This $9 Root Touch-Up Can Save You Weeks Between Color Sessions (2024)

In a perfect world, roots wouldn't show in between salon visits or at-home hair color sessions, and hair would grow in a way that blends seamlessly with your previous dye job. Unfortunately, real-life roots tend to grow in looking less than perfect. Whether your roots are sprouting up darker, lighter or grayer, if you're not ready to transition to your natural color and you can't get to the salon or make time for a full DIY, reach for a root touch-up.

Root touch-ups are a cost-effective way to help seamlessly blend your roots into the rest of your hair. "These products, in formulas like sprays, powders, creams and dyes, are applied directly to roots and act as hair color extenders," says Senior Chemist Danusia Wnek. Temporary root touch-ups "can be applied in a moment’s notice, and are often compact enough for a purse or bag," she says. There are also permanent, semi-permanent and demi-permanent root touch-up products that consist of hair dye created to be applied specifically to roots.

When the GH Beauty Lab tests root touch-up products, they are evaluated in the Lab using scientific instruments and on testers for multiple factors, including ease of application, color and gray coverage, look and feel on hair, and color retention. Read on for more details on the GH Beauty Lab’s best root touch-ups that are worth it for all hair colors, from blonde to brunette, black and red, plus the best way to do a root touch-up and how to choose the right color.

Extend the time between salon visits or DIY dye jobs with Clairol’s permanent color root fix kit in an extensive 28-hue range, which is a GH Beauty Award winner and recommended by Hitomi Ikeda, Artistic Director at Rob Peetoom NYC in Brooklyn, New York. With a brush for easy application, you paint the dye on roots and leave it on for just 10 minutes. In GH Beauty Lab testing, the drugstore bargain formula blended seamlessly with users’ current hair color and gave good coverage of gray roots. (Note that some users found the color didn't last as long as desired.)

Hide grays between coloring with this GH Beauty Award-winning Garnier temporary root cover-up, with a sponge applicator to precisely apply pigment. It scored high with GH Beauty Lab testers for not transferring or flaking, and staying in place. “Easy to use and very targeted,” a tester reported, those some reviewers have found it difficult to remove. It comes in various tones to seamlessly blend with a range of black, brunette and blonde hair colors.

Brush the powder pigment in this bargain Clairol mirrored compact, a GH Beauty Award winner, onto strands to temporarily hide regrowth (it washes out). GH Beauty Lab evaluations confirmed that 83% of users said it blended naturally with their color, and it scored highly for being easy to use, not messy and feeling light on hair. This powder comes with an applicator brush, but some users found its small size meant it took longer to apply the product.

Like makeup for visible regrowth, grays and scalp, this GH Beauty Award-winning Me Cosmetics mirrored pressed powder compact (in nine shades from black-brown to gray and white) allows for discreet application on the go. The product effectively covers roots, looks natural and applies easily with the corresponding brush, Beauty Lab evaluation showed. (Note that the brush is sold separately, making the product more expensive than other options.) “The finish was shiny, like real hair, unlike other powder root touch-ups that are matte,” a tester said.

The GH Beauty Lab evaluated this Clairol temporary root touch-up spray on gray human hair swatches and found it provides strong color coverage that is water-resistant. "The nozzle distributes color evenly and covers hair well in the first spray, yet doesn't appear messy," says GH Beauty Lab Senior Chemist Sabina Wizemann, though hair does get a bit damp before the product dries. "The result looks even and natural." When water was added to the hair swatches, the product repelled the droplets, preventing absorption, and the color stayed on hair after water exposure.

This bargain root cover stick from Roux is a classic for a reason, beloved by consumers and pros alike. "You can't go wrong with this root concealer, which provides good coverage," Ikeda says. It comes in black, brown, auburn and light brown/blonde shades. "The crayon was very easy to use and the color stayed in until I shampooed my hair," a reviewer noted, though others mentioned that it left a residue.

Unlike many root touch-ups which have just one (or zero!) shades for red hair, Style Edit offers three: light, medium and dark red, in addition to brown, blonde and black hues. The formula also earned praise from Ikeda: "It's easy to use and blends well," she says. Even better, the powder comes in a compact with a built-in mirror and sponge applicator to make it simple to dab on anywhere. Some users found that the coverage wasn't as strong as they'd like, however.

