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10.31.2025
Red Alert: How to Fix Hot Roots Fast
By: Zara Kenyon
Hot roots are a code red situation – so how do you correct them? Here’s your colorist-approved guide to preventing, correcting, and cooling down overly warm roots in the salon…
What are Hot Roots?
Hot roots are unwanted, brassy roots that appear redder or more orange than the rest of your client's hair. They're 'hot' because they're overly warm, standing out against their lengths and creating an uneven look.
Why Do Hot Roots Happen?
Hot roots typically occur for one of three reasons. So, what's behind those overly warm tones? These are the common causes you need to be mindful of:
- Heat from the scalp: Unlike the lengths and ends, the roots benefit from the warmth of your client’s scalp. This can cause the formula to process faster so, when using a lightener, the roots will lift clean while the ends may look yellow. However, when working with a hair color, like a chocolate brown, the roots can lift warm instead, while the ends could experience less of a lift, so they appear darker.
- New hair growth: Hair at the roots is new and hasn’t fully hardened – or keratinized – like the mid-lengths and ends. Because of this, it processes faster and can reveal more of the natural underlying warm pigments during lifting.
- Too strong developer: Using a developer that’s too strong can cause the roots to lift too light or too warm compared to the rest of the hair. Always choose the developer strength carefully to maintain even lift and tone.
- Under-processing during lightening: If the lightener isn’t on the roots for long enough, the lightener won’t have time to do its job. The natural pigments aren’t removed from the hair, resulting in the roots appearing warmer than the lengths and ends.
- Home color application: When clients apply an at-home blonde box dye to previously lightened hair, the natural roots may not lift sufficiently, leaving them yellow or orange, while the already-bleached ends can over-lift and appear nearly white. This contrast creates a classic “hot roots” effect.
How Do You Prevent Hot Roots?
If you live in fear of hot roots, don't panic; the problem is avoidable. By working strategically and choosing the right products, you can easily prevent unwanted warmth at the root. Keep these tips in mind:
1. Use a Hair Lightener That Neutralizes Brassiness
When it comes to lightening, your results are only as good as your formula. That's why it's important to use a specialized lightener that counteracts some of the most common bleach complaints. BlondorPlex is our go-to, as it harnesses a high-powered anti-yellow complex, which keeps brassy tones at bay whether you're lightening near the scalp or through the lengths. It also gives your client up to nine levels of lift and up to 97% less breakage*. It's a true lightening innovation.
* When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex versus Blondorplex alone.
2. Lighten the Roots Last
If you're lightening your client's hair from root to tip and you're worried about over-processing near the scalp, try applying hair lightener to the root area last. That way, the lightener near the scalp doesn't have as much time to develop. This helps you avoid over-processing – especially on hot days, when scalp heat might cause lightener to lift more.
3. Avoid Overlapping Lightener
Just doing a root touch-up? Be sure to precisely target the roots only, and avoid any overlapping into previously lightened areas. As the lightener develops, check your client’s hair frequently to monitor lift and ensure an even result. This careful timing helps prevent over-processing and keeps the color consistent from root to tip.
4. Create a Soft Root Shadow
When you think a client is at risk of hot roots due to their color history, suggest a root tap or root shadow instead of lightening near the scalp. Try using a zero-damage, zero-lift glaze formula, like SHINEFINITY, to darken their roots. Because it prevents any lifting, it won’t expose warm underlying pigments in the hair.
How Do You Fix Hot Roots?
1. Tone with Violet or Ash
Cool hair down and correct overly warm roots with a violet-, blue- or ash-tinted toner. To know which one to use, look carefully at your client's hot roots and apply the rules of color theory.
Remember: colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel (pictured above) neutralize one another. Wella Professionals’ unique color numbering system makes it easy to identify the tones your client needs in their formula.
Each color’s depth and undertones are shown by numbers divided by a forward stroke:
- The number before the stroke indicates the depth (lightness or darkness).
- The number (or two numbers) after the stroke represents the tonal direction.
Now use our easy-to-follow guide below to color and correct the different shades of hot roots:
- If your client's roots are orange: reach for a toner with hints of blue. This means using a color with the number 8 after the stroke.
- If your client's roots are yellow: you need a toner with a violet undertone. This means using a color with the number 6 after the stroke.
- If your client's roots are orangey yellow: try a toner with both blue and violet hints. This means using a color with the number 86 after the stroke.
- If your client's roots are red: apply a toner with ashy green undertones. This means using a color with the number 2 after the stroke.
- If your client's roots are orangey red: you may want a toner with a balance of ashy blue and green undertones. This means using a color with the number 28 after the stroke.
2. Take the Roots a Level Darker
If your client's roots have been over-processed so that they're lighter and brighter than the rest of the hair, restore balance by using a darker toner on the root area only. The rules of color theory above will help you mix a formula that shades and corrects, so you can neutralize orange, yellow and red tinges while blending the roots into the lengths.
3. Lift Out the Excess Warmth
If you suspect your client's hot roots are due to under-lightening instead of over-processing, use Blondor to gently and precisely lift out the excess warmth. BlondorPlex's bond-strengthening and anti-brass benefits are the answer when you want up to nine levels of lift, while Soft Blonde Cream is your go-to if your client's scalp appears sensitive. The oil-infused cream lightener is specially formulated for on-scalp application, giving you up to seven levels of lift, still with the anti-brass complex for a cleaner canvas. Once you've lifted the hair to the correct underlying level, go back to step one above, and tone the lifted roots so they blend in seamlessly.
What's the Best Toner for Hot Roots?
When choosing a color product to correct and cool down your client's hot roots, you need a formula with enough vibrancy to cancel out the red or orange tinges. The goal is to balance excess warmth without dulling natural shine, so your client’s roots blend flawlessly with the rest of their hair.
- Color Touch is your gentle, ammonia-free and demi-permanent option when you want toning with uncompromised vibrancy and shine. It develops true to tone, no matter the hair's condition, with a built-in Metal Purifier to ensure lurking metals won't impact the final result.
- Koleston Perfect is a permanent formula that locks in up to 100% gray coverage, so you can fix hot roots and disguise silver strays in a single service. It harnesses Metal Purifier and Ultra Precision Color Technology, so you can trade hot roots for pure, balanced color results with natural depth and shine.
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