It’s now chic to show your roots – if you do it the right way

Like it or loathe it, we have Kim Kardashian to thank for popularising roots. Ahead of the Met Gala, the reality star dyed her ebony hair platinum blonde, but left a deep demarcation line. Earlier this week, former Destiny’s Child member, Kelly Rowland, appeared on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival with a bright blonde bob accented by stark dark roots.

Known in hair salons as a “shadow”, a darker root can be incorporated into the hair-colouring process to provide contrast, something Madonna’s hair colourist, Nicola Clarke, says can often be more complexion-boosting than root-to-tip blonde.

“For brunettes especially, when going blonde you want to keep the hair closest to the skin dark to prevent the face from looking washed out,” she says.

Serena Williams is a good example of someone who’s got it right, Clarke adds. “Against a dark base, the golden tone, accented with flecks of caramel, creates this halo effect that suits her complexion.”

When exaggerated, exposing roots can be a subversive way to turn what’s traditionally considered a sign that you haven’t been keeping up with your hair maintenance into a fashion statement. But a softer interpretation of root shadow is a trick that hair colourists use to add dimension to midlife locks that have lost their lustre.

“Rather than highlighting over the greys, you can tint the roots back to their original base colour and then slice through the hair with some warmer pieces before balayaging the ends. You end up with a soft, multi-tonal look that can appear more natural than a full head of highlights close to the root,” explains Clarke.

You needn’t have greys to benefit from balayage, however. The French technique of painting lighter pieces throughout the mid lengths and ends creates a broader shadow area on top that grounds the whole look. “By brightening unexpected pieces, such as the baby hairs around the ears, you can mimic the effects of the sun without touching the roots,” says Cetera Lamb from John Frieda, who colours Kate Winslet’s hair.

Look to Sarah Jessica Parker – who has been photographed this week filming the third season of And Just Like That… – as the perfect example of this more gentle and blended approach to showing roots, with her darker roots subtly transforming into blonde ends.

If you’re a seasoned bottle-blonde, letting your roots grow back will provide more options moving forward, though regrowth can be drawn out and not without teething issues. “If you’ve got greys mixed in with your natural colour, this can be frustrating for someone who’s used to having fresh highlights every six weeks,” points out Lamb.

Once you’ve got a few inches of regrowth you can wipe the slate clean by tinting roots back to their original colour, says Clarke. But, due to the chemical process the end result is always a hint warmer than your natural shade.

In between salon appointments, Color Wow’s Root Cover Up is a godsend. Or try Josh Wood’s Colour Blending Brush to gently cover stray greys and stretch out the time between hair salon visits. And if anyone asks about your roots? Simply point out just how on trend you are.

Try these...

L’Oreal Instant Root Concealer Spray, £5.99; Color Wow Root Cover Up, £29.50 ; Josh Wood Blending Brush, £19