Oh so Delish

This "Toasty Melt" Hair Color Is the Prettiest Warm Balayage to Try This Summer

We spoke to colorist Carra Osullivan on how to get the look.
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For me, the thought of bread, cheese, and butter all melted together in a cast-iron skillet makes me hungry. For other folks, it's hair-color inspiration. Take Fort Lauderdale-based colorist Carra Osullivan, who created a brunette-to-blonde balayage look aptly called, Toasty Melt, which quickly over hearts on social media.

"I think it's something different than the typical icy blonde," Osullivan tells Allure. In the before-and-after photos, you can see the dramatic difference between the client's original hair — straight and black fading into a warm brown with blonde tips — and the final result.

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To get the color, Osullivan started with a heavy balayage using Oligo Extra Blonde with 30 Vol. Letting it sit for around 40 minutes, she checked on it every 10 minutes to make sure the hair wasn’t compromised. Following, she did a color melt using Redken shade EQ 6N near the scalp area, 8GI three-quarters of an inch from the scalp and past her shoulders, letting that process for 20 minutes. She notes the color works well for any hair texture and best complements someone with a warmer skin tone.

Courtesy of Carra Osullivan

By now, we know food is quite a popular choice when it comes to hair-color inspiration. We've seen dye jobs with colors reminiscent of French Roast coffee, peach cobbler, and toasted coconut — to name just a few.

But yummy inspiration aside, for Osullivan, the simple joy of painting balayage is what she loves most about her work. "I can't picture myself not doing hair," she says. "I love painting hair — to me, it's very relaxing and I get into the zone. When balayage came around, I just knew it was the next big thing so I started taking classes. Now, it's like second nature for me."

Looking ahead, the Osullivan predicts another delicious trend coming up in the hair world: Anything with caramel or vanilla swirl. Yum.


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