Why everyone is obsessed with the 'colour melting' hair trend.

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For what feels like decades now, it’s been all about balayage. We’ve seen other hair trends come and go (rainbow hair, we’re looking at you) but balayage and its ombre variations have stayed constant. Until now.

Yep, 2016 brings with it an upcoming trend that may very well dethrone balayage as our trusty go-to. It’s time to embrace ‘colour melting’.

“Colour melting is a form of blending that has a seamless application with a result of a worn-in colour,” explains Tori Cini of Sydney’s Edwards and Co.

Colour is applied evenly from root to tip, often through freehand techniques, to create a very natural spectrum of colour.

But before you go ‘That sounds exactly like balayage, idiot’, there is actually a distinct difference. (Post continues after gallery.)

“Ombre and balayage is a bulk colour with a strong finish, where colour melting is an even application that looks like there’s no start and end. It is soft and seamless and blends through the hair with no visible lines,” says Cini.

While even the best balayage can still look a little “done”, colour melting offers a refreshing, minimal-fuss alternative that also means less time in the hairdresser’s chair.

“If the colour is done right, it’s a very low-maintenance option. I utilise the natural colour on my clients to create the colour melting, finding the best results where they only come back every 10 weeks or so,” she says.

Watch: Mia Freedman gets the Sliding Doors haircut. (Post continues after video.)

Even better, because colour melting requires the same amount of work but uses a different technique, you’re looking at a similar price tag to your standard balayage and less trips back for touch-ups. That counts as saving, right?

It works just as well for natural tones as it does bolder and brighter colours, but it is worth discussing with your hairdresser to confirm that it’s right for you. (Post continues after gallery.)

“All colour types are able to get it, but it depends on the colour history of your hair, the porosity and knowing your limits. Every client is different, so it is different on every head of hair, but it is all worked out throughout the consultation,” says Cini.

Will you try colour-melting?