Gray roots usually show two to three weeks after a colouring, long before the lengths need anything. There are two honest ways to deal with them at home, and they solve different problems.

The short answer

  • You need it gone for today: a temporary root cover (powder or spray). It sits on the hair and washes out with shampoo.

  • You want it gone for weeks: a permanent colour, for example a colour shampoo that is worked through dry hair and rinsed.

When a temporary root cover is the better tool

A root powder is pressed onto the part and the hairline with a small sponge. It takes about a minute, it needs no mixing and no waiting, and it comes off in the next wash. Rain and a hard workout can move it, so plan around both. Pick the darker of two shades when you are between them: a lighter powder on dark hair reads as dust. Check the pack and do a patch test first, as with any cosmetic.

We explain the product type step by step here: what a root touch-up is and how to use one.

When colouring is the better tool

If more than a finger-width of regrowth shows, or the gray is spread through the whole head, covering it every morning gets tiring. A permanent colour changes the hair itself. Whatever product you use, read the label: most permanent colours contain PPD and peroxide, and every one of them needs a 48-hour skin test before each colouring, also when you have used the same shade before.

A simple rhythm that works

  • 1. Colour day.

  • 2. From week two or three: root cover on the part and temples, only on the days you need it.

  • 3. Colour again when the regrowth is wider than the powder can hide in a minute.

Two mistakes we see most

  • Choosing the lighter shade. On roots, darker blends and lighter shows.

  • Applying powder to wet or oily roots. It grips dry hair best.

Powder or fibers for a thin-looking part is a separate question; we compare the two here: hair powder vs root touch-up powder.

Written by the TigerBrandsGlobal team. Disclosure: we sell BUNEE root cover.