What’s the difference between Fenny’s foilayage technique and traditional balayage?

Traditional balayage is hand-painted in the open air, which gives a very soft, naturally diffused result. Foilayage uses the same hand-painted placement but wraps the painted sections in foil to trap heat and lift the colour brighter and faster. Fenny will recommend the right approach during your consultation based on your starting colour and your goal. Our full balayage service page covers the technique in more detail.

Does Fenny do traditional foil highlights too?

Absolutely — and her foil work is just as in-demand as her balayage. While balayage and foilayage are her signature techniques, Fenny is fully trained across our complete classic highlights service, including partial foils, full foils, ultra-fine babylights, and shadow lights. What sets her foil work apart is the same thing that defines her balayage: a careful eye for placement, custom weave sizes that suit each client’s hair density and face shape, and the same Olaplex bond-protection she uses on every lightening service. If you’re after the brighter, more uniform finish that traditional foils deliver — especially for a polished, structured look — Fenny will build a custom highlight plan during your complimentary consultation, and walk you through whether partial, full, or a combination with balayage will give you the result you’re picturing.

How does Fenny protect my hair during the colour process?

Every colour service Fenny performs uses Olaplex and our bond-protecting system to preserve the integrity of the hair through lightening. Just as importantly, she’s deliberate about not over-processing — sections are pulled the moment they’re ready, never left to push the hair beyond what it can safely handle. Hair health is non-negotiable in her chair.

How often will I need to come back?

One of the best things about balayage is how softly it grows out. Most of Fenny’s clients return every three to five months for a full refresh. To keep the tone looking salon-fresh between appointments, she often recommends a colour gloss and tone treatment at the eight to ten week mark — a quick visit that keeps brassiness at bay and adds shine.

Will balayage suit my hair type?

Balayage works beautifully on a wide range of hair — including darker bases, curly and wavy textures, and previously highlighted hair. If you’re not sure whether balayage, babylights, or classic highlights would suit you best, Fenny will walk you through the options at your complimentary consultation.

What if my last balayage didn’t go to plan?

Fenny has helped many clients who arrived at Matthew Jonathan after a balayage elsewhere left them with brassiness, banding, or uneven placement. Depending on the situation, this may be a straightforward refresh — or it may benefit from a proper colour correction consultation first. Either way, you’ll get an honest plan before any product touches your hair.

Book Your Balayage with Fenny

If you’re ready to experience balayage that’s as kind to your hair as it is beautiful, Fenny would love to meet you. Book your complimentary consultation at Matthew Jonathan Salon, Oakville’s most awarded colour studio, located at 65 Lakeshore Rd. West in downtown Oakville. Call us at (289) 243-0144 or book online — and explore the full balayage service to see why so many clients across the GTA trust us with their colour.

If you’re a natural blonde, you already know the feeling. You love being light. You love the brightness. But you also know that every six to eight weeks, that crisp line of regrowth shows up and reminds you it’s time to be back in the chair again. And again. And again. There’s a better way to be blonde — and it’s called blonding.

The problem every natural blonde knows too well

Traditional foil highlights look beautiful for the first two weeks. Then real life happens. Your hair grows half an inch, the lifted pieces start at a sharp horizontal line, and suddenly the bright blonde you loved is divided from your natural root by a band that announces itself in every ponytail and every parting. For some clients that’s fine. They’re booked in every six weeks and they’re happy to maintain it. But for many natural blondes — especially those whose schedules, budgets, or hair-health priorities can’t accommodate a salon visit every six weeks — that hard line is the deal-breaker. They want to stay bright, but they don’t want the rigid maintenance schedule that traditional highlights demand. Blonding is the technique built for them.

So what exactly is blonding?

Blonding is an umbrella term for a family of dimensional, hand-placed lightening techniques designed for clients who are already naturally blonde (or close to it) and want to stay bright with a soft, lived-in regrowth instead of a hard line. At its core, blonding combines two ideas: shadow root placement (where the colour is intentionally kept softer and slightly deeper at the very root, so your real regrowth blends in instead of standing out) and hand-painted brightness through the mid-lengths and ends (so the brightest, most luminous tones live where the light naturally catches them — around the face, through the lengths, and on the tips). The result is a seamless gradient. Your scalp area reads as your natural depth, the body of the hair glows, and as the weeks pass and your real hair grows, there’s no harsh line announcing the change — just a gentle, organic transition that still looks intentional and expensive.

