Hair Color for Roots

Stretch your hair color for another two to three weeks

One of the drawbacks of coloring your hair is that after a few weeks, you're sure to see the telltale signs of your natural or gray roots peeking through. Whether you have your hair colored at a salon or you do it at home, there are several products that can help you go a little longer between colorings.

Clairol Nice 'n Easy Root Touch-Up (Est. $7) gets great reviews from experts at Good Housekeeping and InStyle magazines, both of which say that this permanent hair color can easily buy you an extra two to three weeks between salon visits. If that's not enough, beauty expert Paula Begoun says that you can apply Root Touch-Up as often as you want to new root growth. Consumers at MakeupAlley.com, where it earns an above-average overall score of 3.8 out of 5 from nearly 200 users, say that the brush applicator is easy to use.

The touch-up kit is available in 21 shades that blend in seamlessly with your base shade, according to users. Clairol also provides an online tool that helps you match Root Touch-Up shades to those of leading brands.

Most experts warn, however, that color-processed hair picks up new color faster than natural hair. It's important to apply new color directly to your roots only. If the rest of your hair needs a boost, you can comb the color through to the ends five minutes before rinsing.

L'Oréal Paris Root Rescue (Est. $7) works in a similar manner to Clairol's Root Touch-Up, but it has a squeeze tube applicator with a comb tip. Reviewers say it's easy to apply, although the runny formula can be a bit messy. The touch-up kit gets a low overall rating from users at MakeupAlley.com.

Many complain that the shades don't match existing hair color very well. Some say the formula turned their roots orange. For these reasons it's so important to perform a strand test before using any at-home hair color kit. We ultimately chose Clairol Nice 'n Easy as the best hair color for roots because users are much more satisfied with the results.