What can I do about my roots? Help!

[badpoet]

I posted back in November about a horror haircut & colour I had, where the salon website promised that I would have a 'lifestyle assessment' and anything done would meet my needs and budget but the stylist chose to hear that I would have my hair coloured regularly and I let them sweep me off my feet.

Anyway - the cut has grown out and I have had it cut locally since, it's fine now. But the colour (which was meant to be darker and fade out naturally) is lighter, going brassy and growing out really obviously and I have a strip of dark roots - I never really coloured my hair before so I feel very self-conscious!

Obvious plan is a home colour but I have patches of irritation around my hairline just now and I don't think it's a very good idea. Is there anything I can do oh wise ones?

short of going for a sexy grunge look (ie abit of backcombing and a salt spray) there isn't much you can do. There are crayon-like products out there that let you paint your roots but I think they only really look inconspicuous on dark hair. Concentrate on getting the irritation cleared up and then go for colour.

Try an sls free shampoo/conditioner to startwith and if it still doesn't clear up try philip kingsley's scalp mask and scalp toner (works wonders for me) or go to your gp.

I use Touch Back Temporary Hair Colour Market in between. Is dear but good and lasts for ages. Sorry on phone so can't link. My hairdresser sometimes touches up with brown mascara, best applied when hair is wet.

Long term I think you're going to have to lighten up!

Doh Marker not Market.

Patch test at a salon then foils. Keeps the colour off your skin. If you are more or less happy with the natural colour of your roots, the salon should be able to match the dyed parts to your roots (without touching your roots and therefore your skin). Then maybe a few highlights from roots down to blend it all in.

Thanks all, good advice - it certainly does look better when I wear it wavy, so I wonder if I can pull off sexy grunge until I can save for foils? Probably not for work... I do like my natural colour - as I say I wanted a shade darker so no idea how I ended up like this! Too late to complain to salon (again) probably.

Philip Kingsley doesn't work for me sadly, tried it a few times. I have longstanding skin probs/eczema and it will clear up. I only use sls free anyway. Stopping scratching might help! I will speak to my kindly local hairdresser.

Thanks!