My Gray Roots Show After 1 Week; What Can I Do?

woman worried because her gray roots look a week after dyeing

If you dye your hair with a dark color like brown or black, and gray roots are visible after a week, you can use a semi-permanent dye. I’ll tell you why below.
If you dye your hair blonde and the gray roots show after a week, you can apply blonde highlights that blend in with the gray and blonde hair. In addition to concealing gray hair, you can extend the color renewal for up to five weeks.

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5 tips for making sure your gray hair holds color the next time you dye it

So you dyed your hair, and gray roots are showing after a week?

While it’s normal for roots to show at some point after coloring your hair, if they show after a week, I sense it may be for one of these two reasons:

Your hair grows faster than normal. Let’s say your hair grows between one and one and a half centimeters per month. In that case, it’s normal for gray roots to be visible after two weeks. You’ll have half a centimeter of gray roots. If your gray roots are visible after a week, the good news is that your hair is growing faster than normal. And you obviously can’t stop hair growth.
Your gray hair is unruly. But that’s not your hair’s fault. What makes it unruly is that it’s lost melanin. This protein allows hair to retain the color you apply when you dye it. So if normal hair retains color for three weeks, gray hair will be able to retain it for much less time.

gray roots show after a week

These are the two main reasons why gray roots are visible a week after coloring your hair. And as you can see, you can’t go against nature.

You can’t and shouldn’t stop the growth of your hair, nor can you restore melanin to gray hair since the loss of this protein is a natural occurrence. It’s like wrinkles that appear on your skin after a certain age.

But you can use some tricks to disguise the gray roots so they aren’t visible a week after dyeing. To choose the best option for your hair, first think about your hair color.

Let’s see.

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If you dye your hair brown or black and your gray roots are visible after a week, use a semi-permanent hair dye to cover them

Clairol semi-permanent hair color for gray roots showing through

This is the best option to cover gray roots without damaging your hair. Why? It’s because you can’t use a permanent hair color again after one week as it contains ammonia and you apply it with the developer.

Therefore, if you were to apply a permanent dye again after one week to cover your gray roots , you would face two problems:

Your gray hair would return after a week anyway.
Your hair would be destroyed by the chemicals from the two permanent dyes you applied in one week.

So what if gray roots appear within a week after dyeing your hair? My best advice is to use a semi-permanent dye if you dye your hair a dark color.

This dye won’t ruin your hair. It doesn’t contain ammonia and you don’t apply it with developer. Instead, it forms a film of color that will cover your gray hair completely.

I always recommend semi-permanent hair color for my clients with stubborn gray hair. This type of hair dye works on the outermost part of the hair without damaging it.

How can you maintain the color of the semi-permanent dye on your gray hair longer? Use sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners.

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If you dye your hair blonde and gray roots are visible after a week, you could apply some highlights

highlights for gray roots that show quickly

What if your gray hair is very stubborn and you have a lot of gray hair (more than 70% of your hair)? Getting highlights is the easiest solution to avoid constantly renewing the permanent dye.

Highlights are small bleached sections in pale blond tones that completely hide gray roots.

What will you achieve?

Your hair will have light-blonde highlights. They will blend in perfectly with your gray hair and the rest of your blonde hair.

You renew highlights every four to five weeks, unlike renewing permanent dye, which is usually done every three weeks at the most.

Conclusion

Coloring is an exact science, but it requires personalized measures. From my professional point of view, these are the best options when gray roots show a week after coloring your hair.

However, it never hurts to visit the salon so a professional can evaluate your hair in a personalized way.