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Going Back to your Roots

Sometimes taking a break from colouring your hair can be one of the best things you can do for your tresses. It can help improve your hair’s overall condition, plus save you a lot of time and money.

Having a small separation from colour is one thing, but what if you want to break up with colour permanently and return to your natural roots? After months or even years of regular colouring, seamlessly transitioning back to your natural colour can feel almost impossible. But with the right game plan and knowledge, going au natural can feel incredibly liberating and stress-free.

The first thing you want to do is to grow your hair out at least two inches so you can get a good look at your natural colour. Then, you can take the best route from there…

Goodbye highlights

If your highlights have become too much, too stripy or too high-maintenance and you are desperate of change, then getting your colourist to add in some lowlights that match your natural roots will help seamlessly blend the transition back to natural. These lowlights should darken your entire hair colour and help reduce the effect of the highlights.

A gloss colour can also be used at the roots to create a middle colour between your natural colour and your current highlights, helping to blend the two.

No more bleach!

No, we’re afraid it’s just not as easy as slapping on a dark colour over bleached hair. Doing this will just leave your hair looking patchy, especially if your hair is porous from previous bleach treatments.

The best way to reverse bleach is to apply an all over colour that is only a few shades darker than your current blonde. For example, opt for a caramel blonde shade. Then you need to repeat this process, slowly, until you get to your natural shade.

When dealing with bleached hair, using a mask and opting for in-salon treatments is a must in order to keep it healthy.

Out of the dark

Nothing is trickier then disguising light roots and dark strands. Often when going from dark to light it’s easy to rush into the bleaching process. But what a lot of people don’t understand is that when bleaching dark hair, you will be left with orange/red tresses until your desired colour is achieved. When going from dark to light, it’s best to take it slow, opting for highlights to help blend the multi-tones showing through.

A good way to do this is to get your colourist to create a base colour that is lighter than your current dye but darker than your natural colour, adding in highlights to lighten. Opting for balayage on the lengths will help to balance your roots and ends as you transition.

Put those pastels back in their box

Unicorn colours look fab, until the upkeep starts weighing you down. Whether you chose blue, pink or peach, these colours need a lot of work to stay looking good. Because pastel colours are notorious for fast fading, this makes them easy to grow out. Once the colour has faded to a good degree, applying an all over colour in your natural shade will help to minimize any discolouration. Adding in some high/lowlights too will add depth and dimension to your locks, whereas a gloss colour will help restore shine and vibrancy.

Extra tips and considerations:

  • When wanting to go back to your natural colour, make sure you take pictures with you when you see your colourist. This will help them work out the best route to take.
  • Adding lowlights or shadowing can set up the perfect ombre.
  • Expect fading. After your initial colour session, expect some fading to occur. Going back to your natural colour is a process.

Images: Hair Colour & Concept: Jack Howard. Hair Styling: Zoe Irwin. Make-up: Violet Zeng. Fashion: Sabina Emrit. Photography: Jay Mawson