Brush this Madison Reed temporary root touch-up powder on to camouflage any roots that might be peaking through. Reviewers support the claims that it doesn't come off on pillows or hands. "It looks totally natural, and stays put," one reported. Since this root touch-up comes with two different colors, it can also create more depth and dimension in blonde tones, including highlights. Although it's pricey, the compact has a built-in a mirror and brush for on-the-go. Wnek also uses the product on her eyebrows, thanks to the included dual-ended applicator brush.

The dpHUE kit offers a permanent solution to your root woes, and comes in a variety of shades for exact coverage. The kit comes with a disposable mixing bowl, hair color gloves, protective cap and hair color applicator brush, as well as shampoo and conditioner samples. The permanent root cream stays on hair for 45 minutes before washing off to reveal salon-quality root coverage (note that some users complained about the long processing time). "This feels really upscale and professional," a reviewer reported. "The color lasts and you just have to retouch it when it grows out."

Bumble and Bumble's discreet pen is ideal for precise root touch-ups on specific areas like the hairline. Its unique pointed tip can draw directly on strands, blending right into your base color without any guesswork. "Perfect for covering visible silver flyaways and for on-the-go," a reviewer remarked. Note that it only comes in black and brown shades and some users reported it left a residue.

Color Wow's temporary root cover powder, a GH Beatuy Award winner, is easy to apply and feels weightless on hair. GH Beauty Lab testers also raved that it did not look cakey or flake after application, and that its powder form may also works for hiding small areas with thinning hair. "Covered the gray and a few hair loss spots," a tester reported. It comes with a higher price tag, but the double-ended brush makes this root touch-up perfect for both large areas or highlights that need coverage. Expert tip: While you may be inclined to sweep the brush through your hair, this formula actually works best by being gently pressed on.

Created by famed New York City salon owner Rita Hazan, this temporary spray is able to cover large areas of hair and tints sparse areas on the scalp, making hair appear fuller. After spraying a little to roots, it dries quickly and remains waterproof and transfer-proof until you wash your hair. This root touch-up is buildable, so you can make your coverage as heavy or as light as you want. "I have been losing my hair and with black hair and a white scalp this shows awfully," a reviewer shared. "I spray down my root line and you can't tell my hair's so thin." Be aware that some users found the shades didn't match their hair.

With a built-in no-mess sponge applicator and mirror, GH Beauty Award winner Calista hides hair regrowth fast in an impressive range of 11 shades, including red, gray and white. In a study, it scored well for being sweatproof, GH Beauty Lab evaluation found, though it's more of a splurge. Beauty Lab Executive Director Birnur Aral, Ph.D., is a fan of the travel-friendly powder, too: "All I need is a few dabs on my hair part to cover new growth and blend it with the rest of my hair," she says. "The mess-free sponge applicator gets the powder where it’s needed without getting on my fingertips. "

Ikeda recommends Oribe's root touch-up spray for its "good blonde shades choices," including platinum that can work for those with highlights. And while it dispenses in the form of a spray, it's actually a quick-drying powder formula that helps absorb any oil on the scalp, much like a dry shampoo. A higher-end splurge, this spray blends well with hair, making it also a great pick for anyone transitioning to their natural color.

Darker hair colors like brown and black need rich pigment to hide visible roots, especially those that are gray or lighter. Enter this TRESemmé root touch-up spray, which earned raves for covering and blending into dark tones. (A caveat: Some complained of a sticky residue left behind.) "It's the only one I tried that really is black and blends in beautifully... making my hair look thicker and fuller, covering my scalp as well," a reviewer remarked.

"The color palette of root touch-ups has improved in general over the years," Aral says. That said, there are generally more options for brown hair than for other colors like red and blonde. To start, "consider both your natural and dyed hair colors, as they need to blend together to cover roots properly," Ikeda recommends. "Pick one shade lighter than your dyed hair color, as the root touch-up can overlap with the dye and make hair appear too dark, which is harder to corrrect." If you get your hair colored professionally, you can also ask your colorist for advice on the best root cover-up shade to choose, Ikeda suggests.