Hands up who stretched out their hair colour appointment pre social isolating and is now seriously regretting it? We’ve witnessed some downright dreamy home hair jobs recently. Most notably, Elle Fanning, who took to Instagram to reveal a colour rinse that has us seriously re-thinking strawberry blonde for summer. But there is a simpler solution: temporary root touch up products.
Instagram/@ellefanning
While visible roots are hardly top of our Coronavirus concerns, that badly done balayage effect can make you feel upended.
Thankfully, with a quick brush, pat or spritz you can now immediately cover grey hair and restore your highlights to their former glory.
How to get a flawless root touch up
According to Josh Wood, the trick to applying root touch up products around the hairline is to first scrape your hair back into a ponytail.
‘A waxy crayon is a quick and precise solution,’ he says. ‘It literally colours away grey and works especially well on stubborn wiry hairs.’
Wood’s Root Marker even comes with a small brush to help you distribute the colour. ‘So if you go a bit heavy in places this helps you to blend it out.’
Tinted dry shampoos are virtually a 3-in-1 product: they cover roots in an instant, add volume and are perfect for refreshing 2nd-day hair. ‘On dry hair, simply spray along the parting and rub it in with your finger,’ says Wood.
Powders are particularly good for highlighted hair or those with an unsteady hand, says Zoe Irwin. ‘I like using the ColorWow Root Cover Up in Blonde. I load the colour onto the brush and turn it on its side. That way I can literally paint in skinny highlights.’
These are the root touch up products that have earned their place in our round up. But be quick, they’re selling out fast..
L’Oreal Paris Magic Retouch Instant Root Concealer Spray, £8.99, Lookfantastic
L’Oreal’s best-selling root touch up spray literally feels like nothing in your hair. The targeted pinpoint nozzle and transfer-resistant formula scored this extra points for being easy and mess-free.
Color Wow Root Cover Up, £28.50, Lookfantastic
The mineral powder comes in five shades, including this believable red, and has a dual-ended brush for versatility. Use the large brush to dab the powder onto visible roots, starting from the scalp and working outwards. Or to recreate highlights, use the side edge of the small brush.
Redken Root Fusion, £9.30, Lookfantastic
The colour-concealing pigments in this spray are super fine and latch onto individual strands without feeling sticky.
Bumble and bumble Bb Colour Stick, £23, Lookfantastic
The dry touch formula means this crayon can be used on hair that has already been blow-dried without messing up your style. Think coverage you can gradually build up as and when you want.
Josh Wood Colour Root Marker, £10
Created by the 'King Of Colour', Wood made sure to create an easy peasy product to camouflage roots and regrowth around the hairline. Best of all, it won't rub off until your next shampoo even if your roots are oily.
