Blurring the Lines: How To Get Gorgeous Shadow Roots at Home

Root shadowing is a low-maintenance hair color technique in which a darker shade is applied directly to the roots giving a soft, seamless contrast. It’s a great way to refresh your look and give your hair color depth and dimension. Root shadowing is often seen with balayage highlights (like blonde, highlighted hair with dark roots), but it can actually be done with any hair color.

Sure, you could go for a plain old root touch up to refresh your brown hair or your light blonde highlights. Or, you could try a simpler approach with root shadowing. 

Root shadowing is budget-friendly, low-maintenance hair color at its best. Since it’s a blending of dark roots into lighter hair color and the look is intentionally “lived-in,” you don’t have to touch up your roots every few weeks, saving you both money and time.

Root shadowing lets you embrace your forever-growing roots rather than rally against them, which cuts down on the amount of time spent coloring your hair. Plus, you get to avoid the stark “growing out” phase if your natural color is significantly darker than your highlights. 

Hair care for shadow root hair is super simple, too. A sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner should suffice, and can help keep your shadow hair color from fading too quickly. 

Is it possible to shadow roots at home and to do it perfectly? In a word—YES. You don’t need a stylist or an expensive trip to the salon to pull off a shadow root. But, there are a few important things to keep in mind when adding dark roots to blonde ends or creating a subtle ombré effect in your brunette locks. 

When choosing a shade for your shadow roots, consider your natural hair color. Opt for a dye that’s in the same tone family (warm, cool, neutral, etc.) for best results. If you’re unsure how to pick the best shadow root hair color, chat with a licensed colorist so you can color with confidence. You can even book a free virtual Video Color Consultation. 

While root shadowing makes most people think of blonde hair with dark roots, it’s truly a universal and highly customizable hair trend. Here’s how to do dark roots and balayage with any hair color.

Not sure what to use to cover dark roots on blonde hair? This will depend on how dark your natural hair color is. Consult with a professional colorist to ensure you don’t get color that's too dark. You’re going for a subtle “bronde: look—not a stark, obvious contrast between a platinum color and a too-dark brown. 

If you’re a brunette, go deeper with a cool dark brown shadow root. Or turn up the intensity with black hair color for your shadow roots. 

Even redheads can take advantage of a sultry shadow root. Choose a rich cinnamon hue and let your dark root melt into your favorite fiery shade. 

Not a fan of the silver hair poking out from your blonde? Instead of bleaching your roots, choose a darker root shade to add depth and hide those pesky grays.  

You’ve looked through all the dark root hair color ideas, chosen the look you want, and bought the dye. Let’s get this home salon experience started! Here are our tips on how to do a shadow root at home smoothly. 

1. Use the right supplies. If you’re doing your own root shadow, we recommend using a bowl and brush (not the applicator bottle), and keeping the root color as close to your natural color as possible. Using the pointed end of the brush, be sure to carefully section thin slices of hair to get to the roots. 

2. Remember: brush technique matters. Rather than having a severe line where dark roots end and lighter hair begins, you want your colors to blend gradually for subtle ombré hair. To achieve a soft transition, use the broad, flat side of the brush to apply your mixed color, dragging the edge of the brush further down in some places. 

3. Finish strong. Once the color has had time to process, shampoo and condition your hair. Then, we recommend applying a cool hair toner to neutralize any overly warm tones. This can help create a subtle, deep shadow effect rather than too-bright, yikes-worthy hot roots.