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 product instead.
Root touch-ups are a cost-effective way to help seamlessly blend your roots into the rest of your hair. "These products, formulated as sprays, pastes or powders are applied directly to roots and act as hair color extenders," says Danusia Wnek, a chemist in the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab. Temporary root touch-ups "can be applied in a moment’s notice, and are often compact enough for a purse or bag.” There are also permanent root touch-up products that consist of hair dye created to be applied specifically to roots, which takes less time.
When the GH Beauty Lab tests root touch-up products, our analysts seek out formulas that cover roots quickly and easily, plus blend flawlessly with the rest of testers' hair without looking cakey, ashy or unnatural. The best root touch-ups should be able to last all day without flaking off or transferring onto your hands or clothing. Temporary root cover-ups should last until your next wash, and come out easily with shampoo. Read on for more details on the GH Beauty Lab’s top picks for the best root touch-up products for all hair colors, from blonde to brunette, black to red, plus best-sellers online shoppers can’t stop raving about.
1
Best Permanent Root Touch-Up Dye
Clairol Nice 'n Easy Root Touch-Up
1
Best Permanent Root Touch-Up Dye
Clairol Nice 'n Easy Root Touch-Up
Pros
- Includes applicator brush to target roots
- Total gray coverage
- Blends well with base color
Cons
Extend the time between salon visits or DIY dye jobs with Clairol’s GH Beauty Award-winning permanent color root fix kit, in an extensive 28-hue range. With a brush for easy application, you can apply this cream to your roots and leave it on for ten minutes. In GH Beauty Lab testing, it blended seamlessly with users’ current hair color and gave 100% gray coverage, GH Beauty Lab testing showed.
2
Best Root Touch-Up for Gray Hair
Garnier Express Retouch Gray Hair Concealer
2
Best Root Touch-Up for Gray Hair
Garnier Express Retouch Gray Hair Concealer
Pros
- Stay-put gray coverage
- Easy to use targeted sponge applicator
- Bargain price
Cons
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. It comes in various tones to seamlessly blend with a range of black, brunette, and blonde hair colors.
3
Best Root Touch-Up Color Powder
Clairol Temporary Root Powder
3
Best Root Touch-Up Color Powder
Clairol Temporary Root Powder
Pros
- Powder blends well with hair color
- Lightweight and mess-free
- Brush and mirror for on-the-go application
Cons
Brush the powder pigment in this bargain Clairol mirrored compact, a GH Beauty Award winner, onto strands to temporarily hide regrowth (it washes out). In GH Beauty Lab testing, 83% of users said it blended naturally with their color, and it scored high for feeling light with no mess or staining. This powder comes with a small brush that allows precision application, making it almost impossible to mess up.
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4
Best Root Touch-Up Spray
L'Oréal Paris Hair Color Root Cover Up
4
Best Root Touch-Up Spray
L'Oréal Paris Hair Color Root Cover Up
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Pros
- Easy-to-use spray
- Covers larger areas
- Natural look
Cons
- Spray may be hard to target on small areas
Mist this temporary L'Oréal Paris spray onto your hair for a fast root regrowth fix anytime. The spray blends well into your natural hair: "It doesn't take much to cover an area, it doesn't rub off on clothes or pillow cases," said one Amazon reviewer. "It looks natural and stays on until your next shampoo." And with a range of shades from light brown to deep black and even red, it's great for all hair colors.
5
Best Root Touch-Up for Blonde Hair
Madison Reed Root Touch-Up
5
Best Root Touch-Up for Blonde Hair
Madison Reed Root Touch-Up
Pros
- Includes two colors to customize your shade
- Transfer-resistant
- Can be used on eyebrows
Cons
- Pricey
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 includes two different colors, it can also create more depth and dimension in blonde tones. Bonus: The compact comes with a mirror and brush for on-the-go, plus a dual-ended applicator brush for use on eyebrows.
