I’m sure you’ve heard the term root stain before. It can also be called a root melt and a root stretch! With so many professional terms, it can be confusing to understand how the regrowth technique is different and whether you should ask for it at your salon. Spoiler alert: There are some good reasons to do this, especially if you tend to wear highlighted hair. Let me break down the technique and its benefits for you.

The goal of this coloring technique is to create a softer transition between the client's natural hair and the highlights, allowing for a much more seamless blend. By erasing the lines, the color has a much longer lifespan than a traditional highlight.

For me, the two words that come to mind when it comes to root regrowth are softness and longevity. Softness because it combines the dividing line with longevity because the client can go longer between appointments. Traditional highlight appointments last between four and eight weeks. With a root spot, it can go two to three months before a touch-up is needed.

If your hair goals include a natural transition, you’ll often hear about these two techniques and wonder what the difference is? Here it is: Balayage is a highlighting technique, while a root smudge is a color applied to the roots after highlights.