How To Avoid Hot Roots

How To Avoid Hot Roots

“Hot roots” happen when the roots of your hair turn out noticeably warmer (brassier, more red/orange/yellow) than the rest of your hair during a color treatment. This is especially common when lightening dark hair or applying permanent color to regrowth. Here’s how to avoid hot roots and keep your hair color even and cool-toned:

🔥 Why Hot Roots Happen

• The scalp emits heat, which accelerates the processing of hair dye at the roots.
• This causes the roots to lighten more quickly, pulling warmer tones.
• Applying a light or warm shade over previously colored hair can also result in inconsistent tonality between the roots and the ends.

✅ How to Avoid Hot Roots

1. 🧊 Use a Cooler-Toned Formula at the Roots

• Choose a color with ash or cool undertones for your root formula.
• If coloring your roots separately, use a slightly cooler or darker formula at the roots to compensate for the heat from your scalp.

2. 🕒 Apply Color to Roots Last (When Lightening Virgin Hair)

• If you’re lightening virgin hair, apply the dye to the mid-lengths and ends first, then to the roots during the last 10–15 minutes of processing time.
• This helps ensure the roots don’t over-process and lift lighter than the rest of the hair.

3. 🧴 Use a Professional or Custom Formula

• Box dyes are one-size-fits-all and often lead to hot roots because they don’t account for scalp heat.
• Salon formulas can be adjusted by a professional to match the exact tone of your mids and ends.
• Consider a double formulation: one for roots, one for mids/ends.

4. 📏 Avoid Overlapping Color

• When touching up roots, only apply color to the regrowth.
• Overlapping onto previously colored hair can cause uneven tone and unnecessary warmth at the root zone.

5. 🧪 Use a Color Filler or Pre-Treatment (When Going Darker)

• If you’re going darker after lightening, use a filler or a warm tone underlayer to ensure the color grabs evenly and doesn’t go muddy or brassy.

6. 🧖‍♀️ Watch Processing Time and Heat

• Don’t add external heat (like sitting under a dryer) unless directed.
• Overprocessing causes roots to lift too much and become warm.

7. 🌈 Tone After Coloring

• If hot roots occur, use a cool-toned toner or demi-permanent gloss to neutralize unwanted warmth.
• Toners with blue, violet, or green undertones can help cancel out orange/red/yellow tones.

🧴 Pro Tip:

For blondes, use a purple shampoo weekly to maintain coolness and prevent brassiness, especially around the root area.

🚫 Already Got Hot Roots? Fix It:

• Use a cool toner (e.g., ash or neutral base) only on the roots.
• Apply a color-correcting gloss.
• In stubborn cases, consult a professional to do a root shadow or correction.