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The Top Seven Root Touch Up Products Ranked
I have to admit: my brown hair looks so rich and shiny you would think I just left the salon, but in reality, I go months without getting my hair dyed. If I was a responsible adult that had all aspects of my life together, I would be seeing my colorist every four to eight weeks to get my roots covered up. But, since I don't have time for long coloring sessions either at the salon or at home, I rely on root touch up products to hide my regrowth.
For anyone like me who tends to stretch out their hair color appointments for as long as possible, you're in luck. There's a ton of root concealing products out there that come in a wide range of colors, and choosing one really comes down to whether you prefer using a powder or a spray.
So, if you want to conceal your grays or just want to blend in your natural color, these seven root touch up products have you covered — literally.
1. OVERALL VALUE: ROOT TOUCH UP BY ROOSH
Convenience: 95%
Effectiveness: 90%
Cleanliness: 90%
Price: $
Overall Value: A
Roosh has it all, a good value, easy to apply, clean, rain and sweat-proof, safe ingredients, and it blends nicely with any hair color! We tried Roosh after we found the 50% off code SECRET50. The color sticks to your hair without getting sticky. Our journalist Celeste Layton - who is always running around - is absolutely in love with this product.
2. MOST CONVENIENT: L'ORÉAL ROOT COVER UP
Convenience: 97%
Effectiveness: 60%
Cleanliness: 60%
Price: $$
Overall Value: B+
L'Oréal's Root Cover Up Gray Concealer Spray works well for a quick and easy fix for those large areas of gray hair you want to cover up. Easy to use and apply but not the best for micro-adjustments as spray concealers tend to be messy. Also, it won't last very long so you will need to spray a couple of times per day.
3. MOST EXPENSIVE: MADISON REED TOUCH UP
Convenience: 80%
Effectiveness: 90%
Cleanliness: 90%
Price: $$$$
Overall Value: B-
This touch up is packed with features such as being rain and sweat-proof, brush on to instantly cover grays, instantly sets and sticks, and doubles as an eyebrow powder. It works best with people that don’t have thick hair. If you do have thick hair, then stay away because you’re just gonna have a hard time covering those grays. We like this product, but wished it was more affordable.
4. MOST AFFORDABLE: GARNIER EXPRESS RETOUCH GRAY HAIR CONCEALER
Convenience: 80%
Effectiveness: 33%
Cleanliness: 70%
Price: $
Overall Value: C
Garnier Express Retouch Gray Hair Concealer - with the use of a marker infused with temporary color rather than the usual ink, this concealer wipes way grays instantly and mess-free. Also effective but you will have to be careful about the color as it sometimes doesn’t end up the way you want it to be. There has also been some reviews about this concealer making your hair stiff so be careful with it!
4. MOST CONTROVERSIAL: DPHUE COLOR TOUCH UP SPRAY
Convenience: 60%
Effectiveness: 33%
Cleanliness: 40%
Price: $$$
Overall Value: D
dpHUE Color Touch Up Spray - spray concealers are well-known for being effective at covering up large areas of gray hair. They’re also well-known for messing up big time when the spray goes all over the place! What dpHUE boasts is an adjustable nozzle that you can use to target the right areas only. While this may be a cool feature for a spray, it does have some holdbacks in the form of you’ll have to spend quite some time covering up those grays as sprays are more effective when applied in large bursts rather than controlled ones.
5. SMALLEST: BUMBLE AND BUMBLE COLOR STICK
Convenience: 70%
Effectiveness: 25%
Cleanliness: 50%
Price: $$
Overall Value: C
Bumble and bumble BB Color Stick - if you’re the type of person who likes having 2-in-1 products, then you’re in for a surprise with this color stick that doubles up as an eyebrow pencil! Really effective but the price does not match the amount and you’ll almost have to always buy 2 if you want the color to last for a month.
6. MOST MESSY: RITA HAZAN ROOT CONCEALER TOUCH UP SPRAY
Convenience: 90%
Effectiveness: 25%
Cleanliness: 20%
Price: $$
Overall Value: C-
Rita Hazan Root Concealer Touch Up Spray is one of the go-to products for people who don’t have a lot of time because the hair color just sticks for a long time. Just be careful not to get some in your clothes or sheets or even parts of your hair or scalp that you don’t want to color. I have seen some people getting frustrated because they accidentally sprayed it on unwanted parts and they ended up damaging their hair and scalp trying to get it off.
7. THE WORST: R CO BRIGHT SHADOWS ROOT TOUCH UP SPRAY
Convenience: 80%
Effectiveness: 20%
Cleanliness: 20%
Price: $$$
Overall Value: D
With a mixture of amino acids, minerals, and biotin, this product from R-Co boosts makes hair look thicker. But because they have a couple more ingredients mixed in, it sometimes ends up gunky and painty. So if you’re not exactly going for that look, then I wouldn’t want to risk it.
Why We Chose Roosh
While Roosh may be fairly new in the market, it’s definitely an up-and-coming brand that has not only caught our attention but a good number of makeup followers as well. I was skeptical at first about trying it out just because it’s so new and no one else knew about it at the time, but since my friend could not stop talking about it. Another thing that was a big convincer was the 50% off code SECRET50.
The package arrived in less than a week (really nice!) and I was able to give it a try right away. At first, I had some troubles getting the right amount and learning how to correctly apply it. I have really thick hair and you need a certain technique for root touch ups but once you get the hang of it, the results are amazing. The color matches, there’s no staining on the hands and it doesn’t feel thick. Sometimes for root touch ups you have to apply a lot to get that right color to cover up the grays but with Roosh, that’s not the case at all.
How Does It Work?
Roosh uses a couple of ingredients we haven’t seen in many root touch up products we’ve tested. It’s curious but it works. There’s also no need for complicated application of the product, unless you’re someone who has a history of issues with hair products.
You just load up the brush with a good amount of powder and then apply it on your roots, making sure to pull your hair to expose those grays you want to cover up. Make sure you dab it on properly. After that, you can just dust off any excess powder from your hair using your hands or the brush.
With an easy application such as this plus the results you get afterwards, I feel really happy about this product and would definitely recommend it. :)
