If you’ve never been able to pick a side of the highlights vs. balayage debate, now you’ll never have to. Meet colour melting: The low-maintenance, high-payoff hair dyeing method that brings the best of both worlds.

Colour melting is a hand-painting technique that adds brightness, dimension, and movement to hair without demanding constant upkeep. As to why (else) it’s trending right now? “Winter often calls for a softer, more natural style,” Nick Stenson, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Nick Stenson Beauty says. “People are looking for low-maintenance ways to keep their colour while still looking polished and effortlessly blended.”

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Intrigued? Keep reading for all the expert insight you’ll need on colour melting, plus some inspiration shots for your next salon visit.

How is colour melting different from balayage or highlights?

Stenson says that the key difference between colour melting and other common dyeing methods is that “it creates a seamless blend of tones with no harsh lines.” Balayage creates a gradient effect, usually placing blended brightness around the mid-lengths and tips, whereas highlights add contrasting lighter streaks starting at the roots.

Colour melting strikes a balance between the two: It focuses on soft colour transitions from roots to body, which makes it easier to grow out and maintain than traditional highlights. But by utilising multiple shades and strategic areas of higher contrast, colour melted hair maintains more definition than the ombré effect of a gradient balayage.

While the results are polished and expensive-looking, colour melting can also spare you from pricey touchups. “The subtle transitions also allow clients to extend the time between salon visits,” Stenson says.