After having a full head of blonde highlights I still have at least a cm of growth showing!

Hello,

I have just returned from the hairdressers after having a full head of blonde highlights and I still have at least a cm of growth showing - more in some places. I am originally dark but have been blonde for over a year. It is so noticeable at my parting and around my hairline. Is this normal? What can I do to make it look better? I am a bridesmaid on Saturday and I am now panicking.

Thank you,

Denise, Edinburgh

Hello Denise,

I suggest you return to your hairdresser and ask them to touch up your roots; they need to get closer to the scalp around your parting and hairline.

It depends on the application your hairdresser used, normally with highlights the roots should be no more than a quarter of a cm. Bleach and High lift colours do swell as they develop so the hairdresser applying the colour must pay attention to this. Usually you can block the swelling of bleach or high lift colour with cotton wool strips; this helps the colour to not run on to your scalp. It is a sensitive operation which a professional hairdresser should know how to apply.

There is an alternative, you say your own hair is dark so maybe it would be better for you to have some lowlights (same colour as your own dark hair) put around the parting areas and hairline. That way the sharp dark root would be much less noticeable. It is normal that there is some root showing especially if your blonde is very light.

If you visit a colour specialist they will cleverly colour your blondes very close to your scalp, it is an art not many stylists can do. Make sure that your colourist protects your hair from breakage and protects your scalp when applying the lifting colours. The last thing you want is a burnt scalp or patchy root colours.

A little root showing can be quite fashionable, after a week your own dark hair colour will start showing trough anyway.

I hope Denise my advice will help you and you will be the most attractive bridesmaid!

Pierre Alexandre of Pierre Alexandre, Manchester

I am sorry to hear about your problem, it sounds like the colour was not placed close enough to the root. I would suggest you go back to your hairdresser as soon as possible and ask them to redo the roots. Make sure that if they are using bleach they do not overlap the highlights they have already made as it may cause the hair to break.

Good luck,
Joseph Koniak, Artistic Director of Joseph Koniak and Eleven Hair, London 

When we highlight hair we never let the mixture touch the scalp as this can create unsightly horizontal banding of colour throughout the head. But colourists should endeavour to apply highlights as closely to the scalp as possible to get rid of the roots!

The fact that you left the salon with at least a cm of regrowth shows that unfortunately the colourist wasn't doing a good job in applying the foils. If you are confident that you can speak to your hairdresser and explain that you are not happy and show them the roots then they should be able to offer you a solution (like re-highlighting the areas of your hair you are not happy with).

Other than that, I would go to another salon and see if they can help.

John Clark, Head of Colour at Brooks+Brooks, London