Maintaining Your Roots as a Brunette
As a brunette myself, I know exactly how hard it is to keep up with your colour.
When your natural colour is dark, especially if you've got a little grey coming in, your roots show up fast and they show up bold. And when you hate seeing your roots, you really hate seeing your roots! The good news: there's plenty we can do, both in the salon and at home, to make that grow-out easier. Here are my honest tips and tricks.
1. Book your root touch-up every 3 to 5 weeks
Your hair grows roughly half an inch a month, so on darker colour a visible line of regrowth turns up quickly. I know every 3 to 5 weeks sounds frequent, but staying ahead of it is genuinely the easiest way to keep your colour looking seamless. Chasing roots after they've grown out is always harder than staying on top of them.
2. Ask about a demi-permanent colour
If your grey isn't too stubborn, a demi-permanent can be a great option. A demi doesn't lift and uses far less peroxide, so it fades out gradually and softly instead of leaving a hard line where your regrowth meets your colour. It's gentler on your hair, too, which is a nice bonus.
3. Consider lightening your base a shade or two
This one sounds backwards, but stay with me. If your coloured hair is a little lighter, there's less contrast when your darker (or grey) new growth comes in. Less contrast means a softer, less obvious line, and more time before it starts to bother you.
4. Add a few highlights
Even in a lighter brown, a few highlights work wonders. When there are two tones running through your hair, the eye reads dimension instead of zeroing in on one hard root line. Those two colours through your ends pull attention away from your roots, and it's one of the easiest ways to buy yourself more time between full colours.
5. Keep a temporary root touch-up on hand
Root powders and sprays sit right on top of the hair to conceal regrowth instantly, wherever you apply them, and they wash straight out with your next shampoo. They're perfect for a last-minute event or just getting you comfortably to your next appointment. Match the shade to your colour at your next appointment and you're set.
One last tip, learned the hard way
If you've used a root powder or spray, do not rest your sunglasses on top of your head. You'll end up with a brown stripe across your nose the second you push them up. It's happened to me more times than I'd like to admit! Blame the powder, not your face.
See you in the chair. — Lisa, Between Us.
