Beauty
How To Make Your Overgrown Roots Work For You
Because salon appointments are still a while away.
Something I've found myself missing in lockdown lately is trips to the hair salon. When you have dyed hair re-growth can be a real issue, and I'm coming up to six months worth of root (I timed it very badly between lockdowns). But recently, I've been learning to embrace my roots, and am actually more at peace with them. If you’re looking to do the same, here's how to style overgrown roots until you can book in a salon appointment.
This advice comes from both my own experience, as well as experts Anita Rice and Stephen Buller, Co-Founders of sustainable salon Buller and Rice. They see this time before salons re-open as actually a great time to embrace your roots and see what you can do with them. "Coming back to the salon should be an exciting experience for everyone, even if you're just getting your regular service and maintaining your trademark look. However, it could be the perfect time for you to experiment and start something new and fresh," the pair comment.
Salons are not due to open before April 12, so we still have around five weeks or so at least until we'll be able to get our roots sorted. And even then, it may be a bit of a struggle to actually secure an appointment, given the high demand that's bound to occur. With that in mind, why not learn how to style your overgrown roots, with tips and tricks from the experts.
How To Make Your Roots Work For You
While overgrown roots can feel like they have a lot of downsides, they can also be stylish if you know how to rock them.
"We believe that to embrace something new you need to apply the same principles as to most things in life; self confidence is key," say Rice and Buller. "You need to own that look, and it will work for you."
This can be possible for those with blonde hair and dark roots ("we are always a fan of a strong root contrast, a ‘dirty, grungy blonde’ with a deep natural root," they say) along with those who may be starting to go silvery grey at the root: "not only is this is a very graceful approach, but is also considered very ‘on trend," the pair state.
If you need any more proof that roots can look cool, plenty of celebrities have sported the overgrown look in recent years, even prior to coronavirus-related salon closures. Take for example the likes of Dua Lipa and Margot Robbie, who pull them off with ease.
Colour Switches That Work Well With Roots
If you’ve actually come round to the idea of having roots, you may be interested in looking into different colour trends you hadn’t considered before, like ombre or balayage. If so, this is the ideal time to give it a go when getting back to the salon, the duo say.
“When transferring from a full head of bleach to a more natural result like balayage, it's a lot nicer to work with longer roots,” they state. “This gives the stylist more room to create a softer merge.”
“Working with natural hair colour has a more predictable outcome than coloured hair, therefore if you have been stuck in a bleaching cycle lockdown has given you the roots you need to create a softer longer lasting balayage look. The longer the natural regrowth is, the nicer the blend will be.”
The Best Hairstyles For Styling Out Roots
If you don't fancy trying a colour trend that complements your root growth and can't wait to get them 'done,' there are some fail-safe hairstyle options you can turn to in the mean time to cover them up as much as possible.
Tousled with volume
The first, and perhaps easiest style to opt for is one with lots of volume and tousle. This will help to disguise the root area, rather than draw attention to it. "Playing with various textures helps avoid visible roots," say Buller and Rice. "Curly textures expand the hair and create lots of volume to help camouflage," for example. Avoid super straight styles or anything slicked back, as this will just emphasise the area.
Pile on the hair accessories
When all else fails, I recommended going wild with your hair accessories. I've found hair bands to be particularly handy during this time (for when I can't wear a hat outside!), so they've become my BFFs during work Zoom calls. Or you could invest in some pretty clips, which will have people looking at your accessories rather than your roots.
