“Root Melt” Hair Colour is the Low-Maintenance Look You Never Knew You Needed

Things that benefit from a little melting: snow, a massage candle, the Wicked Witch of the West. Things we are 99.8 percent positive you do not want to melt: your hair – you, uh, kind of want that solid. That is, unless you’re talking about the latest low-maintenance hair colour trend you’re about to see everywhere called “root melt” highlights.

The technique is similar in theory to “drenched” colour and “shadow roots,” in that your hair at the crown of the head is the main event, only it has a slightly softer effect. “This look erases the line of demarcation for a deep-rooted look,” Karissa Schaudt, colourist at Maxine Salon in Chicago, told POPSUGAR. “The result has a softer root and grow-out than traditional highlights. It’s great for someone wanting dimension with minimal maintenance.”

Why the recent surge in the low-key look? Four words: it’s easy as hell. To get the look, book a full highlight with your colourist. “After foiling, your colourist will paint two to three inches from your root with a tone one to two levels darker than your natural hair colour,” she said, adding that your level of upkeep post-appointment is up to you. “How low of maintenance it is really depends on how dark you choose to shadow. The touch-ups can be every three to four months.”

If you’re looking for inspiration of the sweltering yet simple “root melt” highlights trend, keep scrolling. We do hope you’re ready – because this one is coming in hot.