We compared 5 ways to cover gray roots, and the winner isn't on the shelf at the drugstore.

A powder, a spray, a little drugstore stick and a permanent kit all have their place. Our top pick is a twist-up stick with a comb built into the tip. It's only for dark hair, and we'll tell you who should skip it.

By Joanna Whitlock, Contributing Writer
Updated November 2026 · 7 min read

At some point the gray gets ahead of your color. Your colorist can fix it, and nobody does it better. But that means a booking, a chunk of your day in the chair and a bill that costs far more than anything on this page. And the gray is back in a few weeks.

So you end up in the hair aisle instead, looking at powders, sprays, little sticks and boxes of dye, and you buy the one your friend mentioned.

We put the five main ways to cover gray roots at home side by side. We read labels, directions, store listings and a lot of shopper reviews.

I've put in rough prices, what each one does well and where it falls down. Every one of them has something going for it, and I'll tell you who should buy which.

My own hair is light brown, so our winner isn't for me. Check that first, because it isn't for everybody.

Already know your hair is dark? See our top pick.

What we looked at

We started with the kinds of cover-up people search for most, and we made sure we had every type. Then we asked the same five things of each one.

Does the color go only where you want it? With gray roots, the cleanup is half the complaint. We read a lot about stained collars and sinks.

Can you do it half awake? If it takes a steady hand and good light, you won't do it on a Tuesday.

Will it match your hair? The wrong shade is one of the complaints we saw again and again. A great product in the wrong color still looks wrong.

Does it last the day and then actually come out? You want it there at dinner and gone in the shower.

What does it really cost? That means the price, and also how much is in the thing.

We also went through shopper reviews for each type, and we read the two-star ones first. They're where you find out what a product is like in a real bathroom. Everything here about the other four comes from labels, store listings and those reviews. The ranking itself is my opinion.

Why the type matters more than the brand

Before you pick a name, pick a type. A powder is the lightest thing you can put on your hair, but it needs a brush and some practice. A spray covers the most ground in the least time, and it goes wherever the mist goes. A stick puts color exactly where you swipe, but it won't cover a wide patch as quickly. A permanent kit lasts the longest, and you're back to mixing, waiting and rinsing. The salon does the best job of all, if you can get the appointment and you don't mind the bill.

For gray at the part or temple, I'd pick a stick. For that job it's hard to beat something that only touches what you touch.

Best for: Dark hair, black to medium brown, with gray at the part, hairline or temples

★★★★★ 4.88 from 253 reviews on its own store

$29.99 for one · $19.99 each in a 3-pack

It's a twist-up stick with a little comb built into the end. You twist it up, swipe it along the gray and comb it through. The maker puts that at about ten seconds, and you don't need a brush or a towel on your shoulders.

The comb is why it won. A powder needs a brush, a spray needs a separate comb, and the small drugstore sticks blend with a sponge. Here a comb does the blending in the same stroke, with the same hand, so you don't get a hard line where the color stops.

I gave it to my sister Dana, who has dark brown hair and goes to the salon every six weeks. By week four she's parting her hair on the wrong side. She did her part in the hallway mirror with her coat on, and then she asked me if that was really all there was to it.

It's also a lot bigger than you'd expect. The stick holds 20 g, about 0.7 oz, and the maker says one lasts three to four weeks of daily use. So it costs more up front than a drugstore stick, but you're getting far more of it. I'll show you the math in a moment.

It stays put through sweat, heat and a light drizzle, according to the maker. If you're caught in a downpour, you do a quick swipe afterward, which is one reason it lives in your bag. It fits in any purse.

Then it washes out with your next shampoo. If you went heavy, lather twice. There's no ammonia, no peroxide and nothing to mix.

Because it's solid color, it covers white and silver strands too. It works best where the gray meets your colored hair. If most of your head has gone white, start thin and build up.

The finish is natural and non-sticky. Give it a minute to set before you touch your hair or pull on a top. A few seconds with the hair dryer speeds that up. Once it's set, it stays where you put it, though a white pillowcase can pick some up overnight, so wash it out at night.

Dana has two of these now. See the stick.

Which shade?

There are three, and all of them are dark. Match the hair right next to your part, not your gray.

Black is a true, deep black, for black hair and the darkest browns. Brownish Black is a soft black with some warmth, for dark brown hair that looks almost black. Coffee Brown is a warm brown for medium to dark brown hair.

Between two? Pick the lighter one, then build up. It's easier to add a second swipe than to take one off.

If your hair is lighter than medium brown, or it's blonde or red, skip this one. All three shades will look too dark on you. Go to #2, a root powder. Powders come in blonde, red and light brown shades.

The facts: A tinted powder in a small compact, with a brush you press it in with. Usually anywhere from under $20 to about $35. Most come in several shades, often including blonde and red.

