The Best At-Home Hair Color Options For Every Dilemma, According To Colorists (2025)

So you've been doing your part by staying home and social distancing (👏👏👏) but now your roots are coming in and you're trying to figure out how to get through these next weeks or months without going into the salon. First of all, don't panic—it can be done. But to ensure you get what you need, you're going to want to follow these expert tips before getting started.

"Start by calling your colorist and see if they're offering a curbside delivery of your hair color," says Katelyn Bode, owner of The Copper Comb Salon in Oklahoma who is dropping off a custom mix along with gloves, a mixing bowl, application brush, and a disposable cape to her clients. Next, she says to assess what your hair color actually needs. "Is it your roots that need touching up? Is your color turning brassy or losing its shine? Depending on what you're looking to achieve, boxed color isn't always the answer." In fact, Bode suggests that boxed color is your last resort as it's the method that tends to have the most application errors.

If your color just needs a glow-up, try a color-enhancing shampoo and conditioner. "Extending your salon color at home is best done by using color depositing shampoos and conditioners," says MATRIX Celebrity Colorist George Papanikolas. "They neutralize unwanted brassy tones for all hair colors, from platinum blonde to dark brown." Another similar option is a color-depositing gloss.

As for your roots, first try a temporary root touch up spray. "They disguise your roots or grays in video calls and will last until you wash it out," says Bode. If, after all this, you still feel like you need the permanent solution of hair dye, just make sure to follow these tips. "Don't trust the girl that's on the box," warns celebrity colorist Tracey Cunningham. "Go one shade lighter than your natural hair color as too much lighter will pick up red tones." She also suggests staying in the ashy and neutral tones as most peoples hair color tends to fall in those categories rather than gold.

When it comes to applying your hair dye, Cunningham recommends only doing your hairline, part, and crown—basically, the places that are most visual to you and your video conference call. If your colorist dyes your hair all one color you can apply the color from roots to ends, but if you get highlights or some combination of the two, keep the dye at your roots and don't comb it through to your ends. "This will help preserve your dimension in the length of your hair, and make it easier for your colorist to blend out once you're able to see them again," Cunningham explains.

Now that you know all of the basics, here are the best products for maintaining your hair color at home.

Revlon recently launched this clean hair dye that comes in 16 shades and has a handy chart on the side of the box that shows you what your results will be depending on your existing color.

This tried and true pick is an at home hair color staple. With over 25 shades to choose from, there's something for every tone and color and the no-drip formula makes for a mess-free application. Plus, coming in at less than $10, you won't mind touching up your regrowth again and again.

With over 50 shades to choose from and a formula that creates dimension (rather than one flat all over hue), this box dye is best for covering root growth on highlights as it will blend with ease.

This rich foam formula not only stays put while you apply it, it's also meant to make for a more even application—specifically to cover grays—so there's no patchy finish.

This set is made specifically to touch-up your roots and nothing else. It comes in seven shades and each kit comes with two applications along with a second set of all the other supplies (cap, bowl, and gloves).

For a low-effort way to maintain the vibrancy of your color, turn to Overtone. The brand has a range of highly pigmented conditionersto match your last dye jobas well as more daring colors like pink and teal should you want to go a totally different direction.

If your color is looking pretty dull, refresh it with this conditioner that both deeply nourishes the hair and deposits some pigment to extend your dye job. Hair will look fresh out the salon.

Blonde hair tends to dull or skew golden fast but a purple tinted shampoo like this one helps nix both of those fast. The added blend of avocado oil and keratin help keep hair hydrated, too.

With eight shades to choose from, you'll be able to find the exact color or concern you're looking to target with this color-depositing gloss. And if you just want shine—no tint—they have that too.

This mineral powder latches onto hair to not only cover up your roots but also make them appear thicker. Choose between eight shades to and precisely nix grays or new growth with the double-ended applicator that can target large areas or precise, smaller ones.

Root sprays typically only come in a light and dark shade but this one comes in seven different shades to be able to tackle roots on every hair color. Just be sure to let it dry for at least 30 seconds before touching it so it can set.

You can quite literally color in your unwanted roots with this temporary color marker. Available in eight shades it hides gray hairs and new growth until your next wash.