Everything You Need to Know About Root Touch Ups

Touching up your roots between colorings is much easier than you think! First decide what works best for your situation: temporary or permanent. If you want temporary four-week coverage, opt for the Color Retouch root touch-up solution. When you want more permanent root touch-up hair color, reach for the same Garnier hair dye kit you used all over (touch-up directions are in the box). If you haven’t used at-home color, find your root touch-up match with our Virtual Try-On Tool. And check out our tutorials and videos for tips on root touch-ups.
Model with grown out roots applying hair color

What Is a Root Touch Up?

The main purpose of a root touch-up is to make your hair color uniform. You might only dye your hair every 6-8 weeks, but hair typically grows about ½ inch every 4 weeks. When that new growth is a totally different color, your dye job might start looking drab. A hair color root touch-up is the best solution because you can create a seamless blend by using the same shade as your all-over color. Concealing gray or white hair growth is another top reason for doing a root touch-up. You can even touch up your roots if you have highlights.

How Often Should You Touch Up Your Roots?

  • Root Touch-Up for All-Over Color: If your hair is already dyed, use the same brand and shade only on the roots every 3-6 weeks.
  • Root Touch-Up for Highlighted Hair: If your hair has highlights, do a root touch-up every 4-12 weeks depending on the level of contrast.

Model with red hair posing next to Garnier hair color box
Model applying hair color to roots

Tips for Root Touch Ups

  • Match and blend: Choose the same or similar shade as your all-over color for your root touch-up.
  • Keep it tidy: Apply a line of petroleum jelly around the hairline to avoid staining your skin. If you get any stray dye on your skin in the process, use Micellar Cleansing Water to wipe away.
  • Short and sweet: Dyeing your roots doesn’t take as long as all-over color so check the directions.

Shop Garnier Brands for Root Touch Up

Color Retouch

Garnier Color Retouch hair color collection

Touch up roots in just 10 minutes and get lasting 100% gray coverage.

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Nutrisse Ultra Coverage

Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Coverage hair color collection

Powered by CoverPlus™ Technology to cover even persistent grays.

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Nutrisse Ultra Crème

Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Crème hair color collection

Get radiant, long-lasting color and 100% gray coverage.

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Olia

Garnier Olia hair color collection

Enjoy brilliant hair color with multi-dimensional pigments.

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Nutrisse Ultra Color

Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Color hair color collection

Ultra vibrant and fade-resistant color in one step, even on dark hair.

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Frequently Asked Questions
  • Similar to all-over hair color, the length of time a hair root touch-up lasts depends on a few factors:

    • Type of hair: Coarse and gray hair tend to take longer to absorb hair dye, so your root touch-up product may fade faster if not left in long enough to fully penetrate.
    • Type of root touch-up product: On most hair types, permanent root touch-up solutions last for 3-6 weeks, while a temporary hair root touch-up product like Color Retouch will stay for up to 4 weeks.
    • Frequency of washing: It’s best not to wash treated hair too often because it tends to make root touch-ups fade faster.
  • Garnier Color Retouch is a specially formulated root touch-up solution that’s applied like a shampoo. Unlike our other hair color lines, it only takes 10 minutes to work its magic. Where standard hair dye usually lasts 6-8 weeks, Color Retouch colors for up to 4 weeks, and it’s available in 5 essential shades.
  • Since it’s best not to do all-over color too often, root touch-ups are a fabulous way to tide you over until your next color session. Remember you’re coloring new growth, so a touchup is its first dye job. Gray coverage on the roots and temples is another common reason to do a root touch-up to make those areas match the shade on rest of your mane.

Garnier Commits to Greener Beauty