How to match your root cover shade

Short answer: Match the powder to the colour of your hair at the root, in daylight, not to your coloured lengths or the swatch on a screen. Part your hair, look at the roots next to a window, and pick the nearest shade. If you are between two, take the deeper one: it blends more naturally than one that is too light.

Why shade is the thing that makes or breaks it

A root powder that is slightly off will still look better than a visible band of regrowth, but one that is clearly too dark, too red or too light is the main reason a touch-up looks "done". Choosing carefully takes five minutes and saves you a lot of faff.

Step 1: find your true root colour

If you dye your hair, the colour of your lengths is not the colour you are covering. Your roots are your natural colour, which may be darker, lighter, warmer or cooler than the rest.

1. Go to a window. Natural daylight, not under a downlight or a bathroom bulb.
2. Part your hair with a comb, down to the scalp.
3. Look at the new growth, not the lengths. If you have a lot of grey, look at the dark hairs.
4. Compare it to the lengths. Is the root deeper, lighter, warmer or cooler?

If you plan to colour in the next week or two, you may prefer to match the colour you are heading towards.

Step 2: think in tone, not just depth

Hair colour has two parts.

Depth is how light or dark it is: black, dark brown, medium brown, light brown, blonde. Tone is the warmth or coolness: golden or red (warm), ashy or neutral (cool).

Most mismatches are tone mismatches. A brown with red in it and a brown with grey-ash in it can have the same depth and still look different. Check the swatch for tone as well as depth.

BUNEE comes in 12 shades. The shade chart on the offer page is the final word for the exact names and tones.

Step 3: use the "closest, then deeper" rule

• Between two shades? Choose the deeper one. A slightly deeper powder reads as natural shadow at the root; a slightly lighter one reads as a pale gap.
• Mix of grey and dark hair? Match the dark hair. The grey will take on the colour of the powder around it.
• Natural root very different from your coloured ends? Match the root. Match the ends only if you want the root to blend toward them, and then you may need a colour appointment.
• Warm or cool? If your hair has red or golden tones, choose a warmer shade. If it is ashy, go neutral or cool.

Check your match in three places

Before you commit to a shade:

1. In daylight by a window, with your part open.
2. In a mirror with the lamp or light you will use most in the morning.
3. On your phone camera, because that is how everyone else will see it.

If the match looks right in daylight and just about right everywhere else, you have a good shade.

What about blondes and very light shades?

Powder adds colour, it does not lighten hair. On very light blonde it is harder to find an exact match, because the range of light shades is narrow and a hair-coloured powder can look slightly flat against fine light hair. If you are a very light blonde, check the chart carefully, and consider a light, neutral shade and a light hand. For white or very silver hair, a powder is likely to look softer than the hair around it.

What if I order the wrong one?

It happens. A slightly off shade can still work: use a lighter hand, or apply it only at the part and blend out. If it is clearly wrong, check our returns terms before you order, so you know where you stand.

Common matching mistakes

• Choosing from a screen. Monitors and phones vary a lot. Use the chart as a guide and check against your own hair.
• Matching to the ends. They are probably more faded than your roots.
• Going lighter "just in case". It usually looks more obvious than going a touch deeper.
• Ignoring tone. If your hair looks warm and your shade looks cool, you will see the difference at once.

Where BUNEE fits

BUNEE is a pressed root-cover powder in a compact with a mirror and an applicator. It comes in 12 shades, is not a dye and does not contain PPD or peroxide, and washes out with one shampoo. Because it is temporary, a shade that is slightly off is easy to fix: wash it out and try again with a lighter hand or a different shade next time.

For the application itself, see how to apply root cover powder.

For a close look at grey coverage, see covering greys at the parting.

FAQ

What if my hair is a mix of colours?

Match the colour of the majority of your root hair. If it is a mix of dark and grey, match the dark hair and let the powder blend the grey.

Should I match my coloured hair or my natural hair?

Match what you are covering: your natural root. If you are about to colour your hair, you can match the colour you are heading towards.

Is it better to go lighter or darker if I'm between shades?

Go deeper. A slightly darker shade tends to look like natural depth at the root.

Can I mix two shades?

Not with a pressed compact in a practical way. If you are between two, choose the deeper one and apply lightly.

Does shade look different on grey hair?

Yes. Grey hair picks up colour differently from pigmented hair, and the result can look softer. Apply in thin layers and check in daylight.