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Laura French | June 21, 2024

How to Touch Up Roots At Home in Ten Minutes - Get Gorgeous Root Coverage

Root touch up for covering your roots and grays

Image by Madison Reed

What do you do when your grays are growing back but you don’t have a salon appointment on the books?

You need to camouflage root regrowth for a few weeks, so you can extend time between salon appointments. And to do that, you need a root touch up kit. The good news is, there are so many root touch up kits to choose from. There are root touch up sprays, root touch up powders, root touch up brushes, concealers, cream color applications, sticks, mascara-like wands…you name it. That’s right, there are so many fantastic root touch up kit choices to help conceal your grays between salon visits. So, which root touch up gives you the best coverage between appointments?

The Best Kit for Your Root Touch Ups At Home

We’re big fans of cream-based permanent root touch up solutions. Our NEW Root Perfection™ Root Touch Up Kit delivers 100% gray coverage in just ten minutes, blending seamlessly with your hair color to extend time between salon appointments by three weeks.
 

At-home root touch up cream color vs. powders and sprays 

Root Perfection is colorist-approved and delivers the total gray coverage you’re looking for. Here’s why.
 
✔ NEW, high quality cream-based permanent color blends seamlessly with salon color 
✔ 100% gray coverage
✔ Takes just ten minutes
✔ Extends time between salon appointments by three weeks 
✔ Root touch up kit contains two applications
✔ Includes reusable bowl + brush for perfectly even coverage
✔ Lasts until your next color appointment—not temporary like powders and sprays 
✔ Free of: ammonia, PPD, resorcinol, parabens, phthalates, gluten, SLS, and titanium dioxide
✔ Full of: keratin, argan oil, and ginseng root extract to protect and care for your hair 
✔ Cruelty free, Leaping Bunny certified 
 

Why are cream color root touch ups our favorite way to get longer-lasting root coverage at home? 

You need a root touch up kit that keeps your roots totally covered for three weeks between salon appointments. So no need to worry about squeezing in your next salon appointment—you and your roots are totally covered for three weeks. And we mean COVERED—one hundred percent.
 
If your colorist is booked out, you’ve got vacation plans coming up, you simply want to buy yourself a little time between your next salon appointment…this new root touch up kit for ten minute coverage is the answer.
 

Root Perfection by Madison Reed

Madison Reed Root Perfection is a cream based permanent color specifically developed for 100% gray coverage. It lets you quickly and easily touch up your roots, with permanent hair color, and buys you three weeks of total gray coverage before your next salon appointment. It’s the ultimate fast—and GORGEOUS—fix. And did we mention how easy it is to apply at home? All you need is ten minutes and you’ve given yourself an extra three weeks of root coverage. Unlike other root touch up kits, Root Perfection also blends seamlessly with salon hair dye, so your roots will be perfectly camouflaged.
 

How To Touch Up Roots At Home?

100% gray coverage that takes ten minutes, lasts three weeks…and check out how easy it is to apply at home.
 

Madison Reed Root Perfection Instructions

First things first—don’t forget to have your phone handy, so you can easily set a timer for ten minutes while your roots process.
 
Step 1: Prepare and mix
 
Begin with dry hair. Comb and part your hair as you normally wear it. Next, put on gloves. Puncture one color tube with its cap and squeeze into the reusable bowl (included!). Open one activator packet and pour the activator into the bowl. Mix with the application brush (also included!) until fully blended.
 
Step 2: Apply to roots on your t-zone

 
Apply to your roots on your t-zone (hairline and part). Be sure to fully saturate. If you get any color on your skin or forehead, simply use the cleansing wipe to remove (no barrier cream needed).
 
Step 3: Process for 10 minutes

 
Now, let the color process. Remove your gloves and set your timer for ten minutes.
 
Time to hop in the shower. Put on the gloves and rinse your hair of the new color until the water runs clear. Shampoo with sulfate-free shampoo, then condition with the Color Therapy hair mask included in your kit. Leave the hair mask on for five minutes and rinse again.
 
You’re done! Rinse your bowl and brush. Save the second application for the next time you need to extend time between salon appointments by three weeks. (There’s always a next time).
 
Talk about perfection…how gorgeous does your hair look?!
 

Why Root Perfection is different?

You may be familiar with other root touch up kits. Here’s why we’re different…
 
Goodbye harsh ingredients
Unlike other root touch up kits, Madison Reed Root Perfection is formulated with our Smart 8-Free formula, meaning it’s free of ammonia, PPD, resorcinol, parabens, phthalates, gluten, SLS, and titanium dioxide. Plus, it’s full of keratin, argan oil, and ginseng root extract to protect and care for your hair.
 
NEW Rapid Dye formula 
It used to be that you could only get a quick permanent root touch up job at a salon. But with Root Perfection, now you can get that same supercharged technology to quickly camouflage your roots at home and do your own hair using our Smart 8-Free formula. Our new Rapid Dye formula blends seamlessly with salon hair color (and you don’t need to color your whole head).
 