6
Best Root Touch-Up Wand
Mineral Fusion Gray Root Concealer for Hair
6
Best Root Touch-Up Wand
Mineral Fusion Gray Root Concealer for Hair
Pros
- Two applicators for precision
- Covers gray and matches hair color well
- Simple to use
Cons
- Only comes in brown and black shades
Mineral Fusion's portable root touch-up has a dual-ended wand applicator with one end that's a sponge and the other that's a mascara-like brush to zero in on and thoroughly cover specific areas. GH Beauty Lab testers said that the temporary product did a good job of covering gray hairs and matching their hair color, and overall, it scored well with testers for being easy to use.
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7
Best Professional Root Touch-Up Kit
dpHUE Root Touch-Up Kit
7
Best Professional Root Touch-Up Kit
dpHUE Root Touch-Up Kit
Pros
- Permanent results
- Comes with hair coloring tools
Cons
- Pricey
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, processing 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.
8
Best Targeted Root Touch-Up
Bumble and Bumble Bb. Color Stick
8
Best Targeted Root Touch-Up
Bumble and Bumble Bb. Color Stick
Pros
- Crayon helps cover individual strands
- Resists transferring
Cons
- Only comes in brown and black
Bumble and Bumble's color stick is perfect for precise root touch-ups on specific areas like the hairline. Its unique pointed tip can draw directly on strandss, blending right into your base color without any guess-work. Upon application, it dries instantly and is water resistant.
9
Best No-Mess Root Touch-Up
Color Wow Root Cover Up
9
Best No-Mess Root Touch-Up
Color Wow Root Cover Up
Pros
- Doesn't flake
- Covers large or small areas
- Easy application
Cons
- Expensive
A newer go-to, Color Wow's temporary root cover powder is easy to apply and feels weightless on the scalp. GH Beauty Lab testers also raved that it did not look cakey or flake after application, and that its powder form may also lend itself to cover small areas with thinning hair. 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.
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10
Best Root Touch-Up for Thinning Hair
Rita Hazan Root Concealer Touch Up Spray
10
Best Root Touch-Up for Thinning Hair
Rita Hazan Root Concealer Touch Up Spray
Pros
- Resists transferring
- Easy to use spray
- Covers and tints sparse areas on hair
Cons
This temporary spray, created by famed New York City salon owner Rita Hazan, 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 it to be.
11
Best Portable Root Touch-Up
Calista Embellish Root Touch-Up
11
Best Portable Root Touch-Up
Calista Embellish Root Touch-Up
Pros
- Large shade selection
- Compact size
- No mess
Cons
- Pricey
GH Beauty Lab Director Birnur Aral, Ph.D. is a fan of Calista's travel-friendly root touch-up powder, in an impressive range of 11 shades including white, gray and red. "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. "
12
Best Root Touch-Up for Highlights
Oribe Airbrush Root Touch-Up Spray
12
Best Root Touch-Up for Highlights
Oribe Airbrush Root Touch-Up Spray
Pros
- Light shades for blondes and highlights
- Absorbs oil
Cons
- Expensive
For those with lighter hair or highlights, Oribe's root touch-up spray comes in both a blonde and platinum shade. And while it comes out 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. This spray blends well with hair, making it also a great pick for anyone transitioning to their natural color.
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13
Best Root Touch-Up for Dark Hair
TRESemmé Root Touch-Up
13
Best Root Touch-Up for Dark Hair
TRESemmé Root Touch-Up
Pros
- Thorough coverage for dark brown and black hair
- Spray goes on easily
- Good value
Cons
- Maybe be more difficult to apply on small areas
Darker hair colors like deep 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 rave reviews for covering and blending into dark tones. "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.
Katie Berohn
Katie Berohn is the Beauty Assistant at Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day and Prevention magazines, all part of the Hearst Lifestyle Group. She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a major in journalism and minor in technology, arts, and media, and earned her Master’s Degree at NYU’s Graduate Program of Magazine Journalism. In addition, Katie has held editorial internships at Denver Life Magazine, Yoga Journal, and Cosmopolitan, a digital editorial internship at New York Magazine’s The Cut, a social good fellowship at Mashable, and has freelanced for HelloGiggles. When she’s not obsessing over the latest skincare launch or continuing her endless search for the perfect shade of red nail polish, Katie can be found in a hot yoga class, trying everything on the menu at New York’s newest restaurant, or hanging out at a trendy wine bar with her friends.