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By Rachael Gonzalez·Published: June 17, 2026
If your blonde feels bright but lacks dimension, the problem may not be your formula—it may be your foil placement. According to educator and Alfaparf Milano Professional Ambassador Eric Coyle (@ericmichaelhair), two common mistakes can flatten a balayage: relying on a root melt to create the blend and over-foiling the canvas.
Instead, Eric focuses on building dimension directly into the foil work through strategic depth, placement and knowing what not to lighten. Below, he shares the mistakes to avoid and how he creates dimension with 35 foils or less. But first, take a look at the before and after:
"Your root melt is not going to fix any mistakes that you made. Your blend starts in your foil," Eric says. That's why teasing plays such an important role in his placement strategy. Rather than relying on a toner or root melt to soften harsh transitions later, he uses teasing to create diffusion and dimension directly within the foil placement.
Once the foil work is complete, Eric uses the root melt to further soften the transition between the natural base and the lightened pieces for a softer, more lived-in blend. "Nice, clean, even saturation, clean application and then a root melt will just enhance the look."
Eric intentionally leaves large sections of natural depth between his foils rather than chasing brightness throughout the entire head. As he works through the crown, those untouched sections become part of the overall placement strategy.
Rather than viewing that hair as missed brightness, he uses it to create the contrast needed for highlighted pieces to stand out and deliver greater visual impact. The image below shows how much depth Eric preserves throughout the placement—a key part of creating contrast, dimension and high-impact color:
By leaving strategic pockets of depth between foils, Eric avoids flattening the overall result and creates a more dimensional, lived-in finish with a softer grow-out. "Less is more, so I want these foils that I'm putting in to be impactful," Eric says.
These placement strategies are just one part of Eric's complete express balayage system. In High-Contrast Balayage With 35 foils or Less on BTC University, he demonstrates how to strategically place fewer foils for maximum impact, create lived-in dimension, maintain softness through the grow-out and customize placement for every client.
Press play to access the full technique: