You know that hair color that looks so gorgeous, so flawless, it's easy to forget that it was created at the hands of a colorist and not God himself? That's color melting. Different from balayage and ombré, the color cascades flawlessly down the hair shaft from roots to ends, creating the perfect range of color without any signs of demarcation. It's technically a form of highlighting, but instead the shades are placed in order to blend together instead of pop.
Celebrity colorist and Olaplex ambassador Chad Kenyon, who has colored hair for the likes of Ashley Tisdale and Abigail Spencer, suggested this look for cozy weather. "Most, if not all, of my clients go brighter during the Summer months, and many of them don't want to do balayage right away," he said. "They want to tame the regrowth but keep a softer look. A color melt is what I prescribe in these cases."
Colorist Brooke Benton elaborated: "Color melting is the fluid and seamless blending of any color combination imaginable, unlike traditional ombré techniques."
Color melting works on a variety of shades, from rich brunettes, baby blonds, and dimensional reds to rainbow hues. It really depends on the color you're looking to achieve.
The process is similar to balayage in that it's usually a demipermanent color process done on top of balayage. "What I'll usually do is a balayage of the whole head, and then I'll go in and choose a tone between the root color and the balayage to marry the two," said Kenyon. "It doesn't look as stark. It also adds depth and makes you look fresher, younger."
Keep reading to get inspiration for your next Fall hair color.
