Ask the Experts: Dark Roots, Blonde Hair: The Perfect Low-Maintenance Hair Colour September 30, 2020 05:30

Need Low Maintenance Colour?

Dark roots, blonde hair? Why not! Dark roots used to be a blonde's worst nightmare, but in recent years a dark, smudgy root has become a blonde hair colour trend.

With summer hair in our sights, we talked to salon owner Jennifer Morgan about this now very mainstream trend.

The flattering look relies on proper root blending and hair toning, which should always be left up to one of our professional team. The looks is super low maintenance since your natural hair colour grows in nicely and without any harsh lines. If you're thinking about going blonde (or blonder), take a look at these dark roots with blonde haircolor techniques.

Icy Blonde with a Root Shadow

A good rule of thumb for matching dark roots to light hair is to reduce any harsh contrast. This means you shouldn’t pair light platinum blonde hair and jet black roots without the right technique, like a shadow root technique. This is when a stylist uses a hair colour brush to tap a dark formula at the roots to help it blend into the icy blonde. When going with blonde hair this light, use a three-step strengthening treatment in the first two weeks after your lightening service. This can protect your hair from breakage and help your icy blonde look healthier overall.

Beige Blonde with a 'Sombre'

To help beige blonde hair and dark roots look good together, ask us about using a sombré technique. Think of sombré hair as the subtler sister of ombré. It literally means soft ombré, so it pairs a dark brunette at the roots with a lighter colour from the mid-shaft to the ends for a subtler look. If your hair needs a little extra TLC after your hair colour service, you can try treating it to a deep conditioning mask for dry hair.

Golden Blonde Balayage

What makes hair colour with caramel and copper tones so appealing is its ability to instantly brighten up and warm your complexion. This is key when it comes to determining how well the colour will suit your overall look. First, you need to know which brunette complements your skin tone, this will determine if warm or cool tones work for you and would be your base colour as a brunette. Then, you can play around with warm and cool toned caramel or red shades. If your skin is warm-toned, then add the pieces of warmth around the face. An easy way to determine if warm or cool tones will work for you is to figure out your skin’s undertone. You can do this by flipping over your wrist and taking a look at your veins. If your veins are yellow/green, then you have warm undertones and if your veins are blue you have cool undertones. We will be able to confirm for you, but this can be used as a general guide for figuring out which brunette complements your skin tone.

Root Faded Sun-Kissed Blonde

If you’re a natural brunette itching to go lighter, asking us about keeping your roots dark to make the transition look seamless. In this look, a root smudging technique is used to blend the hair colour which prevents unwanted lines from forming against the highlighted pieces. Since the rest of your hair will require lifting to go from brunette to blonde, we always add FibrePlex into the colour and to maintain your new blonde you will need a silver shampoo or a FabPro conditioner at home.

Blonde with Deep Roots

When you can’t decide whether you want to go completely blonde or keep your natural shade of brunette, there’s bronde hair. Here, dark roots are applied down to eye level and the rest of the hair is kept a light shade of brown or blonde. By using this technique, the grown-out roots look intentional and not like you missed a hair appointment. When it comes time to wash your hair, opt for a gentle cleanser that won’t strip away your color, like this sulfate-free shampoo for color-treated hair.

HOT TIP: This guide can help you figure out which shampoo and conditioner you should be using to maintain your haircolor.

Classic Honey Blonde Ombre 

If you want a high contrast haircolor that’s noticeably dark at the top and light at the bottom, consider going for a classic ombré. For this honey blonde hair, an ombré technique was used to bring the dark roots down to the chin area and transitions into a honey blonde gradient at the ends. To help keep your two-tone hair looking shiny at home, try using a vinegar rinse for hair.

To make your next colour booking...