Blonde Root Touch Up Tutorial

Hair stylists and colour experts agree that maintaining blonde hair can be a challenge. You may struggle with achieving a specific shade of blonde, or keeping your colour vibrant and free from brassy tones. This can be especially difficult for those with naturally dark hair.

Dark hair can become visible pretty quickly, and blonde upkeep can be expensive. Whether you need to refresh the vibrancy of your blonde or are looking to blend grown-out roots, you may find yourself making regular trips to the salon. Luckily, there’s another way to touch up your blonde. 

Kumba Dauda, a fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger, gives us the do’s and don’ts of using a touch-up hair dye kit at home in her video below. Read on for some key tips from Kumba and our colour experts. 

What to consider when dyeing dark hair lighter

Going lighter doesn’t have to be difficult, as long as you have the right products and a bit of know how. 

Garnier Olia 8.0 is a great option for brunettes looking to do a root touch-up at home. This permanent hair dye is ammonia free for a pleasant scent and is 60% oil powered for maximum colour performance. See for yourself in the video below with Kumba’s results!

After you’ve dyed your hair blonde, it’s so important to maintain proper aftercare, as your hair may want some TLC. Conditioning treatments that lock in moisture are crucial to keeping your hair healthy and vibrant. Find yourself an argan oil rich shampoo and conditioner to maintain your hair’s vibrancy wash after wash.

Blonde root touch-up – a simple step-by-step process

So, you’re ready to touch up your blonde, it’s time to get your dye on. Without further ado, here’s our step by step guide for how to dye roots at home:

1. First, make sure you always do a patch test by applying some colourant cream to your skin at least 48 hours before you use your chosen hair dye. This is important, even if you’ve used the dye before. 

2. Always read the instructions on the box before you begin dyeing your hair at home. 

3. Open up your box and lay out all your equipment. You should have an instruction leaflet, some gloves, a mixing bottle, a bottle of developer cream, colourant cream and a deep conditioner for afterwards. You’ll also need a towel, a hair brush, a hair clip and some moisturising cream. 

4. Apply the moisturising cream to your hairline to avoid the dye staining your skin. 

5. Time to put on your gloves and get mixing! Squeeze both the colourant and the developer cream into the mixing bottle and shake it so they combine. Then immediately remove the cap and begin applying to your hair.

6. Part your hair and apply the product directly onto your roots, spread the cream evenly over your hair. Repeat this until all your roots are covered. 

7. If you also want to refresh your lengths and ends, apply the dye on the rest of your hair 10 minutes before rinsing

8. Wait 30 minutes…

9. Rinse under a warm shower until the water runs clear. 

10. Use the multi-application conditioner to keep your hair feeling soft and looking shiny. 

11. Rinse again until the water runs clear

12. Towel dry your hair and apply your leave in conditioner

How to blend dark roots with blonde hair 

There are also a few things to consider before you get started, to make sure your dark roots blend in subtly with the rest of your blonde.

• If you want your hair to look natural, consider going a shade or so darker on the root, as bleach takes to natural hair much faster, and you could end up with a band of darker colour where your root touch-up meets the rest of your hair.

• If you’re getting close to your root touch up time, try wearing your hair curly and with lots of volume. The curlier your hairstyle, the more subtle your roots will appear.

• You could opt to change your look, using your darker roots for the start of an ombre or balayage style – instead of blonde root touch-up, buy a brown hair dye in your natural shade and apply it to about halfway down your hair. Say goodbye to root touch-ups forever!