How to Make Grown-Out Roots Look Completely Intentional

A root smudge or shadow blurs the line between your natural color and your lightened lengths. It costs a fraction of a full highlight, takes twenty minutes, and turns a hard demarcation into a gradient that grows out invisibly.

Say the words 'I want to stretch this to twelve weeks' at the consultation. Colorists plan differently when they know.

A hard part line concentrates every millimeter of regrowth in one visible strip. Shift the part an inch, or switch to a soft zigzag, and the regrowth distributes across the crown where nobody reads it as a line.

Dull hair makes roots obvious; shiny hair makes them look like dimension. A gloss at the salon or a healing hair oil and styling cream at home does more for the appearance of your color than another round of bleach.

If shedding is part of the picture too, our post on air-dried fall hair covers the products that help.