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People spend a lot of time grooming and maintaining their looks. Hair is one of the most prominent parts of your body that can make you look stunning or completely dull. Some people dye their hair, while others have a natural discoloration issue. Roots are closest to the scalp, making them the first part to lose color. Regardless of your discoloration issue, it is essential to have a regular root touch-up. It helps you maintain the current color but also keeps you fresh. In this article, we’ve reviewed the greatest root touch-ups in 2024, so you can pick the right product for yourself.
It is imperative to pick a high-quality root touch-up. A superior product lasts for a long time and leaves a realistic look on your hair.
Premier Hair Root Touch-Ups in Detail
Style Edit Root Touch-Up — Best Overall
Style Edit Root Touch-Ups are an aerosol-based concealer that allows you to cover oily, dry, and normal hair. It is a quick-application formula that takes only 3 minutes to cure your head. It is formulated to cover gray hair instantly for an extended color life. Additionally, they come with conditioning ingredients with naturally derived color adaptive pigments, ensuring smooth adherence to all kinds of hair.
This root touch-up is self-adjusting providing a lustrous, natural shine to your hair. It does not contain harmful ingredients like petrolatum, parabens, peroxide, and mineral oils promoting hair growth. Made from a combination of chemicals, these root touch-ups are available in multiple colors of black, brown, and blonde, so you can find a perfect fit for your hair.
Pros
- Contains deep pigments with lasting effect
- Does not contain any harmful substances
- Available in multiple colors
Cons
- Fades away after a couple of washes
Color Wow Root Touch-Up — Best Water-Resistant Formula
Winner of Allure’s Best of Beauty award, Color Wow Root Touch-Up is a water-resistant concealer that helps you cover discolored parts of your hair with maximum precision. It is a powder-based root touch-up that eliminates the risk of getting any harmful chemicals in the eye. Moreover, it has a peroxide-free formula, leaving no harmful impact on the hair.
It has a waterproof formula that does not smudge, fade or run even after shampooing, providing complete coverage with a seamless finish. This root touch-up comes in black, blonde, dark blonde, dark brown, medium brown, light brown, red, and platinum shades, so you can find a perfect finish for your roots.
Pros
- Does not smudge even after getting in contact with water
- Has a hair-friendly formula
- Comes in different shades for a natural look
Cons
- It might be a bit hard for beginners to apply
Revlon Root Touch-Up — Best Gray Coverage
Revlon Root Touch-Up is a cream-based product designed specifically for chemically treated hair. It is formulated to design with permanent hair dye formula to seamlessly match your shade. Furthermore, it delivers quick results, transforming your roots in less than 5 minutes. This root touch-up is an award-winning product that comes in a multi-use kit allowing you to use it 3 times.
In addition, the bottle is designed with a nozzle and 3 pairs of gloves, providing you a complete set for each application. This kit is ready to use with a can that dispenses both creams at once, ensuring a convenient application. Furthermore, it has a simple formula that does not require any complicated blending and mixing.
Pros
- It delivers quick results
- Comes in a complete set
- It can be used more than once
Cons
- Only suitable for chemically-treated hair
L'Oreal Paris Root Touch-Up — Quickest Application
L’Oreal Paris Root Touch-Up is a temporary hair color spray that conceals grays in seconds, ensuring flawless roots. It has a lightweight formula that provides seamless coverage, ensuring no smudging or sticky residue. Moreover, it is a spray-on color that requires a couple of seconds to deliver results. Furthermore, these root touch-ups come in different colors, so you get a perfect match for your hair dye.
Besides, they are suitable for all kinds of roots, from permanently colored, semi-permanent, and temporary colors. This root touch-up comes in different packaging, allowing you to buy a suitable quantity.
Pros
- It leaves color in seconds
- Designed for all kinds of hair types
- Available in different colors
Cons
- Matches better with L’Oreal dye
- Washes off after a shower
Clairol Root Touch-Up — Also Consider
Clairol Root Touch-Up comes in light brown color covering grays on the go precisely. It is a concealing powder ensuring smooth blending naturally with your current hair dye. This root touch-up is used to cover single strands so you can touch up temples while refreshing the root line and even brows.
Additionally, it is available in dark brown, light brown, and medium brown, providing you coverage for various hair. This root touch-up comes in count of 1 or 3 so you can buy something for your hair. Each pack covers around 40 to 60 applications per kit, allowing you many uses from just one bottle.
Pros
- The kit can be used multiple times
- Naturally blends with hair
- Comes in different packagings
Cons
- Does not last long
Buying Guide: Hair Root Touch-Ups
We have compiled a detailed buying guide so you can find a perfect root touch-up for your hair.
From Our Celebrity Expert, Olivia Elgart:
"Hey there, fellow hair color lover! Root touch up products are a lifesaver for anyone who wants to keep their hair looking its best between salon visits. Just ask J.Lo! She's a big fan of Color WOW Root Cover Up, which is a quick and easy way to cover up those pesky roots. So if you're looking for a way to extend the life of your hair color, root touch up products are the way to go."
