Tips For Touching Up Your Roots And Your Hair Color At Home

You spend all this time achieving the perfect result for your dream vibrant hair color only for the color to wash out and grow out in what feels like weeks. Does maintaining your hair color feel like a hassle or a waste? It doesn’t have to be this way! Touching up a bold hair color should be just as exciting and rewarding as trying out vibrant hair for the first time — and the results are definitely worth it.

Following the perfect at-home hair care routine, starting with the very first time you rinse out your color, is the key to enhancing the life and longevity of your vibrant color. 

Here are 8 tips to touching up your roots and your hair color at home:

1. Always rinse dyed hair with cold water. Washing your hair with water that is too hot can be damaging not only to your hair color but also your overall hair health, as it strips your scalp’s natural oils. Cold water keeps your hair cuticles sealed to help prevent color fading and fight frizz.
   
2. Prep your hair BEFORE you apply hair color. Preparation is key to achieving rockstar results at home. Before you apply your hair color, this would be a great time to schedule in your weekly scalp scrub to help remove any buildup or residue that might be sitting on top of your hair to optimize the vibrancy and shine of your final result! 
   
3. Don’t wash your hair every day. Perhaps this goes without saying, but washing your hair daily — even with cold hair — will cause your hair to fade at a faster pace. If you can limit your hair washing to even 2 to 3 times a week, this is an easy and simple way to make your color maintenance process a lot easier. When you are washing, be sure to look for a color-protecting shampoo.
4. Aim to touch up your roots every 4-6 weeks. This doesn’t have to be the same strenuous process as lightening and coloring your entire head of hair every single time. Using a Streaks & Strands Lightening Kit with the semi-permanent shade of your choice, you can focus only on areas of new growth.
   
5. Section your hair when touching up your roots. Divide your hair into manageable sections before applying the color and use clips to hold them in place, patiently working through any sections with visible roots. This will ensure that you cover all areas evenly and avoid missing any spots.
6. Incorporate a color-deposting hair mask into your weekly shower routine. You don’t need to lighten your hair and recolor it every 4-6 weeks if that is too much hassle! Instead, incorporating a color-depositing mask like DYEposit at least once a week is a quick and easy way to refresh color and boost hydration & shine during your wash day routine.
   
7. Use the blend and feather method for your root touch-up. When touching up your roots, blend the color into the rest of your hair for a seamless transition. Use a comb or your fingers to feather the color outward, ensuring that there are no harsh lines between the roots and the rest of your hair.
   
8. Be careful with heat styling and always protect your hair! To prolong the life of your hair color, it helps to avoid excessive heat styling. But we know everyone needs a crimp and a curl every once in a while! When you are using heat, prep your hair with a hair-protecting spray like Prime formulated with hydrating and nourishing ingredients like Aloe Vera to fight damage from heat and UV exposure.