Root Touch-Up: How Often You Need One
By Bella Garcia · · 4 min read
Your color looked perfect when you left, and then about a month later there it is: a stripe of new growth along your part. How soon you need to come back depends on how fast your hair grows, how far your color is from your natural shade, and how much regrowth you're comfortable seeing. Here's how to plan it.
What is a root touch-up?
At our salon, a root touch-up is a single permanent color applied from the root to mid-shaft, with a blowdry included. It takes about 1 hr 15 mins. The point is to cover new growth and refresh the part of your hair that's closest to your face and most visible, without recoloring your ends every single visit.
Skipping the ends matters. Pulling permanent color through the full length every few weeks can build up on older hair, making ends look darker, flatter, or muddier than your roots over time.
How often do you need a root touch-up?
Hair grows roughly half an inch a month on average, though everyone's a little different. That's why most people land somewhere between 4 and 8 weeks:
- Every 4 to 5 weeks: covering gray, or wearing a shade that's much darker or lighter than your natural color
- Every 6 to 8 weeks: wearing a shade within a level or two of your natural color, so regrowth blends
- Longer: if you don't mind a softer, grown-in look between visits
A simple way to find your own number: take a photo of your part in daylight every week after your appointment. The week you start styling around your roots is your timing.
What makes roots show sooner
- Contrast: the bigger the gap between your color and your natural shade, the faster the line shows
- Gray: white or silver regrowth stands out quickly against dark brown or black
- Growth rate: some people simply grow hair faster
- Your part: a crisp center part shows regrowth more than a deep side part
- Styling: slicked-back ponytails and sleek buns put your roots on display
Root touch-up vs. full color
Both are a single permanent color. The difference is how far it goes. A root touch-up covers root to mid-shaft. Full color covers root to end and takes about 1 hr 30 mins, blowdry included. Book full color when you're changing your shade, or when your ends have faded enough that a touch-up would leave the bottom half looking different from the top.
A common pattern is two or three root touch-ups, then a full color, then back to touch-ups. Between those, some clients add a gloss or toner. They do different jobs. A gloss is clear: it's all shine, no color. A toner is a semi-permanent, low-commitment color that adjusts tone and adds shine. Our breakdown of when to choose gloss or toner goes deeper.
If you have highlights instead of all-over color, regrowth tends to blend more gradually because there's no solid line. You may go longer between visits. Our post on how babylights and full highlights grow out covers that in detail.
Before your appointment
- Arrive with dry hair. Second-day hair is usually fine for permanent color.
- Skip heavy styling products at the roots that day so color applies evenly.
- Tell us about anything new. Box dye, a new medication, or a scalp reaction to past color all matter.
- Bring a daylight photo of your color from when you liked it best, so we can match it.
How to stretch time between touch-ups
- Switch your part. Flipping to the opposite side hides an extra week or two.
- Add volume or texture at the crown to break up the line.
- Wash with lukewarm water and a color-safe shampoo.
- Use a heat protectant before hot tools, which can make color fade faster.
- Wear a hat in strong sun. UV is a big reason color fades and turns brassy.
The sun point is real here. Long stretches of bright weather around El Monte mean color often fades faster in summer than in winter. For more on protecting your shade, read what actually slows color fading.
Book ahead, not when it's urgent
The easiest way to stay on schedule is to book your next touch-up before you need it. Once you know your number of weeks, put it on the calendar, especially if you have a wedding, trip, or photos coming up. Roots always seem to show the week before an event. For availability, book online with the BOOK button.
Color pricing at Beya Studios
A root touch-up is $100 and full color is $130, both with a blowdry. A gloss is $100 and a toner is $100, each about 1 hr 20 mins with a blowdry included. Every color option is listed on our color and styling price list.
Unsure which one you need? Message us a photo of your roots and we'll help you decide.
FAQ
How many weeks should I wait between root touch-ups?
Most people book every 4 to 8 weeks. If you're covering gray or your color is far from your natural shade, the 4-to-5-week end usually feels better.
How far down does a root touch-up go?
Our root touch-up is a single permanent color from the root to mid-shaft, so it covers regrowth and refreshes the upper part of your hair. Full color goes all the way from root to end.
Is a blowdry included with a root touch-up?
Yes. Both the root touch-up and full color include a blowdry, so you leave with your hair finished.
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