I dyed my hair blonde a month ago, and it’s clear that from now on, my root-touch-up appointments will dictate my entire schedule. It is mandatory, according to my colorist, that I make a three-hour salon appointment every four to six weeks. My mother, funnily enough, has the exact same problem: Her calendar revolves around regular appointments to keep her gray hairs from overtaking her head. So I decided to go on the hunt for a product that would grant both of us some flexibility — such as a pigmented powder or spray that would conceal my dark roots, and her gray ones.
I had heard great things about the product Color Wow (among other reviews, the Cut’s editor Stella Bugbee recommends it), a pigment powder that you brush into your roots to conceal unwanted regrowth or to fill in sparse areas. The powder comes in a compact with a small brush that allows you to apply it directly to the areas that need the most help. The instructions are simple: Dip the brush in the powder, apply it to the areas that need concealing. Last week, I began to notice my roots coming in, as did my mom, so we went to the pharmacy. Platinum Color Wow for me, dark brown for her. Then we skipped home with our loot, excited to see what wonders it would work on our high-maintenance tresses.
Long story short, if you have dyed light hair with dark roots, this product works only decently. It muted the brown a bit, but not enough that it would ever allow me to push back a root touch-up. My mom’s experience with the Color Wow, on the other hand, was major. Within seconds, her bright-gray roots were completely and totally concealed, with no evidence that they ever existed. And, even better, she said it didn’t feel like there was anything in her hair, the way pigmented sprays can get dry and crusty. It also filled in sparser areas. My mom put it on in the morning and it lasted all day long, so as a test, I asked her to sleep in it. In the morning, the product still hadn’t budged. At all. There were no marks on her pillow, either.
If you’re self-conscious about your grays, don’t have the time to make it to a root touch-up, or have some sparse patches you’d like to conceal, I can confidently say that this product is worth having. If you needed any more proof: The other day, when my mom’s colorist canceled their three-month appointment, she just shrugged and said, “Next week is fine.”
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