I was due to get my grays touched up the week after lockdown began. So I had to try this whole hair color at home thing very early on during quarantine. I’m not going to lie. I was petrified. I’ve been seeing the same colorist, Kim Vo, for over ten years. And I’ve never colored my hair myself. Learn how to cover your grays at home.

Usually when I’m a couple of weeks overdue for hair appointments, I use a temporary spray to cover grays. My favorite is Oribe Airbrush Root Touch Up Spray (I use Dark Brown). It smells delicious and is easy to spray onto grays. If I only have a few grays, I use my TouchBack Gray Root Touch Up Marker (also in Dark Brown). It basically acts like a magic marker and lets you easily paint sporadic gray hairs. The only problem with both is that they wash out the minute you shower.

Temporary gray hair solutions are fine if you know you’re going to see hair colorist soon. But with no date on when salons will re-open in California, I knew I had to take the risk and color my roots myself. I decided to go with L’Oreal Magic Root Rescue. Before applying, I asked my #ssInstaFam for any at-home hair color tips. And they majorly came through! In case you’re planning to try to cover your roots during quarantine here is everything I learned, both from their tips, as well as my own experiences:

tips for coloring your hair at home

Protect your face

The directions in my at-home hair color kit were extensive and thorough. The only thing I feel like they were missing? A foreword about protecting your face. You know when you’re at the salon and your colorist puts a barrier cream around your hairline? Well, the kit doesn’t come with any. So just make do with whatever you have at home: Vaseline works well if you have it. I didn’t so I used Aquaphor, which did the trick. Just apply it to your skin right around your hairline, including the tops of your ears.

Wear dark clothing & Use dark towels

When applying the color, make sure to wear a dark color top in case the dye gets on your clothing. Also use a dark color towel when you get out of the shower. I didn’t have one so I just used a dog towel that I don’t care about.

manage your expectations

While the package said it was permanent color, after a few weeks I’ve noticed my color starting to fade. This never happened when I saw Kim! But I reminded myself, that’s why he’s a renowned colorist. I’m a using a box dye that’s under $10. Still, it definitely does the trick for the time being. I simply I ordered a new box and will do another round of at-home color next week. Hopefully by the time it starts to fade again, salons will re-open.

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I hope this helps you if you’re planning to dye your hair at home! And if you are, I highly recommend buying your color kit ASAP. I read an article saying hair dye is the new toilet paper of quarantine shopping.