How to touch up your roots between colours

Short answer: Roots usually show from week three or four. To bridge the gap until your next colour, brush a temporary root powder in the same shade over the parting and hairline. It takes about a minute, needs no mixing, and washes out with your next shampoo. A full colour is still the fix once regrowth gets past a few weeks.

The short version

Hair grows roughly a centimetre a month, so a visible line between your colour and your natural root tends to show up somewhere between week three and week five. That is when most people start eyeing the calendar and wondering whether they can make it to the next appointment.

You can, usually. The trick is to pick the right stopgap for how much regrowth you actually have.

The five ways people bridge the gap

1. Do nothing and wear it with a side part. Free, and sometimes enough in the first fortnight. A part on the opposite side moves where the root sits, but it also puts a new area in the spotlight.

2. A temporary root powder. A pressed powder you tap or brush onto the roots. It sits on the surface of the hair, so nothing is changing the colour underneath, and it comes out in the next wash. Good for the parting, the hairline and the temples.

3. A root spray. Quicker over a wider area, but it can land on your forehead, ears and collar, and some people find hair feels stiff afterwards. We compare these properly in powder vs spray vs root marker.

4. A root marker or crayon. Neat for a few stray hairs. Slow if you have a whole parting to cover.

5. A gloss or toner at the salon, or a box colour at home. These change the colour itself and last for weeks, so they suit regrowth that is already past the "touch-up" stage. They also take time, cost more, and a box colour needs a patch test before you use it.

A simple timeline that works

• Weeks 1–3: nothing needed. Maybe swap your part.
• Weeks 3–5: this is where a temporary powder earns its keep. Cover the parting and the front hairline before work, a catch-up with friends or a photo.
• Weeks 5–7: the line is wider. Powder still helps for a day out, but you will be topping up often. Book the appointment.
• Past seven weeks: if the regrowth is a different colour from your lengths and sits a few centimetres deep, a powder will only cover the very top. Time for a proper colour.

If your appointments are booked six to eight weeks apart, a powder in your drawer can quietly stretch that to eight to ten without anyone noticing, which at salon prices is a real saving. Only you know your budget, so treat that as an option, not a rule.

What a root powder can and can't do

It can:

• Blend the first few weeks of regrowth into the colour around it.
• Fill in the lighter patches where the scalp shows through at the parting.
• Be done in a minute, in the car or at your desk, with a mirror.
• Come out with one shampoo, so you are not committed to anything.

It can't:

• Change the colour of your whole head.
• Lift or lighten hair. It only adds a shade on top, so a darker root is easier to hide than a lighter one.
• Replace a patch test or professional advice if you have a skin condition. A powder is not a dye, but if you have a sensitive scalp or known allergies, check the ingredient list on the pack and try a small spot first.
• Last through everything. It is a surface product, and heavy sweat, rain or rubbing can shift it. More on that in how long root cover powder lasts.

Getting a good match

The most common mistake is matching the powder to your lengths. Match it to your colour at the root, which is usually a touch deeper than the ends because ends fade with sun and washing. If you are between two shades, go to the deeper one; it blends more naturally than a shade that is too light. Our shade matching guide walks through it in daylight.

Where BUNEE fits

BUNEE is a pressed root-cover powder in a compact with a mirror and an applicator, in 12 shades. It is not a dye and does not contain PPD or peroxide, there is nothing to mix and no waiting time, and it rinses out with one shampoo. It is sold as a temporary fix, not a replacement for colour, and that is exactly the job here: getting you from week four to your next appointment without a rushed Saturday at the chemist.

FAQ

How long can I stretch the time between colour appointments?

It depends on how different your natural colour is from your dye and how fast your hair grows. Many people can add a week or two with a temporary root powder. If the line is already more than a few centimetres deep, it is time to rebook.

Will a root powder damage my coloured hair?

It sits on the surface and washes out, so it is not changing the hair underneath. Brush it in gently and shampoo it out at the end of the day or when you next wash, rather than leaving it in for days.

Can I use it right after a salon colour?

You will not need it right after an appointment. It is useful once the first regrowth shows. If you have had a treatment recently and your scalp feels tender, wait until it settles.

Do I need to wash it out every night?

No. You can leave it until your next wash. If you tend to sleep with it on, a dark pillowcase is a good idea in case a little transfers.

Will it match a very light blonde?

Powders are easier to match on mid to dark tones than on very light blonde, where the shade range is narrower. Check the shade chart before you order.