Let me preface this by saying I don't make quite as many trips to my colorist as I should. And it's pretty extreme in my case, as my hair is very, very blonde and my roots are very, very dark. Not to mention, my strands grows like weeds.
Sometimes I love me some super-contrasty 1-inch root and think it looks pretty damn cool (these ladies are my inspo), but still, I'm always looking for tricks to conceal my bad habit of procrastinating on the touch-up appointments.
If your root-to-hair-color ratio is getting a little out of hand, let these expert tips be your saving grace.
1. Apply dry shampoo to your roots. It's a great way to help hide darker roots as the white powder will often lighten your hair. Plus it will prolong your blowout!–Harry Josh, celebrity hairstylist and colorist
Try: Bumble and bumble Prêt-à-Powder, $27; sephora.com.
2. Look to hairstyles that create dimension. The best styles are those that are meant to show highlights. Think of anything that twists the hair like braids and twists. If your hair is short, try a braid along the hairline to pull away the hair from the face and mask your roots in with the color of the length of your hair. If your hair is longer, trying twisting it away from the face and pinning at the base of the head. The twists act as a headband, so you can leave your hair down. Milkmaid braids are also a great option.–Rodney Cutler, owner of the Cutler/Redken Salon in New York
3. Change up your part. When you wear your hair the same way every day, the hair actually becomes more flat and your roots look darker than they actually are. If you switch the direction of your part, or messy it up a bit, the severity of the roots becomes less noticeable.–RC
4. Try a root concealer. "My root concealer is easy to spray on the hair where you need it. It also stays put until you shampoo it out."–Rita Hazan, celebrity colorist.
Try: Rita Hazan Root Concealer, $25; folica.com.
5. Give yourself beach hair. Add volume at the root using Kérastas Volume in Powder, and then use a medium size curling iron or wand through the ends to create messy, beachy texture. The combo of volume at the root and waves through the ends will help to conceal your unintentional ombré.–Olivia Halpin, DreamDry Stylist and Salon Manager
6. Nurture hair follicles with argan oil. It invigorates the cells that help produce the melanin protein responsible for the natural color of the hair. It also contains omega-3 and 9, which are unsaturated fatty acids which strengthen and moisturize hair, and can also put off untimely gray hair or hair of a different color or texture than that of the rest of your hair. It adds more moisture to hair without weighing it down, so not only does the color improve but it can change the texture as well! I suggest using a nickel size drop on wet hair each day before styling.–RC
Try: Josie Moran Argan Oil Hair Serum, $30; josiemarancosmetics.com.
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