A root smudge applies toner or gloss the same shade as your natural color or a shade slightly lighter than your natural color to your roots, “smudging” it down until it reaches your highlights.
A root smudge generally keeps the darker hue close to your roots, while a shadow root extends the darker hue further down the hair for a more pronounced gradient effect. You can think of a shadow root as a sort of subtle ombré—the transition is meant to be intentional, rather than lived-in.
A shadow root, also known as a “root tap,” is a toning technique in which fresh highlights are toned with two different levels of toner, with a darker tone applied within zone 1 and the lighter tone applied to the rest of the hair.
Root Smudge Colour Application:
It can be helpful to spritz the roots with 2-3 sprays of water from a spray bottle before applying colour to your roots. Applying colour to damp hair makes it easier to glide the product through the hair, creating a natural transition with the lighter lengths.
Yes, you can tone your hair even if your roots have come in. However, there are a few things to consider: Color Match: Make sure the toner you choose complements both the colored lengths and your natural roots. If your roots are significantly darker or a different tone, the results may not be uniform.
A root smudge applies toner or gloss the same shade as your natural color or a shade slightly lighter than your natural color to your roots, “smudging” it down until it reaches your highlights.
Keep your lengths refreshed and gorgeous with a semi-permanent colour or toner. This approach will give you complete grey coverage, while keeping your colour and overall hair health in its best possible condition!
Root smudging is typically done in salons to buffer or blend the darkness of your natural root color with the lighter, highlighted hair. This involves using a shade similar to your natural root color or one to two shades lighter to just slightly bump up your dark roots to blend with the lighter highlights.
You can expect your root smudge to last up to two to three months without a touch-up.
Palladino adds that toners aren't one specific product, and you can't go out and just buy a “toner.” Demi-permanent colors, glosses, tinted shampoos, and conditioners can all be considered toners because they all contain pigments that adjust the tone of your hair.
There's two reasons why your hair is still brassy after toning or colouring. Either the undertone of the toner/colour is wrong, or the product is too light for you.
Wiping a toner on the face with a cotton pad or toning cloth is the preferred method.
WHAT IS A ROOT BUMP?? ✔️ it's when a stylist applies an all over base color at your roots in addition to your highlights. It is similar to a root smudge, but with a lighter color instead of a darker tone.
Greys aren't just a concern for darker hair colours - those growing out highlights or with balayage are also at risk. So what can we do about it? "At home you would 'root smudge' to cover the grey hair using a permanent colour, but you must protect the balayage in the ends,” Josh warns.
"If you want a more lived-in feel, you'd go for a smudge, and if you want your colour closer to the root, go for a tap. If you want it really lived in, ask for balayage because it doesn't go up to the root."
Babylights are very delicate, white-blonde highlights created using a very fine colour technique to mimic that blonde hue achieved if your hair is naturally lightened in the sun. One of the main attractions of the Babylights techniques is that it can be applied to any hair colour and any length (long/short).
Root “tapping” is when a small amount of your natural color is applied just on a small amount of hair at the root, specifically in your part line. In the same manner that a root smudge is done, but less. Root smudge is generally done farther down on the hair strands, creating more depth.
The price of root smudge depends on the location and size of the salon, the expertise of the hair colorist, etc., and is usually $150-$250.
"A color melt is when you're taking two shades, and you're blending them together,” explains Rodriguez. “Essentially, you're creating that third shade, so you really have that beautiful diffusion between one shade into the other.”
Cool-leaning colors in light to dark shades like platinum, ash, beige, and medium blonde are especially well-suited for gray blending.
Pick a lighter hair colour
A lighter colour will then look better. Your hair follicles produce less pigment as you're turning older. If there's no more pigment being produced in the hair follicles, your hair turns pigmentless.
If not, don't worry – essentially, in color theory, purple is opposite to yellow, so by using purple-toned shampoo, it helps to neutralize the unwanted yellow or brassy tones that can appear in gray and blonde hair.
It could be that your hair is resistant to tint, especially when the hair texture has changed as a result of going white. But also it could be that by going lighter, either all over, or by introducing (subtle) highlights you would not see the regrowth strip quite as quickly as if it were lighter.