Root Touchup- FAQs
What is root touch-up?
Root touchup refers to dyeing or bleaching your grown-out roots so that they match the rest of your hair.
What makes roots different from the rest of my hair?
Roots are virgin hair that is growing out of your head. While different hair types grow at different rates, we’re sure you’ve all experienced roots that look different to the rest of your hair.
How long do I wait between root touchups?
As we said, different hair types grow at different rates, so while we normally say to leave 4-6 weeks between touchups, this won’t always be right for you. The best way to know that your hair is ready for a touchup is when your roots measure around 1 inch in length. After this, they’ll be considered the mids of your hair as well as your roots, and touching them up will be more complicated. So, when you see that your virgin hair roots are around an inch, you know that it’s time for a touchup.
Touching Up Your Roots- Coloured Hair Dye
If you have dyed hair, and you’re looking to match your roots to your locks, this is the process that we recommend.
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The most important thing to do is to check your hair level- see the chart above. If your hair level is a level 7 or above, you’ll have the perfect canvas for colourful dye. If, however, your roots are darker, you may want to pre-lighten them first (see bleach instructions below). The best rule of thumb is to repeat the same process that you followed with the rest of your hair, so that you get the same colour result.
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If you decide you only need hair dye on the roots, then congratulations- this is much simpler, as semi-permanent colour won’t risk damaging your fragile roots in any way. Get your colour and equipment ready- tint brush & bowl, gloves, and old clothes/towels.
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TOP TIP: If you’re going to be working with the roots close to your hairline, apply some Vaseline to the hairline so that your skin doesn’t stain.
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We also recommend doing a patch and strand test. These tests will allow you to test the product on your skin and hair to make sure you won’t have any adverse reactions. A strand test can also help you to check that you’ll get the colour result you’re looking for, which is especially important when you’re trying to match your roots to the rest of your hair. Find out how to perform a patch & strand test here.
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How to section hair for dyeing: The simplest method of sectioning hair is the four-quadrant technique. All you have to do is separate your hair into four equal quadrants, parting a cross shape on the top of your head. Tie each quadrant up, and work with one at a time so that you’re not overwhelmed by too much hair. We recommend starting with one of the back quadrants, and always working your way from the bottom of the hair to the top.
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Select your quadrant, and pull out a small slice of hair from the bottom. Tie the rest of the quadrant back up so that it’s out of the way.
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Use your tint brush to fully saturate the roots on either side of the hair.
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Untie your quadrant and pull out another slice, just above the first one. Dye the roots.
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Repeat this process, working your way up the hair quadrant one slice at a time. This will allow every single piece of hair to be fully saturated so that you don’t get spotty results.
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Once your quadrant is finished, move on to another one. If you’re worried that the quadrants are processing differently, you can rinse them out at different times, starting with the first quadrant that you dyed.
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Always follow the instructions on the packaging for the recommended processing duration, as all products are different. For our Manic Panic semi-permanent colours, we usually recommend 30-45 minutes, although you can leave the conditioning formula in the hair for longer without risking any damage.
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Rinse your hair out with cold water, making sure to get rid of all product.
Touching Up Your Roots- Bleach
Maybe you have bleached or highlighted mids & ends, and you want to bleach your roots to match. Maybe you need to lighten your roots before dyeing them, so that they’ll match the colour result on the rest of your hair. Either way, you’ll need to use bleach.
Can I use bleach on my roots?
Yes! However, make sure to remember that your roots are made up of fragile virgin hair, which we don’t want to damage. When we’re using a harsh chemical like bleach, we want to be very careful that we’re not leaving it on the hair for longer than necessary. Bleaching your roots is also more complicated than normal because of hot roots.
What are hot roots?
Hot roots are a phenomenon that results in very bright yellow roots. This happens because your roots are much closer to your scalp than the rest of your hair, and therefore warmer. Heat helps bleach process faster, and so your roots will lighten much quicker than the rest of your hair usually would, resulting in a very bright result and occasional banding.
How can I avoid hot roots?
The best way to avoid hot roots is to make sure that you remove the bleach as soon as the hair is light enough, and don’t leave it on for longer than necessary. Check your roots every few minutes, wiping off a small section of bleach to check the colour underneath. You’re looking to get as close to white as possible, but if your hair is very dark, this may not happen in just one round of bleach. Don’t push your hair- roots usually take only 10-20 minutes to process, so you shouldn’t leave the bleach on there for much longer than that. You should also be very careful not to overlap with hair that’s already bleached/coloured, as this would cause banding or spotting. When painting the bleach onto the hair, leave a small gap between your bleach and the pre-lightened hair. When the bleach is processing, it will expand and cover that extra bit of hair, but it will hopefully stay away from any hair that’s already been coloured.
How to section hair for bleaching roots:
Once you’ve got your equipment ready and performed your patch & strand tests (even more crucial with harsh products like bleach), you can follow the instructions above as you would with hair dye. Section your hair into four quadrants as we’ve already explained, and work your way up the hair one slice at a time. When it comes to bleach, rinsing out one section at a time may be more important, as the processing time is shorter. There’s no need to stress about this- just keep your sections separate, and watch each one of them individually, rinsing off anything that looks white or that’s been processing for over 20 minutes.
What if my bleached roots look different than my bleached hair?
As we said earlier, bleaching is complicated. Even if you rinse fast, section well, and avoid overlapping, you could still risk some hot roots or banding. If your roots look different to the mids & ends of your hair, there are a couple of ways to fix it.
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If your roots are much darker than the rest of your hair: You can always do a second round of bleach, although make sure to give your hair a few days of rest in between. Check that your hair isn’t brittle or gummy. If your hair is still strong and healthy, there’s no reason why you can’t lighten it a second time.
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If your roots are a different tone to the rest of your hair: You can use toner to try and cover up any brassy or yellow tones, and blend all of your hair together. We recommend one of our Silver Stiletto toning products.
Want to take care of your newly bleached or coloured roots? Toners aren’t the only product that can help- from colour-safe shampoos to nourishing hair masks, we’ve got a huge selection of hair care products for you. Check them out below!
Remember: All of the advice on our hair guides is subject to professional advice. Each head of hair is different, and all dyeing or bleaching should be done at the individual’s own discretion.
If you need a root touchup, but you’re not sure that you’re up to the task, and don’t want to risk it, we recommend checking out our Manic Panic Ambassador Salons. These salons are spread out across the UK, featuring Manic Panic products and talented ambassador hairstylists who know what they’re doing. For a professional colour transformation or touchup, simply contact your nearest ambassador salon here.
