Meet "lived-in hair": the hair colour trend that lasts six months.

Image via Getty.

We’ve already witnessed the emergence of balayage, tortoiseshell, Instagram-inspired and even pixelated hair this year, so it was only a matter of time before the next must-have hair trend popped up.

The thing is, we weren’t expecting it to be quite so… practical.

Nicknamed “lived-in” hair, it’s the speciality of LA hairstylist Johnny Ramirez and his team at the Ramirez-Tran Salon. The hook? The colour lasts six months without requiring a top-up, and you won’t get regrowth.

Related: 6 ways you could be ruining your hair colour (without even realising).

It sounds almost too good to be true.

Ramirez insists the style is neither balayage nor ombre, but rather a subtle, long-lasting way of highlighting hair. He uses a a blurring technique to apply a colour halfway between blonde and brown, which although look different up close, create a natural-looking waterfall effect when you take a step back.

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It's a technique that's earned him a cult Hollywood following, including the likes of Jessica Alba, as well as more than 50,000 Instagram followers.

But there is a catch. In order to make the colour last for six months, you need to be prepared to sit in the chair for about six hours, while Ramirez highlights, lifts, bleaches, deposits colour, adds gloss and even creates a "fake root". This involves replicating just a tiny amount of the colour on certain strands so the hair can match the colour of the "fake root" and avoid harsh, defining lines as it grows out. (Post continues after gallery.)

While Ramirez's services are only available in America, it is possible to create a similar look at your salon of choice.

"Hair colour to last six months would be achieved by staying within a monochromatic colour scheme similar to the client's natural base," explains Kristina Russell of Edwards and Co.

"The secret to long-lasting tones is to ask your colourist to lift only one to three shades lighter than your natural base. In the salon, we create subtle variations in tone with freehand hair-painting or classic foiling techniques," she says.

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"It does look similar to subtle balayage or the trending tortoiseshell tones, however it's important to remember that if the ends of the hair are lightest blonde, they will require regular toning and professional in-salon treatments every two months." (Post continues after gallery.)

It's also suitable for more than just blondes, working well for brunettes and redheads too. "Hair colour can be painted throughout your hair in varying shades that are slightly darker or lighter than your natural base for a natural, beautiful look with exquisite shine and dimension," says Russell.

As you've probably deduced, 'lived-in' colour the perfect hairstyle for women with a busy lifestyle or limited pampering time.

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"The six month hair colour is something we regularly suggest to new Mums and recommend for busy clients and anyone who needs to look 'effortlessly chic'."

Count us in.

Would you try the six month hair colour?

 Considering a trip to your hairdressers? See some more inspiration from our favourite celebrity hair transformations.