Medium brown hair sitting at a natural level 5 is one of the most rewarding starting points for balayage.
There is just enough depth at the root to create beautiful contrast, and the mid-lengths and ends can be lifted successfully to a high blonde — given the right products and technique.
In this guide, we walk through every stage of the process: hair assessment, sectioning, lifting using bleach and then toning to neutralise warm, brassy tones and deliver that much-coveted cool finish.
Understanding Your Starting Point
Level 5 hair is a medium to dark chocolate brown.
It contains a significant concentration of red and orange pigment — known as underlying pigment — which will be exposed as the hair is lifted.
On the natural lift chart, level 5 will pass through red, orange-red, orange, and eventually gold before reaching pale yellow at levels 9–10.
For a successful ash or cool blonde result, you need to lift to at least a level 8 (gold-yellow) before toning, ideally reaching level 9 (pale gold).
A key rule to remember: if you tone too early - in other words, while the hair is still at a level 6 or 7 — the toner will not be able to neutralise the orange warmth and the result will appear muddy or greenish.
So we are going to try and lift to the hair to at least a level 8 before we tone.
The Products You Will Need
The bleach that we would recommend for level 5 brown hair is Brilliant Blonde. It is a dust-free, purple conditioning bleach designed for dark bases. It can lift up to 8 levels depending on developer strength.
Its creamy consistency makes it ideal for freehand balayage as well as for use with foil.
Ugly Duckling 7.1b Cold Ash Blonde is a cool-toned, ash permanent colour sitting at level 7 with a strong blue-violet reflect. The 'b' denotes its beige-cool base.
Mixed at 1:2 with a low-volume developer, it deposits a blue-based ash pigment and cancels out golden and orange tones on lifted hair.
The Balayage Technique, Step by Step
Brilliant Blonde Bleach has been specially formulated for Dark Hair
There are a couple of bleach techniques that are quite useful when lifting dark hair.
The first is using foils. By using foils we keep some heat in and we can get better lift.
You should do this on alternating sections of the hair working from the back.
Leave a few sections out to create depth and contrast.
The second technique is balayage — from the French word meaning "to sweep"
This is a freehand highlighting method in which bleach is painted onto the surface of hair sections, concentrated at the mid-lengths and ends.
It produces a soft, sun-kissed gradient rather than uniform stripes. You can do this on the front strands of the hair to get extra light areas.
For level 5 hair looking to go light, the technique is particularly effective.
You retain some dark root and that way you get natural shadow and depth.
Place your bleach mixture segment by segment - and then wrap up in foil
Step 1: Section the hair. Divide dry, unwashed hair into four quadrants. Work from the nape upward. Use a tail comb to take horizontal slices approximately 1–1.5cm thick. Cut your foil strips now as there will be no time later.
Step 2: Mix Brilliant Blonde with a 20 vol (6%) developer at a 1:2 ratio for mid-lengths and ends, or 30 vol (9%) if hair is particularly resistant or you need maximum lift. Combine until smooth with no lumps.
Step 3: Working from the back at the base, put in foils and apply the bleach mixture. Close up the foil as you do so and keep working upwards.
Step 4 Apply bleach mix (make fresh bleach mix as necessary) and do some freehand balayage on sections that you want to highllght.
Step 5 — Process and monitor every 10 minutes. For level 5 starting hair, expect 35–50 minutes to reach a level 8–9. When the hair has been well lifted opening up your foil sections. Do not exceed 60 minutes.
Step 6 — Rinse thoroughly. Rinse with cool to lukewarm water until the water runs completely clear.Use a gentle clarifying shampoo to remove all bleach residue. Do not condition yet — toner needs to grip the cuticle.
Towel dry to get rid of excess moisture and comb the hair out.
Toning with Ugly Duckling 7.1b Cold Ash Blonde
Hair being toned with 7.1b. As the hair processes, you will see the blue and ash pigments working
Once the lifted hair has been rinsed and lightly towel-dried to damp, it is ready for the toner.
Ugly Duckling's permanent colour range performs best when applied to hair that still has a little moisture — this allows for even, controlled distribution without the colour grabbing unevenly on parched ends.
Mixing the toner: mix 7.1b Cold Ash Blonde with 20 vol (6%) developer in a 1:2 ratio.
This gives controlled deposit with minimal additional lift.
Because the bleached sections are already pre-lightened, using a higher-volume developer here is unnecessary and risks over-processing.
Application: apply the toner generously with a tinting brush to all lightened sections, working quickly and evenly.
Pay extra attention to the mid-lengths if they appear more orange than the ends — this zone often requires a little more saturation.
Ensure every bleached strand is coated and avoid the dark root area entirely unless you intend to gloss the full head.
Processing time: develop for 20–30 minutes at room temperature.
Check at 20 minutes — if the hair still appears warm or golden, continue to 30.
Over-processing with this shade at 20 vol will not cause damage, but leaving it beyond 35 minutes may result in a slightly dull, flat finish rather than a vibrant, luminous ash.
Rinsing and aftercare: rinse thoroughly, then apply a rich, colour-safe pH balancing conditioner or treatment mask for 5 minutes.
The bleaching and toning process temporarily swells the cuticle; a good conditioner helps seal it back down, ensuring shine and longevity of the cool tone.
Pro tips for a better result: always patch test 48 hours before the service and perform a strand test to check lift speed and toner result on your specific hair type.
Unwashed hair is ideal for balayage — natural oils protect the scalp and hair shaft, reducing sensitivity.
If ends are particularly porous from previous colour, apply a thin layer of coconut oil or a bond protector to the very tips before bleaching to slow down over-processing. Use Ugly Duckling's own developer for best results.
To maintain the cool ash tone at home, recommend a pigmented toning shampoo such as Brilliant Blonde Shampoo once or twice a week.
What to Expect: The Finished Result
When executed correctly on level 5 hair, this combination will deliver beautiful, contrasted balayage with naturally dark, shadowed roots transitioning into a cool, icy blonde at the ends. The 7.1b shade is neither a harsh silver nor a warm beige — it sits in that elegant middle ground: a sophisticated, slightly smoky ash blonde with a blue-cool reflect that looks flattering against a wide range of skin tones.
The result is low-maintenance by design. As the colour grows out, the balayage technique means roots blend naturally rather than producing a harsh line of demarcation, so clients can typically go 8–12 weeks between appointments with ease.
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Hair by Elona Taki
