Melting, Smudging, Smelting, tapping, it can all be so confusing.  These terms are all similar color techniques that can be combined with foiling or balayage or ombre techniques.

All of these refer to the way your advanced colorist blends your natural color to the highlighted hair in a seamless manner without hard lines of demarcation between your natural color and the highlighted color, resulting in a much longer time between salon visits because it grows out naturally.

One color “melts” into the other.

Root smudge is a technique that blurs the line of demarcation.  Usually, a small amount of your natural color (or darker if you wish)  is applied to the root, when the hair is damp or wet for a more even distribution of color because the wet hair has a more even porosity.    Many times this is done at the shampoo bowl after your highlights have been rinsed and can be applied very carefully with a wide tooth comb to a small area.

Root “tapping” is when a tiny amount of your natural color is applied just on a small amount of hair at the root, in the same manner root smudge is done but less.  Root smudge is generally done farther down on the hair shaft.

Root smudging and root tapping result in your natural color “melting” into your highlighted hair and helps your service to last a long time without needing to return to the salon.  

Although this may sound easy to do, it is not advised to try this at home.