If you’ve been paying attention to hair trends lately, you might have heard about a new technique called “color melt.” Not quite an ombre and definitely not balayage, hair melting is all about creating a perfectly blended look that’s equal parts natural and glamorous.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about color melt hair, including what it is, how it’s created, what sets it apart from other coloring techniques, and how you can get the look.
What Is Color Melt Hair?
Eager to learn about the color melting technique? Matrix bilingual global educator artist, Pati Rodriguez, breaks it down.
"A color melt is when you're taking two shades, and you're blending them together,” explains Rodriguez. “Essentially, you're creating that third shade, so you really have that beautiful diffusion between one shade into the other.”
There are a few different methods for achieving the color melt hair look, but Matrix just developed a new technique using their #SoColorSync shades. In short, one color is applied near the crown (or close to it), and a second color is applied just below. Sometimes a third color is applied at the ends.
Where the colors meet, the colorist gently blends and rubs the two together to create an additional shade. The result is a perfectly blended melt and flawless head of hair—every time!
Good hair day by @hairbybrittanywoodbury.
What Does Color Melting Look Like?
When using a hair melt technique, your colorist can create a super natural, blended look that’s absolutely gorgeous. You can do a color melt with pretty much any color your heart desires.
For example, color melt hair on brunettes might involve darkening the root shade and then fading it out into a lighter, more golden hue. A blonde color melt would create a similar effect but within the blonde spectrum. You could even infuse warmth on the midshaft to ends with strawberry tones for blondes or copper tones for brunettes. And yes, color melting can be done with fashion colors, too!
What Is The Difference Between Color Melt And Balayage?
Though it might be easy to confuse the two since each creates a blended look, hair melting is not the same as balayage. Balayage uses a hair painting technique that typically creates a starker contrast of hues compared to the effect you’ll get with a hair color melt.
Color melt hair is also quite a bit different from highlights, which result in notable contrast via vertical shifts of light and dark color. The hair melting technique is arguably closest to an ombre effect, where one color seamlessly blends into the next.
What really sets color melt hair apart from the rest is just how blended the colors are. It’s truly a “melted” effect!
How Much Does Color Melting Cost?
The amount you’ll pay for a color melt hair varies depending on your location, the salon you go to, and the colorist you see. It might also be more expensive if you request or need an additional hair service, such as removing existing color, getting a haircut, or opting for a nourishing in-salon treatment (like a hair glaze!).
Generally speaking, you can expect to pay between $150 and $300 for the color melt itself.
Where Can I Get Color Melting?
We recommend heading to your local Matrix salon for all your color melt hair needs. Not only do Matrix salons employ colorists at the top of their game, but the colorists have also been trained on how to do the brand’s unique color melt technique that delivers flawless results every time.
To maintain your color long after you’ve left the salon, make sure you’re using high-quality products. Shop the best salon-quality products at Hair.com.