Powders have the best shade range of any wash-out option, so this is the first place I'd send anyone with blonde, red or lighter brown hair. It's the lightest thing you can put on your hair, and it washes out with shampoo. Some say they're water and sweat resistant, though others don't last the whole day. Plenty of shoppers say a good powder looks natural between salon visits.

It does take a bit of technique. Directions usually tell you to pull your hair flat and press the brush into the roots, not sweep it. The better-known compacts are expensive for how small they are, and that's the most common gripe. Some shoppers also say they saw very little color on their hair. Others mention powder on the scalp, face or clothes.

Verdict: For lighter hair, this is my pick. On dark hair, in my opinion, the stick is easier, and it's much cheaper per stick once you buy three.

The facts: A small stick, often with an angled tip and a sponge for blending. Usually about $9 to $11 at a drugstore. Shades are few, and some sticks cover two hair colors at once, like black and dark brown in one.

If you're not sure you're a stick person, this is a cheap way to find out. It has the same appeal as our winner, because you control where the color goes. The ones we looked at go on dry, claim to resist transfer and water, and wash out with your next shampoo. You can pick one up at a drugstore tonight, and some come in a light brown or blonde shade, which our top pick doesn't.

They're tiny, though, and with so few shades it can be harder to get your color right. Shade match is the complaint we saw most. Some shoppers also say it looks greasy or clumpy at the hairline, and a few got a broken stick.

Here's the math I promised. The drugstore stick we looked at holds 0.10 oz, and our top pick holds 0.7 oz. That's seven times as much for about three times the price, or about twice the price if you buy the 3-pack. Some small sticks hold more, up to about 0.3 oz, but ours still holds more than twice that.

Verdict: A fair way to try the idea. If you've got dark hair and you know you'll use it every day, I'd buy the bigger one.

The facts: A tinted spray in a small can, about 2 oz. Usually about $9 to $13 at a drugstore, and salon brands cost more. Most come in plenty of shades, including blondes and reds.

If you've got a lot of regrowth and a dinner in three hours, this is what I'd grab. A spray covers a wide patch faster than anything else here, you can buy one nearly anywhere, and it's cheap. It lasts until your next shampoo.

But it's a spray. The directions we read say to hold the can a few inches from your hair, spray, comb and let it dry, and a mist goes where a mist goes. "Messy" is the complaint shoppers raise most. Some also mention cans that leak onto their clothes, and some say it took more than one wash to get it out.

Verdict: It's great for coverage and hard to beat for tonight. For a fine line of gray at the part, it's more than the job calls for.

The facts: A box of permanent color for your roots, usually with a cream, brush, bowl and gloves. From about $8 at a drugstore, more for some brands. Lots of shades.

Let me be fair to this one, because shoppers rate these kits well, and they're about the cheapest option here. They're also doing a different job. This is real dye. The kits we looked at promise to cover the gray in about 10 minutes, and one promises 100% gray coverage for up to three weeks. If you want to stop thinking about your roots for a few weeks, none of the other four can do that.

It ranks last here because we were judging quick cover-ups, and this isn't one. You wait 10 to 15 minutes, you rinse, and the box we read tells you to do an allergy test 48 hours before coloring. So it's no help this morning. It's also permanent, which means a wrong shade stays. Some shoppers say the color came out darker than they expected, and some say it didn't last as long as they'd hoped.

Verdict: A good, cheap kit if you want dye. If you want something you can use this morning and wash out tonight, look higher up the list.

All five, side by side

We compared them on what matters most for gray at the part. Prices, sizes and shades are in each card above.

What buyers of our top pick say

★★★★★ 4.88 from 253 reviews

BeforeAfter‹ ›

Same part, one pass. Drag the circle to compare.

If your hair is dark, here's what I'd buy

The Hair Dye Concealer Stick is the only one of the five I'd tell a dark-haired friend to buy without asking any more questions. Here's why it finished first.

You don't need a second tool, because the comb tip blends it for you. The color goes on the gray and stays off your forehead and the sink. There's far more in it than in a drugstore stick. It's gone with your next shampoo, so you're not committing to anything. And it takes about ten seconds, so you'll actually do it.

You buy it direct, from its own page. One stick is enough to find out if your shade is right. But one lasts three to four weeks, so I'd start with three if you already know your shade. Keep one by the bathroom mirror, one in your bag and one spare. The 3-pack also ships free.

The guide is a short PDF on matching your shade and making it stay put. The bar is a shampoo bar that takes the stick out at night, and it darkens gray hair wash by wash.

30-Day Happiness Promise · Delivered in 10 days or less on average · Free shipping over $50

Questions people ask

I called Dana last week to ask if she was still using the stick. She was in the car outside her kid's school, and she switched to video and held it up without saying anything.

She keeps one in the glove box now, next to a parking ticket from 2023.