“Shadow roots are created by blending colour through the roots to lift the hair half a shade lighter, which creates softness and a seamless regrowth,” explains Jo Hansford, award-winning hairdresser and celebrity colourist. “You can then highlight or lowlight the rest of the hair as usual.”

It’s often known as smudging or colour melting, as it helps to give the hair a seamless journey into regrowth, avoiding that harsh root line a few weeks post-salon visit. But Siobhan Jones, L’Oréal global ambassador and founder of Creative Balayage, explains that you can get creative with this trend.

“How far down the hair the gloss or tint is smudged will be dependent on how much dark to blonde you would like to see. This would be diagnosed by your colourist depending on your haircut, face shape and image reference. You can opt for a colour that mimics your natural colour, or you can change it up by making it warmer, cooler, lighter or darker than that.”

Shadow roots: the low-maintenance hair colour trend that works for every season