... AND HERE’S HOW TO MAKE IT LAST
PRODUCTS TO PROTECT
WORRY less about sulphate-free or colour-specific products and more about keeping hair moisturised — as colouring can dry it out.
Find one that’s right for your hair type — Pantene Aqua Light (£3, Boots) is good for moisturising without weighing down, while Kiehl’s Smoothing Oil-Infused Conditioner (from £9, feelunique.com) is a good heavy-duty option.
Using a gloss — once the preserve of salons, now available in shops — is a quick way to give colour a weekly pep up. Used between shampoo and conditioner, it doesn’t add colour but can reinvigorate what’s there, and give hair an extra shot of shine. Try Rita Hazan True Colour Ultimate Shine Gloss (£21, selfridges.com). The one thing we know that definitely speeds up colour fade is the sun, so always use a protective spray when on holiday, or out in bright sunshine. Try Aveda’s Sun Care Protective Hair Veil (£22.50, aveda. co.uk) and Phyto Protective Sun Veil (£15, hqhair.com). And heated styling tools (straighteners, curling irons and the like) can also make your colour look dull, so if you really can’t live without them, definitely use a protective spray or lotion before
styling. These won’t give you 100 per cent protection against the dulling effects of the heat but they will help to preserve your colour. Try GHD Heat Protect Spray (£12.95, ghdhair.com) or Living Proof Restore Perfecting Spray (£13, cultbeauty.co.uk).
STYLE OUT REGROWTH
DISGUISE regrowth by changing the styling of your hair, according to where your regrowth is most obvious.
So if you see greys coming through along your parting, wear hair swept straight back off your face.
Conversely, if you struggle with regrowth around your temples, simply shifting where you usually part your hair can help. ‘Avoid a middle parting as this makes any regrowth really obvious,’ advises Richard Ward, the man who the Duchess of Cambridge famously entrusted her hair to. ‘Instead try a messy zig-zag parting, or wear your hair in a side parting as this will make roots less visible.’
CLEVER COSMETICS
THERE are a whole gamut of products out there — from crayons to sprays and powders, all of which claim to cover roots until washed or brushed out.
Sprays cover a larger area more quickly, but can be difficult to control and leave colour on your scalp — a dead giveaway.
Start gently and while the product is still wet, use a damp cotton bud to clean any overspray on the scalp, then gently blast with a hairdryer. Try Charles Worthington Instant Root Concealer (£9.99) and L’Oreal Magic Retouch Spray (£8.99) both in a range of shades. Pencils and brushes allow more precision — try root touch-up powders for the best combination of coverage, without a flat result. Color Wow Root Coverup (£28.50, colorwowhair.com) comes with a double-ended brush that helps apply and blend with ease, while EverPro Beauty Zero Grey Root Touch Up Magnetic Powder has a sponge applicator that you use to dab the powder onto the hair. Both stay put until you wash them out.