If life is beyond busy and you just haven’t had time to visit the salon, you are not alone.
Plenty of us with coloured hair bemusedly watch our locks grow out, becoming all too familiar with our natural regrowth shade as we try to juggle work and family commitments.
In the back of our mind are the professionals, gently reminding us of the work (and time and money) it takes to correct a rushed, at-home dye job that ends up less appealing than expected.
So what to do about the regrowth – if anything?
Unlike being able to do much about our haircuts at home, (having a go at trimming with kitchen scissors is not exactly advisable!) minimising greys or dull and dry roots is slightly easier.
While spray on or brush-on products provide a temporary fix, clever new products are delivering slightly more lasting solutions.
Just arrived at MECCA is the hair colour line from UK hair stylist Josh Wood. With over 30 years of global industry leadership, Wood is one of the most sought-after colourists in the world. His client roster includes names including Victoria Beckham, Kylie Minogue, Florence Welch and Elle Macpherson so he knows a thing or two about colour – including touch ups!
His line includes three useful options for covering or refreshing roots. The Josh Wood Airbrush Root Spray sprays colour over a wider area, while the brush-tip Root Smudge gives precision application to powder colour that means brunettes can keep greys at bay and blondes can extend highlights until their next appointment. But the idea we really love is the Josh Wood Colour Blending Brush that delivers semi-permanent colour that is designed to wash out after a few washes. You apply to wet or damp hair over roots and dry it in with a hair dryer and it promises 100% root coverage.
If you’re looking for some quick tricks to disguise your roots there are a few approaches to take:
Switch up your part
Trying a different parting can be a quick and easy solution, especially if your stylist previously placed highlights around your usual parting. Avoiding a straight parting and trying a zig zag one can also make it less obvious.
Use dry shampoo
For lighter hair colours trying to minimise dark roots, a touch of baby powder or dry shampoo can help lighten them a touch. Some brands like Batiste and Moroccanoil also make tinted dry shampoo for brunettes that can also give a subtle boost.
Try a headband
Hair accessories in general are trending, and using a wide band to push back hair is a great way to cover up that hairline.
Slick back your style
Scrape hair straight back with the help of gel and a fine tooth comb or try finishing in a low and chic ballerina bun.
Improvise with makeup
Haven’t got access to cover-up products? At a pinch for a short lived cover up, try applying a similarly toned eyeshadow in a flat mate shade (no shimmer) or a brow powder. Brush on gel brow tints can also help blend greys. It doesn’t work particularly well for blondes though!
But these aren’t cutting the mustard, below are some of the other best temporary hair colour products that quickly cover your roots.
The best root cover up products
To use a root cover-up product, apply product to clean, dry and styled hair.
Useing sprays are useful to cover bigger areas, jusy make sure to wrap a towel around your shoulder to avoid colouring your clothes. Spray in short bursts with the nozzle facing from your roots towards your ends. Any spray that goes past the area you need to cover will just help blend the spray into the rest of your hair.
To protect staining skin, apply Vaseline or a thick moisturiser around your hairline before you start spraying.
And if none of these are options for you? There’s always just embracing it. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Hailey Bieber and Dua Lipa are responsible for making bold roots a thing and there’s no dearth of fellow stars currently rocking a two-tone look!
Josh Wood Colour Blending Brush
Touch up your roots with a temporary colour that lasts several washes. It’s designed to be applied to wet hair and dried in with a hairdyer to set.
ColorWOW Root Cover Up
One of the most popular and reliable products on the market, this colour goes on seamlessly and you can apply just were you want it with the included brush. It’s feels lightweight, and is water resistant too, but washes out with shampoo.
L’Oréal Paris Magic Retouch Temporary Root Concealer
A spray that comes it a number of colours so you can get a good match and has very good grey coverage. It is also useful for disguising thinning patches, just spay on lightly.
Oribe Airbrush Root Touch-Up Spray
A dry powder type root touch up spray that also comes in good shades for blonde and red hair. Because it has powder pigments it refreshes hair like dry shampoo, too.
1000HOUR ® Hair Colour Mascara
A little finicky to use to achieve full coverage right down to the base of each hair but is a great option if you simply want to blend greys while it your regrowth line is growing out, rather than completely cover.
