How to Cover Roots & Gray Hair with Root Touch Up

The one thing about roots is that, well, they always come back. You know how it is. You get your hair colored (or you color it yourself). You have a few weeks of gorgeous hair color. And then you notice a glint in the mirror. A gray. Then grays. Your roots. They have begun to grow back! After all, hair grows roughly ½” a month, so it’s bound to happen. You don’t want to color again quite yet, but you also want to cover those pesky roots and grays. That’s why we created The Great Cover Up™ Root Touch Up & Brow Filler.

Stay with us to find out how to cover hair roots!

The Best Thing to Ever Happen to your Roots (and Brows!)

The Great Cover Up is makeup for hair & brows, instantly concealing roots with micro-milled pigments that perfectly mimic the reflective, multi-dimensional qualities of your hair, and filling in brows with natural-looking color. This portable powder compact covers your roots & grays while blending seamlessly with your hair for easy, on-the-go flawless touch ups. Includes a wide brush to expertly cover your grays, and a dual-sided brow applicator to flawlessly fill in your brows. 

Unlike a lot of the root touch up products in the marketplace such as messy sprays and sticky mascara-type wands, The Great Cover Up is never messy, isn’t sticky, and always perfect. And yes, it works on all hair types and textures!

• Rain, sweat, and pillow-proof–stays put until your next shampoo

• Lasts over 60 uses

• Perfect for easy on-the-go touch ups

• Free of titanium dioxide, parabens, phthalates, gluten, and SLS

• Enriched with hair-loving nutrients keratin, argan oil and ginseng root extract

• Available in 6 shades to blend with any hair color

Benefits of The Great Cover Up Root Touch Up & Brow Filler

Yes, we call The Great Cover Up a root touch up & brow filler, but it actually does more than that! Try these touch up techniques…

• Cover gray roots as they grow in

• Fill in and define your brows

• Refresh your blonde highlights with the Cascata + Pinoli blonde duo shade

See The Great Cover Up in Action

Not sure how one little compact can do so much? Check out this quick video we made to show you all the ways to use it…

What Others are Saying about The Great Cover Up

But don’t just take it from us. This is what Shvonne, our Client & Colorist Education Manager had to say about this multi-tasking compact, “I recommend this product because it was formulated to actually look like the soft dimensional color that complements our permanent color, as well as natural hair color. This product looks organic and believable, which is so important because it can be used on the brows too. Those details really matter for hairline and brows.” 

A Master Colorist Answers Your Questions About How to Use a Root Touch Up Powder

We decided to dig a little deeper with Shvonne, asking her some of the questions we get asked most often when it comes to using a root touch up powder for gray hair. Here’s what she said…

When Choosing Between Two Hair Color Options, is it Best to go with the Lighter or Darker Shade?

Shvonne says to always, “Go a little darker. Because this shade is meant to be used on the root area, it should be slightly deeper than the mid-lengths and ends. Choosing a darker shade for the root will be most natural and avoid the look of hot roots.”

Does The Great Cover Up Root Touch Up Work on All Hair Textures?

“Yes,” Shvonne says, “it works on all textures. But here’s a tip for anyone with finer, softer hair—try misting your hair with a light layer of hairspray before adding using The Great Cover Up. This gives your hair a little bit of grip, and makes the powder last even longer!”

Will a Root Touch Up Powder Damage My Hair?

“Don’t worry,” says Shvonne, “Not only will The Great Cover Up not damage your hair, it contains three of the ingredients that Madison Reed loves most—keratin, argan oil, and ginseng root extract to nourish your hair. Every Madison Reed product is focused on leaving your hair in beautiful shape!”

Can you use a Root Touch Up Powder on your Beard?

“We don’t recommend this product for use on beards,” says Shvonne, “However, check out our men’s line, Madison Reed® Mr.™. The shades created for gray blending are soft and incredibly natural-looking. It’s formulated for both hair and beards!”

3 Ways to Cover Gray Hair with 3 of Our Favorite Products

Of course there are more ways to cover grays, from temporary to permanent. It all depends on how much time you have and your goal...

Temporary Gray Coverage

The Great Cover Up™ 

• Instantly covers roots & grays and defines brows 

• Use for quick touch-ups on the go

• Fill in a thinning hair line

• Rain, sweat, and pillow-proof

• Available in 6 shades

Root Touch Up Kit

Root Perfection™

• 100% gray coverage in just 10 minutes

• Extends time between salon appointments by 3 weeks

• Ammonia free

• Available in 8 shades

Permanent Gray Coverage

Radiant Hair Color

• Gorgeous, lasting, high-quality hair color

• 100% gray coverage, 55+ shades

• Never flat, never dull

• For all hair types & textures

How to Cover Hair Roots? Conclusions

So there you have it—all the ways to cover your grays, including The Great Cover Up...we would have called it a Root Touch Up & Brow Filler + Thinning Hairline Filler and Blonde Highlight Refresher, but that name would be way too long! But it truly does all of that all in one convenient compact. And unlike other powders, sprays and mascara wands or pens, The Great Cover Up isn’t messy, sticky, and it lasts until your next shampoo. So next time you can’t get to coloring your hair but have an important meeting, dinner date, or just want to cover your roots and silvery strands yourself, check out The Great Cover Up. We know you’re going to LOVE it!

Do you want to know more? Check out how to warm up ashy hair at home with our products.

Originally published: 11/6/14

Updated: 9/16/21