Our Top 5 Low-Maintenance Hair Colour Ideas
18 July 2023 | HairstylesLow-maintenance hair colour. Is there such a thing? After all, there’s nothing quite like having a freshly done ‘do, and if you can hang on to that post-salon glow for weeks after your appointment, you’re doing pretty okay!
But the key to being able to keep your hair looking just as chic, cool, edgy, glam or [insert your hair-adjective of choice here…] is to a) know how to look after it in between appointments and b) opt for a cut and colour that goes the distance.
And we hate to break it to you, but if you’re currently rocking a bleached blonde pixie crop, hey, you look good – but it’s not a low-maintenance hair colour or cut by any means.
Leaving cuts aside for the moment, let’s look at some low-maintenance hair colour ideas that you can opt for if you want to keep up appearances, even if your next visit to the salon isn’t for a few weeks.
5 Stylish Low-Maintenance Hair Colour Ideas
If you’re a regular reader of the Tierney Salons blog, you’ll know that we often like to offer you a side order of science along with our hair advice, tips and trends.
However, if we’re talking about low-maintenance hair colour, it’s all pretty straightforward.
Put simply, the further you stray from your natural hair colour, the more obvious your root growth will be. And, unless you’re cool with really obvious regrowth, it’s going to scream “I really need to get my roots done!”
In other words, if you’re a brunette and you dye your hair blonde, this is the very definition of high-maintenance hair – assuming you want to keep your locks looking their best.
For hair that’s low-maintenance, you’ll ideally want to choose a colour that is within three or four shades of your natural hair.
In addition to this, there are several techniques that, when applied by a good hairdresser, will help you achieve a more flawless grow-out.
Low-maintenance hair colour and techniques will give you a blended, softer regrowth instead of jarringly harsh roots that are a completely different colour from the rest of your hair.
Okay, we know. You’re here for some low-maintenance hair colour ideas, so let’s get on with it!
How to Achieve Low-Maintenance Hair Colour
Looking to ever-so-slightly increase your time between salon visits? Hate regrowth and want to know how to disguise it? Try some of these ideas:
Brunette
We’re just going to say it. Blonde hair is harder to look after than brown hair. Blonde hair can turn brown, in some cases, while bleached hair can often take on a brassy yellowish tone. And not to mention that brown or black roots will be extremely stark in contrast to colour-treated blonde hair.
Herein lies the argument for going brunette. Whether you opt for chocolate brown, ash brown, or golden brown, there’s a wealth of shades to choose from on the colour spectrum.
Your colourist will match your natural hair colour with a brunette that is still within a couple of shades, making this a truly low-maintenance hair colour option that won’t result in obvious regrowth.
Babylights
Less a low-maintenance hair colour idea and more a low-maintenance hair technique. As the name suggests, babylights are highlights – but finer and more subtle.
They’re great for adding dimension, but thanks to their natural-looking colour and placement, they can handle regrowth with ease.
Plus, you don’t need to be confined to lightening your hair in the traditional highlighted sense of the word as babylights can be both lighter or darker than your natural colour. Your colourist will be able to advise whether darkening or brightening your hair with babylights will result in the most low-maintenance look.
Ombre
There are a number of reasons why ombre hair continues to be popular – not least because it’s probably one of the most low-maintenance colour ideas for hair out there.
Ombre is a technique that results in the ends of your hair being a different colour to your roots and mid-lengths. When done well, the line of colour is blended upwards to create a stunning gradient effect from one colour to another.
What this means for fans of low-maintenance hairstyles is that because the technique blends your chosen colour seamlessly into your existing hair colour, any growth will not affect the overall look.
Shadow Roots
Shadow roots are another low-maintenance hair colour idea that you might like to give a whirl. But what exactly is a shadow root when it’s at home?
Shadow roots are perfect if you want to add depth and luminosity to your hair – but without having to visit the salon every couple of weeks. And honestly, we aren’t offended by that!
Working well with both blonde and brunette hair, shadow roots are the technique of adding highlights or a different tone that is closer to your natural shade to the lengths and ends of your hair. This colour fades into your roots, leaving a shadow or smudge as opposed to a glaringly obvious regrowth line.
Balayage
We can’t finish this post without mentioning balayage – surely the fairy godmother of low-maintenance hair colour techniques.
Balayage involves hand painting lightener onto your hair in natural sweeping movements. This is as opposed to using foils – which is known as foilyage. The results are similar, although there are a few differences between balayage and foilyage.
What makes balayage so low-maintenance, however, is that the application of the colour starts at the roots and gets increasingly lighter the further down the hair it goes, in effect blending your roots with the mid-lengths and ends.
Maintaining Your Low-Maintenance Hair Colour
Of course, even the lowest of the low-maintenance hair colour ideas needs a helping hand. No matter how talented your colourist or stylist is, if you don’t look after your locks, they’re still going to look a little unloved.
And that goes against the grain of opting for a low-maintenance hair technique or colour. If you’re a brunette you’ll want to know how to stop dark hair from fading and whatever your colour, in hot weather – at home or abroad – you should know how to protect your hair from the sun.
And of course, it goes without saying that using the right hair care products is a must.
From protecting hair from damaging UV rays with a product such as Davines Sheer Glaze to treating your highlighted or coloured hair with a nourishing mask – we love the MINU Hair Mask, also by Davines – there’s only so far you can let your low maintenance hair fend for itself!
Talk to Tierney Salons Hertford About Low-Maintenance Hair Colour Ideas
Whether you find it tricky to fit in super-regular hair appointments, need a low-maintenance haircut and colour that works with your busy lifestyle, or you’re fed up of looking in the mirror only to see your roots glaring back at you, get in touch.
Our friendly and knowledgeable team will work with you to find the low-maintenance hairstyle you’ve been searching for, so why not book an appointment now and let’s make high-maintenance hair a thing of your past!
