The Best At-Home Hair Dyes for When You Can't Get to the Salon
For those among us who dye their hair, I trust that you understand regular salon trips can be a bit costly. Besides the fact that coloring your hair is expensive, it also takes up a lot of valuable time and requires some serious commitment. Take me, for example. With every salon trip, I get my balayage brought up so that my blonde streaks start roughly two to three inches from my roots. It has now been four months since my last colour appointment, and it’s fair to say my once-beachy balayage now resembles just-tipped dip-dye.
The reason I leave it so long between salon treatments is because I deem going to the salon a bit of a nuisance. The truth is regular salon trips are often so inconvenient that regular color touch-ups aren’t always doable, and that’s okay. So what exactly can be done to help grown-out lengths? Well, I truly never thought I’d say it, but box dyes have come a really long way. And while I do advise a permanent box dye should always be a last resort, more recently we’ve also seen a rise in products that help prolong the life of color without relying on strand-damaging bleach.
So if your roots are overdue some TLC and you’re seriously considering taking measures into your own hands, keep scrolling for the best at-home hair tints, colours, glosses and dyes to help tide you over.
1. Madison Reed Radiant Hair Care Kit
When it comes to at-home dyes, these Madison Reed hair color kits are as good as they get. Not only are they super easy to use, but they are also incredibly conditioning and kind to hair. Most importantly though, the finished results look incredibly natural.
2. Christophe Robin Shade Variation Mask
This thick and richly nourishing mask not only helps to condition color-weary strands but also deposits temporary pigment to help restore color brilliance.
3. Nice'n Easy Clairol Root Touch-Up Permanent Hair Color Kit
If it's just your roots that need a touch-up, there's no need to jeopardise the health of your lengths too. This super-easy-to-use color comes with a handy brush so that you can just apply the dye to the roots.
4. Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask
If your overdue color appointment was scheduled to be more of a color refresh rather than a total overhaul, then this clever mask could be perfect. Simply slather all over clean, wet hair, leave for five minutes, and wash off to reveal beautifully toned lengths.
5. Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Dye
Forget burning scalps and flat-looking color. This at-home permanent color solution contains a ton of flower oils, which, compared to formulas of yesteryear, leave hair shinier, smoother, and healthier.
6. Christophe Robin Temporary Color Gel
This temporary gel is the perfect way to help disguise grays, and the color payoff itself is subtle enough so that you can avoid drastic issues. It's the perfect quick fix.
7. Bleach London Champagne Super Toner Kit
Ideal for those with blonde hair that's starting to turn brassy, this powerful at-home toner gives a long-lasting pearly finish to pre-lightened hair that needs a helping hand.
8. Rita Hazan True Color Ultimate Shine Gloss
From the superstar hairstylist responsible for Beyoncé's color, this easy-to-use in-shower hair gloss keeps color looking salon-fresh.
9. John Frieda Precision Foam Color
If you usually find box kits too tricky to navigate, this quick permanent colour is formulated as a foam to make things super easy (and a lot less messy).
Next up, these seven hair trends will be everywhere this year.
Shannon Lawlor is a renowned beauty journalist and has contributed to Who What Wear’s beauty content since 2020. As a leading beauty editor, expert and brand consultant, she has over eight years of experience working for some of the industry’s most esteemed titles, including Who What Wear (of course), Glamour UK, Stylist, Refinery29 and Fabulous. Having also worked behind the scenes with some of the industry’s biggest brands and retailers, Shannon has a unique insight into what people really want from their beauty routines. Understanding that beauty lovers seek honest, open and responsible advice, she has it made her mission to demystify the intimidating world of beauty, taking a no-frills approach to the most relatable topics. While Shannon is the first to admit she doesn’t hold the answer to every beauty question out there, she is dedicated to sharing her expert insights in a bid to help. As a self-proclaimed lazy girl, Shannon has an affinity for easy-to-use, foolproof beauty products and has made it her mission to scope out the best of the best. When she’s not working, Shannon is likely soaking in the bath or giving no-holds-barred beauty reviews on Instagram from her bathroom floor.
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