6 Root-Hiding Hacks to Hold You Over Between Dye Jobs

We have our reasons for putting off root touch-ups. It's expensive. It takes forever. It kind of looks cool (opens in new tab). It requires putting on pants on the weekend. But what compels us to procrastinate most on our color appointments is the fact that regrowth is actually pretty simple to cover up. To illustrate this, we teamed up with NYC hairstylist Kat Zemtsova (opens in new tab) for five super-easy hacks for hiding your dark roots.

1. Use Dry Shampoo

Spray the dry shampoo 3-4 inches from the roots in sections, making sure you target the most oil-prone areas. See our step-by-step guide for the *right way* here (opens in new tab).

After you spray it, put your fingers in your roots and shake them out to get ride of excess product build up. The dry shampoo will give you an instant lift and additional texture at the roots, which diffuses the color-blocked look. "If you're trying to cover up the roots there shoot be no ponytails or hard parts," adds Zemtsova.

2. Side Part Your Hair

Take a rattail comb and starting at the crown, carve out a deep side part on a curve. Separate the hair and comb from the back to the front, pinning the side for a polished, sideswept look without a harsh part.

3. Create a Zigzag Part

Using a rattail comb, create a zigzag part in the hair. It doesn't have to be perfect! Uneven lines conceal the roots, she says.

4. Crimp Your Roots

At a lower heat (90-100 degrees), use a micro crimp iron to crimp sections of the roots, giving the crimper two light squeezes that don't press all the way down. This creates a bit of texture to help neutralize the contrasting tones. "You don't actually want the hair to look crimped," explains Zemtsova.

5. Add Texture to Your Strands

Whether you're giving your strands a quick cool-girl muss up or using a wand to create waves or (loosened) curls, this texture will add root-concealing volume to the roots. Pro tip: Always curl away from the face to ensure an even pattern.

6. Tease the Roots

A heat-free way to get volume at the roots is with a light tease using a rattail comb. However, this should only be done on thicker, healthier hair and lightly to ensure that there's no breakage.

Hair: Kat Zemtsova, Makeup: Nina Soriano, Model: Anna Cywinska, Photo: Tyler Joe.

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