How to Choose the Best Root Touch-Ups
Choosing the perfect root touch-up for your hair can be quite challenging. Consider the following factors before buying.
Hair color
The first thing to consider when buying is your hair color. Is your hair colored in a shade that has root touch-ups available? For instance, blonde, brown, and black hair are easily available shades, but blue, neon pink, and purple colors might not have a suitable root touch-up.
Type of discoloration
Hair discoloration might be caused due to several different reasons. Some people have gray hair due to aging, while others have a chemical treatment that fades with time. The root touch-up for chemically treated hair might have stronger chemicals than virgin hair graying due to age. Check the labels to ensure that it is for your type of hair.
Type of product
From powders to spray cans, there are different ways you can apply root touch-ups on your hair. The type of product you choose ensures its longevity and resistance against the environment. If you want a long-lasting result, we recommend opting for cream-based colors. At the same time, powder and spray root touch-ups have temporary finishing.
Ingredients
High-quality root touch-ups are made from natural ingredients that have no harmful side effects on your hair and the environment. They do not leave a dry or sticky effect on your hair.
Longevity
Some root touch-ups last for as long as your dye, while others fade after a couple of washes. You can go with a temporary fix for short-term events. On the other hand, more permanent fixes are professional and often applied when changing your hair dye.
What are the Types of Root Touch-Ups?
Here are the different root touch-ups that deliver varying results based on formula and ingredients.
Powder root touch-ups
Powder root touch-ups provide a mess-free application ensuring that the color does not stain on other parts of your body. It allows you to apply the product precisely on the hair so that no discolored spots are left.
Other than this, powder root touch-ups might be water-resistant, depending on their ingredients. Powder root touch-ups have a natural consistency. They do not leave a sticky, stiff, or waxy after effect that can compromise the way your hair looks.
Some powder root touch-ups are long-lasting. The best thing about powder root touch-ups is that the kit can last multiple uses before finishing. You might not find a lot of color varieties in powder-based root touch-ups.
Spray root touch-ups
Spray root touch-ups provide an instant application to all kinds of hair. They are cured in a couple of minutes which can last for a couple of washes. However, spray can create a mess leaving color stains on different body parts - especially the forehead. Spray touch-ups are not as water-resistant and can bleed after washing. Some low-quality root touch-up sprays can even leave a sticky or waxy finish on clean hair. It is essential to use the exact color as using different colors might stain your hair irregularly.
Cream root touch-ups
Cream root touch-up is designed like a regular hair dye. They are available in different colors, so you can find a perfect finish for your hair. Cream root touch-ups take time to cure, but they are a more long-lasting option. You can use it easily with precision. However, it is essential to use gloves to avoid staining your hands. Most cream root touch-ups often come in the same brand, so you can find the perfect fit.
Crayon root touch-ups
This root touch-up product is designed to look like a pen. It is designed to give you a precise and mess-free application to avoid unwanted coloring parts of your hair. Crayons might not provide you with a more natural finish because of a lack of blending.
However, they are available in multiple colors and do not require a lot of time in curing. Although some crayons may leave a waxy first finish, they are designed to last a couple of washes, ensuring comfort for a few weeks.
What Are the Benefits of a Root Touch-Up?
Your roots start losing color first because of their closeness to the scalp. Here are some benefits of getting a regular root touch-up.
Even look
With a proper root touch-up, your hair will look smooth and evenly colored all the time. Gone are the days when your roots had a different color than the rest of the hair. Giving yourself a temporary root touch-up is a great way to evenly coat your roots and go out with fresh-looking hair.
Quick fix
Root touch-up products are designed to give you a quick fix. Whether you have to attend a wedding or meet an important client, giving your hair and a quick touch-up will instantly enhance your appearance.
Boost confidence
Most people consider the discoloration of roots as an unappealing part of their overall appearance. However, giving yourself a temporary/semi-permanent fix will give you a boost in confidence that you have been looking for.
What Are the Properties of Different Root Touch-Ups?
Root touch-ups are either temporary or semi-permanent. The treatment you opt for depends on your personal use and the look you are opting for.
Temporary root touch-up
As its name suggests, this type of root touch-up is designed to last for a wash or two. They are available in different colors but might not provide the best blending with your tips. Temporary root touch-ups are easy to apply and cure within a couple of minutes. However, some low-quality products might leave your hair looking sticky. Temporary root touch-ups can last between 1 to 6 washes.
Semi-permanent root touch-up
Semi-permanent root touch-up Is designed to last over a month or so. It mostly comes in a cream form that does not bleed or get off your hair even after a shower. Semi-permanent root touch-ups require more time to cure than temporary ones.
They mostly come in the same brand as your hair dye, so you can perfectly match it with your tips. Semi-permanent root touch-ups have a time-consuming application because of their formula. They do not leave your hair looking sticky, waxy, or uneven.
