6 Easy Ways to Cover Your Grays

Are you a slave to the salon? Or do you stock up on at-home color, purchasing regularly to stay on top of covering up graying roots and pesky strands? Check out this batch of root-perfecting products, all designed to save you a trip to the salon, time, and money to boot. Read on >>

Wand: With two shades (brunette and black), an easy-to-use, mascara-like wand, and a price tag that's easy on the wallet, this is a great alternative to pricier touch-up techniques. Just brush on and go — the color won't flake or rub off and shampoos out. Avon Advance Techniques Color Protection Grey Root Touch-Up, $8, available at shop.avon.com

Sponge: A root touch up in under 10 minutes? Found! Root Erase by Color Silk comes with a precision control sponge to deliver the ammonia-free formula to roots, without brushes or bowls. Grays are covered up and the next salon visit just got bumped back. Plus, with 12 shades (in brown, black, red, and blonde), there's bound to be a match for your mane. Revlon Root Erase by ColorSilk, $4.49, available at revlon.com

Marker: The only root touch-up product to use real, temporary hair color to bond to hair, the TouchBack Marker contains no ammonia or peroxide, yet has staying power. The marker makes for easy application, dries in under a minute, and the effect is natural with no flaking. Available in eight shades. TouchBack Marker $29.95, available at touchbackgray.com

Spray: When it comes to sprays and hair, we're used to the kind that dispenses hold, not color. Enter Rita Hazan's temporary root touch-up — the first spray color on the market.
Choose one of five shades, spray your roots, and go. The paraben-free formula dries in seconds and is water-resistant, but easily washes out with shampoo. Rita Hazan Root Concealer Temporary Color Touch Up Spray, $24, available at Sephora.com

Pen: On average, hair grows 1/2" per month, making it nearly impossible to keep up with re-growth through regular color touch-ups. This pen allows for easy maintenance — use it to touch up roots and strands — and it'll wash out the next time you shampoo. Available in six shades. Oscar Blandi Pronto Colore Root Touch-Up & Highlighting Pen, $23, available at blandiproducts.com and Ulta.com

By far the cheapest and easiest way to cover gray is to truly cover it up. Throw on a hat or wrap your hair in a fun scarf, like this one from Lush. Tip: To preserve color after a salon visit, headgear is definitely the way to go, especially when in the sun. Lush Knot Wrap, $5.95, available at lushusa.com