What You Need to Know About the Color Melting Hair Trend

Color melting is officially a hair color trend—and we have to admit, we’re pretty into it. Like so many other hair coloring techniques that have emerged in popularity recently, color melting is like an upgraded version of classic ombré. Intrigued? Good! Below, we share everything you need to know about color melting, from how it differs from other ombré techniques to how to achieve the look at home to how to care for your hair once you’ve tried color melting.

Ombré vs. Color Melting

Before we take a dive deep into how the color melting trend works, it’s important to understand how it differs from the other ombré hair color techniques.

What is ombré? This hair color technique involves two hues blended together with little to no highlights at the root. While ombré is known for its fade from dark roots to light ends, it’s usually not so much a fade as it is a harsh line of color differentiation between the darker and lighter shades.

What is color melting? Typically made up of two to three colors, if not more, this coloring technique is the offspring of ombré and sombré (a.k.a. soft ombré). Color melting blends all highlights with the base color for a “melted” effect where you can’t tell where one color starts and the other ends.

How to Color Melt Your Hair at Home

Whether you’re a celebrity, model, blogger, or everyday gal, you can rock the color melted look. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to bleach your hair first if you’re starting with a dark base—and it may take multiple sessions to get your desired look if you have dark hair. If you’re looking to make a very dramatic change, it could be a good idea to visit a professional colorist. Want to color melt with rainbow shades? We’ve got you covered with our tips below!

Step 1: Choose your colors. Depending on what you want your color melt to look like, choose from a series of colors from the same family. Ideally, you’ll want to pick two or three hues.

Try the L’Oréal Paris Colorista Semi-Permanent Hair Color, which is designed to work on blonde, bleached, or highlighted hair. It comes in a variety of pretty hues, like soft pink, pink, purple, indigo, and blue.

Step 2: Use the darker color on your roots, then transition to the medium shade, and finally the lightest shade at your tips. To master the color melting technique, you’ll want to start with a darker hue at your roots, then switch over to a slightly lighter shade once you’ve gotten halfway down your hair, and then finally switch over to the lightest shade when you reach the tips of your hair. Follow the instructions included with the packaging when applying your dye.

How to Take Care of Color Melted Hair

Once you’re done color melting, it’s time to create a hair care routine that’s tailored to color-treated hair. That means making room in your shower for a system of hair care products that are formulated for color-treated hair. So, try the L’Oréal Paris Hair Expert Color Vibrancy Intensive Shampoo, L’Oréal Paris Hair Expert Color Vibrancy Intensive Conditioner, and L’Oréal Paris Hair Expert Color Vibrancy Intensive Ultra Recovery Mask.

How to Style Color Melted Hair

Much like with ombré, color melted hair looks gorgeous when paired with soft waves. Get the look by spritzing the L’Oréal Paris Advanced Hairstyle AIR DRY IT Wave Swept Spray onto towel-dried hair. Then, create a braid and undo the braid once your hair has dried. Shake your hair out and you’re good to go! Yep, you can get this stylish look without picking up a curling iron. Pretty sweet, right?

If you love learning about new hair color trends and want to continue to add to your beauty knowledge, check out our article, The Ultimate Guide for Every Hair Color Imaginable.