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Shadow Root Hair Technique

Root darkening requires adherence to a certain method. The stylist applies the dye to the locks, leaving the roots as they are. It’s important that the transition between the root color and the base tone is blended softly and smoothly. This is the detail that makes shadow root hair look stylish and neat.

In terms of coloring, this transition can be radical — for example, chestnut roots and ash blond ends — or less noticeable, with roots one to two shades darker than the base color.

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Celebrity stylists have a few tricks up their sleeves for shadow root perfection. For example, stylist Justin Anderson applies the dye right at the roots. This helps him blend the color naturally with the highlights, which allows the hair to grow out in a subtle manner. The technique also helps get rid of any lines left behind by the foil. The process of coloring takes about 15 minutes, and then Anderson shampoos the hair, holding up the ends while rinsing.

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The main desire of stylist Chris Weber is to make the hair shades look as natural as possible. To do so, he tones down the color of the roots, making them just slightly darker than the rest of the hair so the result isn’t too bold and unnatural.

Weber also avoids using permanent dyes on the roots. He prefers keeping the natural color or going with a semi-permanent dye. This is because roots sometimes come in lighter, which can result in a dark band of color that will need to be touched up.

Instagram / @chrisweberhair

Colored Roots Trend

Do you like vibrant shades? Then, there’s one coloring technique that you should try this year – colored roots. This involves applying the shadow root technique using unicorn colors, smoothly blurring into pastel along the entire hair length – whereas the roots still remain darker than the other hair, creating the shadow effect.