Retouching Grey Roots? Read This First
Want a grey hair root touch-up that gets rid of silver regrowth fast? The good news is, it's possible to home in on roots without having to plan your whole day around it. Gone are lengthy salon visits and blocky tell-tale coverage; now you can be in and out the salon chair in less than an hour, minus those silver strays.
So, let's take a closer look at how you can achieve a quick, easy and natural-looking grey root touch-up. From first greys to stubborn greys, making them vanish just got easier...
What’s the Best Way to Touch Up Grey Roots?
Retouching grey roots may seem like a simple, ‘quick fix’ task, but the precise application required means it’s a job best left to salon colourists . Not only are they expertly trained to mix up a colour match that blends in with the lengths of your hair, but they also have the skill and know-how to ensure your grey hair coverage looks natural.
Plus, in the salon, hair experts have access to the best hair colour and root touch-up products, from gentle demi-permanents to high-coverage permanent formulas. When grey root coverage is your goal, ask your Wella colourist for Color Xpress. With up to 100% coverage and the most natural-looking finish, it turns back the clock on hair in just 10 minutes.
Is Color Xpress Right for Me?
Color Xpress is right for you if you want:
- Up to 100% coverage of grey hair, even on the most stubborn strands.
- A quick grey root retouching service that takes just 10 minutes to develop.
- Grey coverage that's suitable for all hair types, from fine to coarse and straight to coily hair.
- A permanent hair colour formula that penetrates the hair fibre for long-lasting results.
- A natural-looking finish with Control-X Technology to prevent over-processing.
- A wide range of intermixable colours so you can find your ideal shade match.
- Metal Purifier to help protect hair from damage in the presence of metals, wherever colour is placed.
What Are My Other Options for Grey Root Colour Coverage?
As well as Color Xpress, Wella Professionals offers a range of grey touch-up treatments, from the gentle formula of Color Touch to the permanent power of Koleston Perfect. Your salon colourist will be able to advise on the best product for you, but it's always a good idea to head to your hair colour sessions with a little knowledge of your own.
For First Greys: SHINEFINITY Color Glaze
If you're just seeing those first silver strays and want to soften their appearance, a SHINEFINITY Color Glaze will gently blend them away. The zero damage, zero lift, demi-permanent glaze veils your hair in glossy, translucent colour, with irresistible silky shine that enhances your base from root to tip.
For Grey Blending: Color Touch
With up to 70% grey coverage¹, Color Touch is our always-loved, now better than ever demi-permanent, with the new Metal Purifier to give you true-to-tone vibrancy and shine, no matter your hair's condition. Perfect for when you want natural-looking coverage that blends away regrowth and brightens lengths, it's stunningly rich.
For Up to 100% Grey Coverage: Koleston Perfect or Illumina Color
Like Color Xpress, Koleston Perfect gives you up to 100% coverage of grey hair in a powerful, pure-pigment, permanent formula. But, the big difference is that Koleston Perfect can be applied from root to tip. So, when it's not just grey root coverage you want, it's your ideal colour for an all-over shade upgrade. It's the first and only professional hair colour that combines uncompromised colour performance with Metal Purifier and ME+ Dye Technology, so you get true-to-tone vibrancy, every time.
Illumina Color also works to cover greys with up to 100% coverage, giving you youthful, radiant, 100% natural-looking colour. It's luminous in every light, making it a popular product for anyone who craves lustrous hair. Your colourist can use it for a grey hair root touch-up or a root-to-tip transformation.
How Often Do Grey Roots Need Touching Up?
The time between salon visits all depends on how quickly your hair grows, but as a general rule, we recommend booking your salon visits every 6-8 weeks. If you find your grey roots reappear much sooner and you want to keep them covered up, speak to your colourist about application options for express appointment in between longer salon visits. Grey regrowth doesn't mean you have to settle for a high-maintenance hair schedule. Color Xpress is an innovative solution that lets you drop in for a 10-minute touch-up – you can even book it during your lunch break.
Is it Better to Go Darker or Lighter with Grey Hair?
With the Wella portfolio, your colourist can achieve an exact shade match for your natural colour, so you don't have to change your look if you don't want to. But if you're ready for a switch, you might be wondering whether to take your hair lighter or darker. When you're targeting the roots only, going slightly darker will guarantee the most natural look, but if you're going for a full head of hair colour, consider switching to a lighter shade.
Root Shadow vs. Root Tap: What’s the Difference?
If you’ve decided to go for a touch of lived-in depth at the roots, you’ve got two application options: a root shadow or a root tap. Here’s what sets these application types apart…
Root Shadow
The clue is in the name with a root shadow. It shades your roots – meaning it makes them darker – to give you a simple solution for grey regrowth. We love a dark brown root with blonde balayage for a beachy, undone look or a shadow on auburn hair that elevates depth and dimension.
Root Tap
A root tap is similar to a root shadow; it involves painting on darker roots, but it's a subtler grey root touch-up option because only a small amount of colour is used. While a root shadow may be feathered down towards the mid-lengths of your hair, a root tap stays very close to the root area to guarantee softer regrowth.
How to Maintain Colour Between Salon Visits
You don't want your grey root touch-up to fade fast, so how do you make it last? In the time between salon visits, try these simple solutions for rich, long-lasting colour...
1. Wash with a Colour-Safe Gentle Shampoo
Too-harsh shampoos can strip your hair of colour, so reach for a gentle shampoo formula that deeply cleanses without shifting your grey cover-up. ColorMotion+ Color Protection Shampoo is ideal, as it protects your colour for up to 8 weeks² with a powerful blend of antioxidants and the detoxifying Metal Purifier. Plus, it's suitable for all hair types, so whether you have oily hair or dry hair, you can lather up with this luxurious cleanser.
2. Use Deep Conditioner Every Week
Keep hydrating hair products handy to ensure the lengths and ends glow. Even when regrowth starts coming through, hair that's healthy and radiant will take the spotlight. Try ColorMotion+ Structure+ Mask, applied to clean, damp hair. Let it absorb for up to 10 minutes while lengths are wrapped up in a towel, so it deeply absorbs the hair cuticle.
3. Keep Signs of Hair Damage at Bay
Youthful-looking hair doesn't just come down to colour; the condition is also key, with damage causing your hair to appear stressed and dull. So, after every wash, apply ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue. It's a leave-in treatment that repairs hair damage in 90 seconds³ and reduces breakage by 99%⁴. Simply mist it from roots to ends, let it absorb for the full 90 seconds, and then style your hair as usual. You'll see and feel the difference right away.
Then, layer ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum over the top. Delivering glass-like shine and moisture, this Omega-9 and Squalane-boosted blend controls frizz for smoothness that lasts up to 3 days⁵. It also acts as a UV shield and heat protectant, so you don't have to worry about the sun or your flat iron fading your colour.
Looking for more tips on grey root touch-ups? Discover our complete collection of Grey Coverage Guides, with easy-to-follow advice from salon experts.
¹ When using Color Touch Plus.
² When using Structure+ Mask.
³ When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue.
⁴ When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue. Instrumental test versus non-conditioning shampoo.
⁵ When using ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum, if unwashed for 3 days, vs. untreated.