Color Me Bad: When It’s Time to Get Re-Touched

Nothing lasts forever, not even your color treatments. While we’d all like to be naturals, the truth is there are a lot of women who deviate from their god-given color in favor of something more eye-catching. But with change comes maintenance, especially if you’re striving not to look like a bottled blonde, brunette or whatever shade you may be. The frequency of treatments depends on certain factors such as color choice and hair length. The obvious time for a touch-up is when your roots begin to hold a hostile takeover on your head. A good rule of thumb is that highlights should be retouched every six to eight weeks. The faster your hair grows, the quicker your roots will begin to rear their ugly heads. Some people get highlights every other cut. Shorter hair usually calls for highlights every four to six weeks as the highlights are more noticeable. Hairstyle should also be taken into account. With straight hair, the roots are more apparent, while curlier hair tends to camouflage dark roots. If cost is an issue, there are steps you can take to mask your desperate need for haircare in the interim.Here are some recommendations from beautician and beauty expert Angel Vee. One approach is to boost volume by the roots. Using a comb, tease the area to lift up the roots. For best results, use a root volumizer to the head. Then begin teasing. For blondes, baby powder can be your best friend when trying to cover those dark roots. Sprinkle the scalp with baby powder. Don’t go overboard or you’ll end up looking like a total flake. Vee also suggests using a combination of lemon and coconut oil and applying it to the root. Cover the head with a processing cap. Either blow dry the hair for 15 minutes or sit out in the sun. Then rinse with cold water. If you prefer not to mess with the coloring, use accessories to distract from the roots. Hats, scarves and headbands are all effective in disguising dark roots.