Desperate to hide your roots? With salons closed until at least April 12, celebrity hairdresser reveals why PLAITS are the key to concealing dark regrowth and pesky greys
- Celeb stylist Tom Smith has tended to locks of Louise Redknapp and Geri Horner
- Shares his tips for concealing root regrowth and grey hairs during lockdown
- Suggests 5 types of plaits as well as touch-up spray and changing your parting
With salons across England not set to open until at least April 12, Britons are having to embrace their lockdown locks whether they like it or not.
While many of us will feel in dire need of a trim, those with coloured or highlighted hair are likely to be fretting over dark roots or the emergence of pesky greys.
If you daren’t risk a home dye job, London-based celebrity hair stylist Tom Smith, who has tended to the locks of Louise Redknapp and Geri Horner, has shared his top tips for concealing regrowth.
‘The idea of roots is worse than the reality,’ Tom says. ‘If you look like you’ve made an effort with your appearance, your roots will never look as bad!
‘Choosing to tie your hair up in a busy bun when you have roots is one of the worst things you can choose to do – but there are ways to disguise them without reaching for a risky home dye kit.’
Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague has embraced braids in lockdown – pictured earlier this month showing off a side plait
EMBRACE PLAITS
One of Tom’s recommendations is to experiment with plaiting your hair; he suggests five different styles to play with it, depending on how you wish to cater to or blend in your roots.
‘A braid is also kinder to hair than a lot of updos – you don’t get the harsh pull of a tight ponytail and a braid looks intricate no matter which type you go for,’ he explained.
‘Crucially, a braid will distort roots by weaving the hair in different directions. Braids are also a good way of disguising hair that is in need of a cut or is greasy – it always looks as though you’ve made an effort.
‘Braids draw your eye from roots and towards the design and can last for days when done well. And the best bit? When you take the braids out, you’re left with fun waves that have set into the hair which can be another nice look to enjoy.’
A loose rope braid with a zigzag parting: Tight braids will only serve to accentuate your roots. However a loose rope style can serve to camouflage the colour difference – and if you throw in a zigzag parting, that will serve to distort your roots further.
Use products that will give your hair a textured lift as this will help to blend the colour difference further.
FIVE PLAIT STYLES TO CONCEAL GREYS AND ROOT GROWTH
Tom says a boxer braid (pictured) looks best on someone with bright blonde hair who has dark roots
BOXER BRAID: The whole concept of the braids is to embrace the roots and work with them rather than against them – it is all about making your grey roots a feature. The boxer braid is great for this!
This type of braid looks best on someone with bright blonde hair who has dark roots, as this style makes a feature of your roots and works with your hair rather than fighting against them.
Step One: create a middle parting. This can be straight or zigzag if you need to disguise any greys or roots, and section one side away for now.
Step two: take three small sections of hair at the middle front of one of the sides.
Step three: holding the three sections separately between your fingers, cross the left UNDER the middle.
Step four: then with the new positioning of the three strands cross the right strand UNDER the middle.
Step five: this is ‘one knot’ done. Add some extra hair to both of the outer strands.
Step six: repeat the ‘left UNDER middle’ and ‘right UNDER middle’.
Step seven: add more hair to the outer strands and repeat until all the hair is included in the three strand braid and secure with hair tie.
Step eight: repeat on the other side.
FRENCH PLAIT: Long, overgrown roots add dimension to this intricate braid.
Step One: take three small sections of hair at the middle front of your head.
Step Two: holding the three sections separately between your fingers, cross the left OVER the middle.
Step three: then with the new positioning of the three strands cross the right strand OVER the middle.
Step four: this is ‘one knot’ done. Add some extra hair to both of the outer strands.
Step five: repeat the ‘left OVER middle’ and ‘right OVER middle’.
Step six: add more hair to the outer strands and repeat until all the hair is included in the three strand braid.
Step seven: continue ‘left over middle’ ‘right over middle’ till you reach the end of the hairs length and secure with a hairband.
Long, overgrown roots add dimension to French plaits (left) while a zigzag parting (right) can help conceal regrowth
ROPE BRAID AND ZIGZAG
Step one. Create an ‘off centre’ zig zag parting from front to back. (You can cleverly avoid any grey areas and dont make the zigzag too perfect to avoid that 90’s look.
Step two: clip or tie away one half of the hair for now, you will braid one side at a time.
Step three: working on the side that is left loose first, take two strands from the front, close to the front parting and cross them over twice, twisting gently.
