How To Do A Grey Hair Root Touch-Up At Home?

If you have a full head of grey hair beneath your colour-treated locks, you're probably familiar with that unwelcome feeling of having your grey roots start emerging in between hair colouring sessions.

Anyone with coloured hair will get roots, but somehow grey roots or stray greys just seem that much trickier to handle and require more regular touch-ups to avoid them being visible. Of course, you can choose to embrace your grey, but there's also nothing wrong with colouring your grey hair - perhaps a red shade or darker colour is just more you? We totally get it.  

The good news is you don't have to dye your hair constantly to keep your grey away. There are plenty of at-home root touch-up products for grey coverage in the Clairol portfolio, like a root concealer or colour touch-up spray. They are ideal for quick fixes and for spreading out your colour services.

Keep reading to discover all you need to know about grey hair root touch-ups at home. 

How long does it take for grey roots to grow?

Hair typically grows half an inch each month on average. Of course, every head of hair is different, so some people may find their strands grow slower than this, others faster. If your hair grows at the average rate or more, you'll probably find your natural coloured roots are about an inch or so in length every 6-8 weeks. This means you’ll want to address your roots every 4 weeks before doing a full colour every 6-8 weeks.

But don’t worry if you find yourself falling out of this cycle occasionally. A root touch-up spray or permanent grey hair concealer acts as the perfect in-between product for when a quick fix is needed. 

Are grey roots harder to cover than pigmented hair?

Grey hair is typically coarser than natural blonde, black, brown and red hair. It also produces less oil than pigmented hair and is usually drier as a result. Gray hair is harder to colour for these reasons. Its coarser texture makes the cuticle layer more resistant and harder to penetrate. Nevertheless, it is possible for grey hair to be coloured in the salon and at home. 

How can I touch up my grey roots at home?

It's super quick and easy to banish grey roots at home thanks to the Clairol Root Touch-Up range. With temporary, semi-permanent, and permanent options available, you can find a colour and permanency that's right for you, whether that's a quick touch-up for a night out or a permanent solution in between all-over colour top-ups. Our full range offers natural-looking coverage that's gentle on your hair. 

We've got you covered - literally. 

For a quick fix: Use a temporary colour spray or root powder

Conceal or spray away your grey roots in seconds with a root spray or root concealer. They are the perfect products for when you need a quick coverage solution. The Clairol wide range of shades provides amazing coverage for grey hair - even those stubborn strands!

It includes: 

• Root Touch-Up Temporary Refreshing Spray. With its quick-drying lightweight formula, simply spray your roots from a six-inch distance and go. The water-resistant formula will keep your roots intact until your next shampoo.
• Root Touch-Up Colour Refreshing Spray 2 in 1. For a hit of volume and grey root coverage, opt for our temporary hair colour+volume root touch-up spray with Colourfill technology. 
• Temporary Root Touch-Up Concealing Powder. Instantly cover grey roots (and shape your brows at the same time) with our multi-use powder formula and precision applicator brush — included with every colouring compact. The brush design allows for easy coverage and expert precision. 

You'll find black, blonde and a variety of brunette options within these ranges to match your exact hair colour. 

For a long-lasting result: Use a permanent root colour touch-up

If you're looking for a more permanent result that lasts until you're ready for your next all-over colour touch-up, opt for a permanent solution like Root Touch Up by Nice'n Easy — the #1 Root Touch Up*. Available in a range of colours, it takes up to 10 minutes to achieve root perfection and 100% grey coverage! 

You can also try Natural Instincts Permanent Root Touch-Up. It offers 100% grey coverage with no ammonia or animal-derived ingredients.

How to use Clairol Root Touch-Up by Nice‘n Easy colour

Once you've done your colour matching, follow this simple five-step process for freshly coloured roots and even coverage application:

1. Do a patch test 48 hours before colouring
2. When you’re ready to colour, mix the colourant (#1) and developer (#2) into the bowl included in your kit and mix with the provided brush.
3. Apply the hair colour to your roots starting at your hairline and part, making sure not to miss any spots.
4. Set your timer for 10 minutes (15 for stubborn grey).
5. Rinse with warm water until water runs clear and condition. Done and done!

How to select the right root touch-up colour

Whether you're using a root touch-up product on your virgin hair or finding a root touch-up product to match your dyed hair colour, you'll need to choose a colour that's most suited to your existing shade. If you are already using a Clairol hair dye, it should be easy to find your perfect shade match by either choosing the same shade name or by referring to the list on the side of the carton.

If not, you can use the shade swatch and colour description on the box to best match our root touch-up products to your natural colour. Each red, brunette, black and blonde colour group consists of multiple shades to give you your best colour match. 

How to care for your coloured roots and lengths 

If you're colouring your grey hair, it's crucial to consider your hair care routine in order to get the most out of your colour. 

Since grey hair can be naturally drier than pigmented hair, it's important to use nourishing hair care products to compensate for your hair producing fewer oils than it used to. Conditioning products tailored towards dry hair types will help to smooth out strands. It's also best to avoid overusing styling products like dry shampoo, as these will absorb the oils in your hair, giving grey hair a drier appearance. 

When you're ready to top up your whole hair colour, it's important to choose a dye that's kind to your tresses. Our Nice'n Easy permanent hair colour has conditioners at every step of the process and comes in a variety of hair colours. Our Natural Instincts demi-permanent dye is irresistibly moisturising with aloe and coconut oil and a Brilliant Shine Conditioner included with every colour kit.

It's never been easier to keep your roots and all-over hair colour shiny and beautifully bright!

Have you just spotted your first grey? If you're not quite ready to embrace your grey hairs, why not check out our tips on colouring your hair for the first time.

*Among leading retail permanent shades and pre-formulated salon colour. Based on Nielsen ScanTrack (Total UK, excluding NI) data for Hair Colourants, 12-months to 06 October 2018 (Copyright © 2018, The Nielsen Company)