Blonding vs. traditional highlights vs. balayage

It’s worth understanding how blonding relates to the techniques you’ve probably already heard of. Traditional foil highlights lift the hair all the way to the scalp in defined sections, creating a uniform brightness from root to tip. Stunning when fresh, but high-maintenance because every millimetre of regrowth is visible against the lifted pieces. Balayage is a hand-painted technique that places brightness on the surface of the hair, typically starting a few inches down from the root and getting brighter toward the ends. It’s softer than foils and grows out more gracefully, but classic balayage isn’t always bright enough for clients who want full, luminous blonde. Blonding is the hybrid. It borrows the dimensional, hand-placed brightness of balayage and combines it with the strategic root-shadowing that creates seamless regrowth. For a natural blonde who wants to stay genuinely bright — not just sun-kissed — but doesn’t want the rigid upkeep of traditional foils, blonding is the answer.

Who blonding is perfect for (and who it’s not for)

Blonding is the right choice if you’re a natural blonde (level 7 and lighter) who loves being bright, hates the regrowth line, and wants to stretch the time between salon visits. It’s also a beautiful option if you’ve had highlights for years and you’re ready to soften the look without giving up the brightness. Blonding may not be the right call if your natural base is significantly darker than blonde — for naturally brunette clients who want to go lighter, we usually recommend a foundation of balayage or babylights first, and we can revisit blonding once the canvas is closer to where it needs to be. The good news is we’ll walk through all of this in your complimentary consultation so there are no surprises.

What the appointment actually looks like

A blonding appointment at Matthew Jonathan Salon is built around precision, not speed. Here’s the rough flow. It starts with a real conversation — your hair history, your goals, your maintenance preferences, your inspiration. Then we map your placement: where the brightest pieces will sit, where we’ll keep depth for contrast, and how the root shadow will be handled. The lightening itself is hand-painted ribbon by ribbon. Once the lift is processed and rinsed, we tone strategically to control warmth and create the exact blonde tone we mapped out together. Finally, we finish with a smoothing, glossy blowdry so you can see — and feel — the result the way it’s meant to be worn. Most blonding services take between three and five hours depending on hair length, density, and how much lift we’re doing. It’s a longer appointment than a single-process colour, but it’s the time that makes the result hold up.

Maintenance — what to expect between visits

This is where blonding shines compared to traditional foils. Because the root area is intentionally shadowed and the brightness is hand-placed, your regrowth doesn’t read as a hard line — it reads as soft, deliberate dimension. Most blonding clients stretch their appointments to twelve to sixteen weeks between visits, sometimes longer, depending on how quickly their hair grows and how bright they want to stay. In between, a good purple shampoo and a quality bond-building treatment (we recommend Olaplex and Kérastase Blond Absolu) will keep your tone clean and your hair feeling healthy. We’ll send you home with a personalized aftercare plan at the end of your appointment.

Ready to book?

If you’re a natural blonde who’s tired of the harsh regrowth, blonding is almost certainly the technique you’ve been looking for. We’d love to talk it through with you in a complimentary consultation — no pressure, no commitment, just a real conversation about your hair and what would work best for you. You can learn more about our highlighting and blonding services here, explore our balayage page if you’d like to compare techniques, or read about our colour gloss & toning treatments that keep blonde tones looking their best between visits. Booking blonding consultations now at Matthew Jonathan Salon in downtown Oakville. We can’t wait to meet you.

— Matthew

It’s one of the most common questions we hear at Matthew Jonathan Salon in Oakville: “What’s the difference between highlights and balayage — and which one should I get?” They’re both lightening techniques. They both brighten your hair. But they work very differently, look very different, and suit very different lifestyles. Here’s everything you need to know before you book.

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What Are Traditional Highlights?