Everything you need for flawless results 
We know how important it is to have root coverage when you need it. That's why Root Perfection contains two applications per kit. Yep, two applications of Hair Color Cream, Color Activator, and Color Therapy Colorless Conditioning Hair Mask—so you always have a quick fix on hand. Plus, the kit contains a reusable mixing bowl and application brush for perfectly even coverage, plus two pairs of gloves and cleansing wipes for a no-mess application.
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ROOT TOUCH UP KIT

Get 100% gray coverage in just ten minutes

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You asked, we answered - FAQ about root touch up at home

Who needs at-home root touch up kits?
Everyone—with all different shades of hair color, from blondes to dark brunettes to redheads—if you need a fast fix for grown-out roots, you need a root touch up kit.
 
How often do I need to touch up my roots?
Whenever you see gray hair roots, you should reach for your root touch up kit. Typically between 4-6 weeks after coloring, you might expect to see root regrowth, but this varies significantly from person to person. For some people, grays can grow back in a matter of weeks.
 
How long does it take to color my roots?
It can take as little as ten minutes with Root Perfection Root Touch Up Kit. All you need is ten minutes and your root regrowth will be completely covered, 100%.
 
How can I color roots when I have highlights or balayage?
Want to cover your gray roots when you have highlights? Check out our best tips and tricks for covering gray roots on highlighted hair. 
 
How often is it safe to color my roots?
We recommend waiting at least two weeks between root touch ups—you shouldn’t need more than that, since the best root touch ups (permanent, not demi-permanent) will extend your time between coloring for up to three weeks.
 
What’s the best way to touch up my gray roots at home?
The best way to touch up gray roots at home is with a root touch up kit or root concealer that contains a permanent, cream-based color or dye with 100% gray coverage. Look for something that blends in fully and beautifully with the rest of your colored hair.
 
Root touch ups at home vs. at the salon—which is the right choice for me?
When you have a root touch up kit, you’re saving time and making life more convenient whenever you need a quick touch up. If you’ve got a root emergency at home, all you need is an at-home root touch up kit, ten minutes, and your trusty bathroom mirror.
 
What happens if I leave Root Perfection on my hair for longer than the 10 minute processing time?
We don’t recommend doing this—if you leave Root Perfection on your roots for more than ten minutes, your color might turn out darker than you want. (It really just takes ten minutes to completely cover your roots!)
 
How do I choose my shade?
We have eight gorgeous Root Perfection shades of hair dye to choose from—to match dark hair, brown hair, blonde hair, and every shade in between. Select the shade and tone that most closely matches your current hair color shade and tone:
 
  • Corato Black 3N
  • Spoleto Darkest Brown 4N
  • Calabria Dark Brown 5N
  • Savoca Medium Brown 6N
  • Dervio Golden Brown 6G
  • Alba Light Brown 7N
  • Bergamo Blonde 8N
  • Pesaro Red 6R
  •  
Can I use Root Perfection to lighten my roots?
Root Perfect CAN lighten your natural hair color, since it is permanent hair color. Bergamo Blonde 8N can lift up to 2 levels lighter than your natural hair color.
 
Is Root Perfection made from ingredients I can feel good about applying to my roots?
Root Perfection is ammonia free and contains no harsh ingredients—our formula is free of ammonia, PPD, resorcinol, parabens, phthalates, gluten, SLS, and titanium dioxide.
 
Does Root Perfection work for all hair types and textures?
Yes, Root Perfection can be used on all hair types and textures (and looks gorgeous on everyone).
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More ways to cover grays 
 
If you’re looking for temporary root coverage…
 
You want The Great Cover Up™ 
ShopRootTouchUp
 
The Great Cover Up Root Touch Up + Brow Filler instantly covers roots + grays and defines brows. Use for quick touch ups on the go—it’s rain, sweat, and pillow-proof.
 
If you’re looking to color your hair at home…
 
shopradiantcreamcolor
 
Gorgeous, lasting, high-quality hair color for all types and textures? Yes please. Radiant Hair Color is at-home hair dye that gives you 100% gray coverage,> is non-damaging to hair* and available in 55+ shades.
 
*According to an independent clinical study.
 

Find your best at-home root touch up kit 

How does that old expression go? Nothing is certain but death, taxes, and your roots growing out.
 
Now for the good news. Root regrowth doesn’t need to be a big deal anymore—and you don’t need to running out to the salon as soon as you see gray roots peeking through. When you can easily touch up your roots in just ten minutes, root coverage has never been so easy—or so gorgeous.
 
No salon appointment needed—all you need is ten minutes + Root Perfection = no one will ever know your roots are starting to grow out. And since roots always do start to grow out, you’ll always want the right root touch up kit on hand.
 
Originally Published: May 2020
Updated: June 2024

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