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Madison Reed | February 14, 2024

Tips for Touching Up Your Roots Between Salon Visits

Root Perfection Application, Brush on head

Image by Madison Reed

Tips for Touching Up Your Roots Between Salon Visits

Have you ever wondered how often you should touch up your roots, or how to cover grays between salon visits? Well, you’re in the right place! In this article, we will address these questions and provide tips on maintaining your hair color between salon visits. So, if you're ready to uncover the secrets to  maintaining your hair color, keep reading!

How Often Should You Touch Up Your Roots?

First, let's discuss timing. How frequently should you color your roots? Well, that depends.

 

Usually, the time between touching up your roots is about four to six weeks. However, that’s primarily the case for permanent hair color. What about other coloring products or types of coloring techniques?

 

With permanent hair color that is two or more shades different from your natural color, or if you’re more than 50% gray, you may find that you need to touch up your roots every four weeks. For hair that has less gray, or if you color your hair with a shade that is close to your natural color, you may be able to go longer.

 

If you have highlights in your hair, you won't need touch-ups as frequently. For those who have balayage or foilyage highlights, the time between touch-ups can be extended even further. These two techniques create a more natural-looking effect that blends in with your natural hair color more seamlessly than high-contrast highlights. As a result, the regrown roots don’t stand out as much and you can go about 10-14 weeks before getting your highlights touched up.

 

When it comes to traditional foil highlights, meaning highlights that are placed more precisely and close to the root, you may start to see regrowth in about 8-10 weeks that you will want to brighten up. Just remember, it is important to not OVER-highlight the hair – you want enough regrowth for the lightener to not overlap with your existing blonde highlights.

What Does the Time Between Root Touch-Ups Depend On?

We didn’t give you exact times, but rather ranges, as far as when to touch up your roots – and there’s a reason for that. The time between your touch-ups depends on several factors, including:

 
  • Natural hair growth speed: The faster your hair grows, the more often you need your roots touched up.

  • Hair color shade used: The extent of the difference between your color-treated hair and your natural hair color plays a significant role. When there's a greater contrast, regrowth becomes more noticeable sooner.

  • Amount of gray: The more gray you have, the sooner you will see your regrowth come through. This ties into the idea listed above that if you use a dark color for your roots, you may see the gray/white hair growth more quickly due to the contrast between dark and light colors.

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How to Touch Up Roots and Cover Gray Hair between Salon Visits?

We’ve covered timing, so now let’s get into some tips for touching up your roots. Wondering how to tackle root touch-ups at home? It’s as easy as using a root touch-up kit!

 

These kits have everything you need to cover your regrown roots in the T-section of your hair (part line and hairline), whether we’re talking stubborn, resistant gray, or any other color. You simply apply the color to the most visible areas of your roots at the part line and hairline, process for 10 minutes, wash, and voilà – you’ve got your roots covered. This should last for a couple of weeks, giving you more time to prepare for your salon visit.

 

Another option is to use a temporary root touch-up concealer. These wash off with every shampoo, so it’s not a long-term fix, but a perfect on-the-go, root touch-up – especially if you have some important meetings or last-minute plans and need to look absolutely perfect.

 

You can also get creative with concealing your roots by switching up your part or wearing your hair curly. This won’t get rid of your roots necessarily, but it will help you hide your regrowth until your next visit to the hair salon.

What’s the Best Root Touch-Up Between Salon Visits?

If you’re looking for the best root touch-up to use between salon visits, we’ve got you covered with Madison Reed’s Root Perfection™ Root Touch Up Kit. Providing 100% gray coverage and made with ingredients you can feel good about, it’s the perfect quick-fix root touch-up for your hair. Did we mention that one box lasts for two applications and even includes a bowl and brush?

One Last Root Touch-Up Tip

Now you know how to touch up your roots between salon visits and how often you should do it, but we do have one last tip to share with you: 


Stick to the suggested times between touch-ups: If you color too frequently, you may end up with dark banding or overlapping of color. Alternatively, if you wait too long, your color result may be inconsistent and take more product than usual. Following the right timing will help you maintain the gorgeous look you love, ensuring you're ready for every occasion!

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The Takeaway

We’ve gone through everything you need to know about root touch-ups. Now, you’re ready to maintain your beautiful hair color for months to come. 

 

You can also read: How to Get Gorgeous Root Coverage in Ten Minutes

 

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