Highlights are applied using foils. Your colourist sections your hair, wraps individual sections in aluminum foil with lightener inside, and processes the hair. The result is a consistent, evenly distributed lightness throughout — bright from root to tip. It’s a precise, controlled technique that’s been around for decades. Done well, highlights give you a polished, uniform look with significant lift and brightness. Highlights are great if you:

• Want a noticeable, high-contrast result
• Like bright, consistent colour from root to tip
• Don’t mind coming back to the salon every 6–8 weeks
• Are going from dark to very light and need maximum lift

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What Is Balayage?

Balayage is a freehand painting technique. Instead of foils, your colourist hand-paints lightener directly onto the hair in sweeping motions, concentrating colour where the sun would naturally hit — mid-lengths and ends, with softer, lighter application near the roots. The result is a gradient, natural-looking finish that mimics the way hair lightens outdoors. No harsh lines. No obvious regrowth. Just seamless, lived-in colour. Balayage is great if you:

• Want a natural, sun-kissed look
• Prefer low-maintenance colour
• Have a busy lifestyle and can’t come in every 6 weeks
• Want colour that grows out beautifully without a harsh line

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The Key Differences Side by Side

Placement — Highlights are applied root to tip via foils. Balayage is hand-painted from mid-length to ends, with a soft root. Finish — Highlights give a uniform, bright result. Balayage gives a soft, dimensional, gradient effect. Maintenance — Highlights need refreshing every 6–8 weeks. Balayage typically lasts 3–5 months before a touch-up. Cost — Highlights are generally less expensive per appointment. Balayage costs more upfront but fewer appointments per year means the annual cost is often similar or lower. Time in chair — Both can take 2–4 hours depending on your hair. Balayage sometimes takes longer as it requires careful freehand artistry.

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Which One Is Right for You?

Here’s the honest answer: it depends on your hair, your lifestyle, and the look you’re going for. Choose highlights if you love a brighter, bolder, more uniform result and you’re happy to come into the salon regularly to keep it looking fresh. They’re also the better choice if you need significant lift from a very dark base. Choose balayage if you want low-maintenance colour that grows out naturally, you prefer a softer and more lived-in finish, or your lifestyle doesn’t allow for frequent salon visits. Balayage is also ideal if you want dimension and movement in your colour rather than an all-over lightened look. Not sure? That’s exactly what our consultations are for. Our colourists at Matthew Jonathan Salon in Oakville will look at your hair, talk through your lifestyle and goals, and recommend the technique — or combination of techniques — that’s genuinely right for you.

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Can You Combine Both?

Absolutely — and we do it all the time. Many clients get the best of both worlds with a balayage base and foil highlights through the top to add brightness and dimension. It’s a beautiful finish that’s more dynamic than either technique alone.

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Book a Colour Consultation in Oakville

Whether you’re leaning toward highlights, balayage, or something in between — the best next step is a conversation. Explore our colour services and book a consultation with our team. We’ll make sure you leave with exactly the colour you had in mind. Matthew Jonathan Salon — 65 Lakeshore Rd. West, Oakville, ON. Award-winning hair colour since 2014.

?,??Weekly Giveaway ??? L’Oréal Pro Fiber Revive Mask for slightly damaged hair!! All you have to do is: ✔️Follow us on Instagram: @matthewjonathan ❤️Like this picture on Instagram ?‍♀️Tag your BFF who needs this product too! ?EACH FRIEND YOU TAG EQUALS ANOTHER ENTRY? Make sure to follow us as we will be doing weekly product giveaways every Monday! Giveaway ends May/24/19, GOOD LUCK! NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Giveaway is open on Instagram to users who are 18 years or over and a legal Canadian resident. Must be able to pick the prize up at the salon. Giveaway begins May 21/19. Winner announced May 24th/19

Balayage by Senior Stylist Lexi Before and After

After

 

Before

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Balayage by Matthew Jonathan

 

Balayage by Matthew Jonathan

Balayage by Matthew Jonathan and styled by Sunny. This highlighting method can be used on anyone. The whole goal of balayage highlights is to leave you with natural-looking, sun-kissed hair. One of the best parts of Balayage compared to standard highlights is how easy it is to maintain. With Balayage, your hair grows out more naturally with fewer regrowth lines. This means you won’t have to go to your stylist for recoloring as often making it the perfect technique to work into a busy schedule. Balayage works with almost all hair lengths and hair styles making it one of the most requested services today.