The Best At-Home Hair Dyes for When You Can't Get to the Salon

For those among us who dye their hair, I trust that you understand regular salon trips can be a bit costly. Besides the fact that coloring your hair is expensive, it also takes up a lot of valuable time and requires some serious commitment. Take me, for example. With every salon trip, I get my balayage brought up so that my blonde streaks start roughly two to three inches from my roots. It has now been four months since my last colour appointment, and it’s fair to say my once-beachy balayage now resembles just-tipped dip-dye.  

The reason I leave it so long between salon treatments is because I deem going to the salon a bit of a nuisance. The truth is regular salon trips are often so inconvenient that regular color touch-ups aren’t always doable, and that’s okay. So what exactly can be done to help grown-out lengths? Well, I truly never thought I’d say it, but box dyes have come a really long way. And while I do advise a permanent box dye should always be a last resort, more recently we’ve also seen a rise in products that help prolong the life of color without relying on strand-damaging bleach.

Best At-Home Hair Dye

Photo:

@SABINASOCOL

So if your roots are overdue some TLC and you’re seriously considering taking measures into your own hands, keep scrolling for the best at-home hair tints, colours, glosses and dyes to help tide you over.

1. Madison Reed Radiant Hair Care Kit

When it comes to at-home dyes, these Madison Reed hair color kits are as good as they get. Not only are they super easy to use, but they are also incredibly conditioning and kind to hair. Most importantly though, the finished results look incredibly natural.

2. Christophe Robin Shade Variation Mask

This thick and richly nourishing mask not only helps to condition color-weary strands but also deposits temporary pigment to help restore color brilliance. 

3. Nice'n Easy Clairol Root Touch-Up Permanent Hair Color Kit

If it's just your roots that need a touch-up, there's no need to jeopardise the health of your lengths too. This super-easy-to-use color comes with a handy brush so that you can just apply the dye to the roots.

4. Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask

If your overdue color appointment was scheduled to be more of a color refresh rather than a total overhaul, then this clever mask could be perfect. Simply slather all over clean, wet hair, leave for five minutes, and wash off to reveal beautifully toned lengths.

5. Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Dye

Forget burning scalps and flat-looking color. This at-home permanent color solution contains a ton of flower oils, which, compared to formulas of yesteryear, leave hair shinier, smoother, and healthier.

6. Christophe Robin Temporary Color Gel

This temporary gel is the perfect way to help disguise grays, and the color payoff itself is subtle enough so that you can avoid drastic issues. It's the perfect quick fix. 

7. Bleach London Champagne Super Toner Kit

Ideal for those with blonde hair that's starting to turn brassy, this powerful at-home toner gives a long-lasting pearly finish to pre-lightened hair that needs a helping hand. 

8. Rita Hazan True Color Ultimate Shine Gloss

From the superstar hairstylist responsible for Beyoncé's color, this easy-to-use in-shower hair gloss keeps color looking salon-fresh. 

9. John Frieda Precision Foam Color

If you usually find box kits too tricky to navigate, this quick permanent colour is formulated as a foam to make things super easy (and a lot less messy).