5 Products That’ll Help You Extend The Life Of Your Dye Job (No DIY Required)

There are going to be times in your life — perhaps when you at last find yourself stranded on that desert island — when you won't be able to go to the salon. This will be a sad moment for all with colored hair who made the mistake of not keeping a can of root touch-up spray in their arsenals. If you act now, you won't be that person.

Sometimes grown-out roots can wind up looking like a fashion statement. Like, for instance, when Blake Lively accidentally created the shade bronde because she was admittedly too lazy to get her hair done. If you're not as lucky, it can otherwise result in something you might find less desirable: maybe blonde peeking out under chestnut, or vice versa, with a few grays thrown into the mix.

The only thing that can save you from hosting an unwanted salt-and-pepper party on your head (save for a full at-home DIY) is a touch-up product you can use at home. In fact, touch-up sprays are so reliable these days that they have become some people's Plan A, whether because of budget or busy schedules.

In any case, these five spray-on, draw-on, and brush-on dyes will help hold you over until you and your colorist reunite.

R+Co's Bright Shadows Root Touch-Up Spray

R+Co's temporary touch-up spray is a short-term solution for concealing gray roots between salon visits. It's available in seven shades — two blondes, three browns, red, and black — and is also formulated with hair-strengthening ingredients like biotin (which also promotes growth) and shine-enhancing pearl extract.

Madison Reed's Brush-On Powder

With Madison Reed's powder color, you can literally brush the roots away. Packaged up like a bronzer, this temporary color is good for 60 uses (and it can double as eyebrow powder, too!). These six shades last until your next shampoo and perhaps even longer if you set it with some hairspray.

Rita Hazan's Root Concealer For Grays

Rita Hazan's Root Concealer has 800-plus five-star ratings on Sephora for a reason. Water and pillowcases are no match for this anti-transfer, waterproof color, available in five natural shades. Its targeted nozzle also ensures that you're only getting color where you want it. You wouldn't want to waste it, after all.

Oribe's Airbrush Highlight Reviver

Quick-drying microfine pigments correct grays and grown-out highlights while rice starch does the duty of a dry shampoo, soaking up dirt and oils to refresh second-day hair. As an added bonus, Oribe's Airbrush Root Touch Up Spray also protects against UV rays, which is one of the main reasons colored hair fades in the first place.

Bumble And Bumble's Versatile Color Stick

Hair color in a crayon is what you can call this genius product to come from Bumble and bumble's universally-loved lineup. The Color Stick — available in five shades — uses a velvety combination of mineral-based pigments, dry fibers, and microspheres to provide and seal color. Its unique stick application makes it all the more blendable and, unlike most sprays, mess-free.