Step four: add a little extra hair to each strand and twist and cross over once more. Repeat this until you have added all the hair from one side.
Step five: continue twisting and crossing over until you reach the end of your length and secure with a hair tie.
Step six: repeat this on the other side making sure to include all the remaining hair.
Step seven: gently loosen the twists using your fingers in the same order, from top to tips.
The milkman braid works with a zigzag parting which will further distort roots
MILKMAID BRAID: This style also works with a zigzag parting which will further distort roots – and the braid across the head serves as a braided headband which draws attention away from your regrowth and makes the most of what is still coloured underneath.
Step One: create a middle or side parting. This can be straight or zigzag if you need to disguise any greys or roots, and section one side away for now.
Step Two: take three small sections of hair from the parting at the front of one of the sides.
Step three: holding the three sections separately between your fingers, cross the left OVER the middle.
Step four: then with the new positioning of the three strands cross the right strand OVER the middle.
Step five: this is ‘one knot’ done. Add some extra hair to both of the outer strands.
Step six: repeat the ‘left OVER middle’ and ‘right OVER middle’. Allow the knots to curve down closer to the face and then back over the shoulder.
Step seven: add more hair to the outer strands and repeat until all the hair is included in the three strand braid and secure with hair tie.
Step eight: repeat this on the other side.
Step nine: take your left braid and cross it behind your back, in front of your right shoulder and then up over your ear and secure with a curby grip or hair pin close to the parting.
Step ten: repeat this on the other side the opposite way. Right braid behind across your back over the left shoulder and up over the ear to meet the opposite braid at the parting. The hair needs to be longer to do this – if your braids don’t reach the parting just pin them as far up as they go and then tuck the loose ends under the braid at the front. You’ll see more of the braid detail from the back in this case.
Step eleven: gently loosen the braid knots and pull out some soft strands around the face as desired.
SIDE PLAIT: A sleek side-parting is a no-go when in-between salon visits. However, a very volumised, wavy side parting braid can be beneficial to ailing roots!
This braid takes inspiration from Frozen’s Elsa (and Love Island’s Molly-Mae Hague); use volumising products directly at the root and blow dry hair to one side before plaiting to one side.
To achieve this look, follow the same steps as French braid but start on one side and gradually angle the knots sweeping around the head, finishing by bringing the braid in front of your shoulder.
Finish by using your fingers to gently loosen each knot, starting from the top and working your way down, and pull out any loose strands around the face to create a softer modern look.
SPRAY ON ROOT TOUCH-UP
If seeing your greys come through is too much to bear and you’ve tried reworking your parting to areas of your hair that show less grey, the best option is a cosmetic root colour spray.
The technology behind root touch-up sprays is better than ever, and you can think of this as make-up for your hair – it just washes away and doesn’t interfere with its chemical structure.
There are a number of great ones on the market; at Billi Currie hair salon, where I’m Director Hair Stylist, we recommend Oribe root touch-up. But Redken and Color Wow also have fantastic options. You can spray them on, and they will stay put until you next shampoo your hair.
When it comes to applying the spray, a really good trick is to hold a pintail comb along the line of your parting before you spray. This stops the colour spray coating the scalp and making the result look unnatural, as the comb protects the area of the scalp that would normally show the scalp rather than hair colour.
ZIGZAG PARTING
Don’t underestimate the power of a zigzag parting – and I don’t mean Nineties zigzags here!
An updated version is to use a pintail comb to create a random wiggly parting, consciously avoiding grey hair. This is also great on dyed blonde hair with dark roots, as pulling hairs over from side to side can give the illusion of highlights, and soften a harsh root.
EMBRACE PASTEL COLOURS
Another really good way of embracing your changing hair colour if you are blonde and have roots coming through is by playing around with washes of truly temporary pastel colours.
This will distract you from your roots coming in and make you excited by a change of hair colour that won’t cause problems when you are back in the salon.
The best shades for the safest result are pastel pink and peach (anything towards blue or green can be very hard to get even and fade strangely).
I love using Evo fab pro custom mixed coloured conditioners, which you can purchase in any shade, after a consultation with myself or one of my team at billicurriestore.com.
Tom previously shared tips on how to cut your own fringe – and revealed ‘little and often’ trims are the way forward in lockdown.
On Monday Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that hair and beauty salons in England will reopen on April 12, after more than three months of closure and a year of uncertainty.
It saw hairdressers and salon owners hit out at the government for its lack of financial support, with some urging them to cut VAT to five per cent in line with the hospitality sector.
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