6 Ways To Hide Your Grey Roots Between Hair Colour Touch-Ups

For some women, grey hair might be glamorous, trendy and low maintenance, but for others a complete pain to deal with, especially if they have decided to keep colouring their strands and have to hide their roots regularly.

In midlife, if you’re no stranger to colouring, you know that you can expect roots to crop up every four weeks, sometimes even less. Hair typically grows a half-inch a month, but because greys’ growth cells are twice as active, they sprout faster, according to a study published in The British Journal of Dermatology.

Whether you’re trying to cover your regrowth or change your hair colour entirely, this only means more expensive and time-consuming trips to the salon.

If you feel like you have only just been to the hairdresser when you spot your roots peeking through and you don’t have time or money to go back there again so soon for maintenance, here are a few tricks that will help you stretch the time between appointments at the salon.

How To Style Your Hair Between Hair Colour Touch-Ups

It’s probably the easiest and quickest way for you to conceal those stray grey hair and especially helpful for anyone who only has a few strands, or it seems targeted in one area. 

All you have to do is just comb your hair in a different direction, switch up your part or create a zig-zag style. These tricks might help you extend the time between dyes because a new style will distract the eye making those roots less visible while adding extra volume since your strands aren’t used to lie flat in a new direction.

A nice way to hide hair that may be due for a touch-up is also twisting your strands in a braid, which will break up the harsh line of visible roots, or opt for a bang that can puff up a bit from your scalp (this will help you conceal grey hair around your hairline).

Add some highlights

Highlights will make your life just a tiny bit easier and also make your hair overall look amazing for a longer period. If grey hair is only a sporadic occurrence across your head, your stylist can usually use highlights to make them blend in more.

“A nice mixture of low lights and highlights will add dimension to your hair, while also masking the appearance of any grey hairs – says Davines National Master Trainer Yuko Klannoffers-. And if you opt for a balayage treatment, it generally makes the grow-out process look a lot smoother and more natural“. 

Try a temporary root concealer

Coming in a spray, a touch-up powder or a stick, temporary root concealers are very helpful for when you’re really in a rush: they are a cost-effective way to seamlessly blend your roots into the rest of your hair.

Sweatproof and water-resistant, they normally last until the next shampoo and are available in different shades. Let them set for a minute then brush them through. 

For a super quick fix, reach for something that you probably already have in your purse: a mascara or liquid eyeliner. In this case, they will probably won’t last so long but at least they will do the job for a special night out.

Root concealers might be also useful to add a bit of volume to your hair. “They aren’t just for tackling colour re-growth, they’re also great for giving the appearance of a fuller head of hair if you have fine, baby hairs at your hairline,” explains celebrity hairstylist and Charles Worthington Brand Ambassador Ken O’Rourke. “Simply spritz any sparse areas where your scalp shows through, building the colour up gradually.”

Go curly 

When in doubt, opt for waves or curls. Styles with more movement tend to separate harsh lines, so your roots will be less noticeable. Straightening your hair, on the other hand, might be chic but not the best idea if you have grey hair: it will only make your roots more obvious.

Use an at-home root colour 

For those who have a bit more time, there is, of course, the option of a more permanent fix. In this case, you can use ready box kits. 

Some salons create special root-fixing kits for each individual client; others will recommend over-the-counter products. They consist of gloves, a bowl, clips, and a hair colouring brush for easy application. 

While colouring your hair at home, however, the most important thing is to choose the right shade of colour. When in doubt between two shades, go for the lighter one.

Opt for a headband to cover your grey roots

When all else fails, a stylish option for concealing roots is by hiding them underneath a trendy headband will also keep your hair away from your face. 

Try experimenting with different styles: choose an accessory for your hair that complements your outfit. You can either choose a chunky knotted headband to add a polished look to your outfit, a gorgeous turban or take one of your prettiest silk scarves and wrap it around your head. Sometimes a baseball cap might be surprisingly useful too for a quick bit of shopping in town.

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