Last updated: October 2026
Tinted sprays, also known as, sprays that ruin the walls of my bathroom and stain anything and everything in their wake of nozzle wielding destruction. I’ve tried more than the ones I’ve included in this post, these are just the ones I managed to still hold onto with the hope that one day, maybe, I’ll suddenly master the art of ‘not making a mess of it.’
Let me set the scene. It’s 8am. I’ve got the cap off the spray, I’m aiming at my scalp, and I’m feeling cautiously optimistic. Three seconds later there’s brown spray on the mirror, the wall, my white towel, and somehow also on the ceiling. I don’t know how it got on the ceiling. I’m choosing not to investigate. They work. They also require a certain tolerance for mild chaos.
At a glance
I’ve tried four tinted root cover up sprays on my thinning hair. Mane Hair Thickening Spray is my second favourite and the one that lasts best: it transferred least onto my nails, didn’t clump, and didn’t run in the rain. Mane describe it as a micro-fine cosmetic powder that clings to the hair, it comes in a 200ml can, and maneuk.com ships free in the UK on orders over £35. Batiste coloured dry shampoo is my overall favourite because it’s cheap and the spray is gentle. label.m Brunette Dry Shampoo does a similar job to Batiste for more money, and Bumble and bumble’s brown hair powder sprayed out in clumps for me every time. None of them add real thickness, but they all cut down how much scalp shows through.
Tinted hair sprays reduce the visible contrast between your scalp and your hair – so instead of the light bouncing off a visible scalp through thin hair, everything blends together a bit more. They’re not going to add density or create the illusion of thick hair. But for covering a visible parting or reducing the appearance of scalp show-through, they do the job. I used them a lot before I started wearing alternative hair full time, and I still keep one around for days when I want to go out with just my bio hair and need a bit of help.
Table of Contents
2026 update: what’s changed with these sprays
I first wrote this in September 2020, so I checked all four again in October 2026. Mane still sell the Hair Thickening Spray in a 200ml can through their own site, maneuk.com, with free UK delivery on orders over £35, and Mane say it was first developed in 1983 as an after-surgery spray for their hair transplant clinics.
The Bumble and bumble one now goes by Hair Powder in Brown (28g), and LOOKFANTASTIC had it at £16 when I looked. LOOKFANTASTIC also list the label.m Brunette Dry Shampoo 200ml at £14.50, though it was marked coming soon. Batiste’s coloured dry shampoos are still easy to find on Amazon UK.
The four root cover up sprays I’ve tested
Mane Hair Thickening Spray review (my second favourite)
Mane Hair Thickening Spray and root concealer is my second favourite of the bunch. I bought this one at Trendco Birmingham and out of all the sprays this one survived the ‘scratch-the-itchy-scalp-dirty-nail-test.’ You know what I’m talking about, that moment when you’re thinking ‘oh, my head is itching, let me just scratch at that lil itch – oh great now my fingernails are brown.’ I mean all these sprays do that to a degree but this one seemed to do it less, it didn’t clump and I didn’t notice any trails of brown water leaking down my face when it rained too.
Mane describe it as a micro-fine cosmetic powder that attaches to the hair, so fine or thinning hair looks thicker. You can buy it straight from maneuk.com too, which is handy if you want to see the full shade range in one place.
How it worked
Root cover up sprayBatiste coloured dry shampoo (my favourite)
Buy the Batiste hereDark Brunette dry shampoo at Amazon UKMy Batiste is my favourite of the bunch – it’s cheap and cheerful and the spray isn’t as aggressive as the others pictured. Though, I recommend cleaning the little area where the spray comes out regularly because it can cake on and dry, and then it just sprays out clumps. I like to use a cotton bud and warm water to clean the nozzle every once in a while to make sure the spray comes out at its best.
label.m Brunette Dry Shampoo
label.m Brunette Dry Shampoo was recommended to me at a Toni & Guy salon here in the UK when I dared to go get my hair cut at a salon, and the stylist there piled this spray on my head like there was no tomorrow. Sure my scalp was covered up, but my hair was crisptastic. Using a bit of the product worked out better but it’s very similar to the Batiste and costs more, so if I had to choose I’d go with the Batiste.
Bumble and bumble Brownish (now Hair Powder in Brown)
Buy the Bumble and bumble powder hereUp to 25% off at LOOKFANTASTIC with code LFTFNEVEENNext up is my Bumble & bumble Brownish Powder. This one is incredibly aggressive when it sprays. I tried to get the perfect amount of pressure pushing down on the button but no matter how hard I tried this sucker was like a volcano erupting on my head of just… brown glops. Maybe I got a dud can? I have no idea, but I’ve only used it a handful of times and I’m not sure I’d want to try again. I would definitely see if you can try it out somewhere before buying, since it costs more than most of the others here and I don’t think it does anything differently from the rest. This is just my experience of course. I know a lot of people love the BB product and I’ve read rave reviews everywhere, I just couldn’t get it to work for me.
So all in all I like the Batiste because it’s cheap and the Mane because of its survival on my indecisive noggin.
Tips that actually help
A few things I’ve learned from years of tinted spray trial and error that aren’t on the packaging:
Hold the can further away than you think. Most of the mess comes from holding it too close. I aim for at least 30cm now. Yes, your hand gets tired holding it at that distance. Yes, it’s still worth it.
Thin layers, not one heavy coat. One heavy coat is how you end up with clumps and that weird matt patch that looks worse than no spray at all. Light layers, let each one settle, build it up gradually.
Do it before you get dressed. I cannot stress this enough. Tinted hair spray on a white shirt is not a problem with a quick fix. Do the spray first, let it dry, then get dressed.
Clean the nozzle. Every single time. A clogged nozzle is where all the clumping drama comes from. Cotton bud, warm water, done.
Check the weather. Rain is not a tinted hair spray’s friend. If it’s going to rain, I’m either going with a different coverage option that day or accepting that my scalp is going to look like a bad self-tan situation by lunchtime.
Other options worth knowing about
Tinted hair fibres (like Toppik or Nanogen) are a different beast entirely. Where sprays coat the hair shaft to reduce contrast, fibres are tiny keratin strands that cling to existing hairs and give the appearance of more density. Fibres can look more natural in still air but are more vulnerable to wind and rain. My hair fibres and scalp concealers post goes through the ones I’ve used.
For days when I want more targeted coverage, I also use a flat eyeshadow brush to press a matte powder eyeshadow that matches my hair colour onto my parting. Lower-tech than a spray but surprisingly effective, and zero ceiling-staining incidents to report.
Where to buy these root cover up sprays
- Mane Hair Thickening Spray: Amazon UK · maneuk.com
- Batiste coloured dry shampoo: Amazon UK
- label.m Brunette Dry Shampoo: LOOKFANTASTIC, code LFTFNEVEEN for up to 25% off
- Bumble and bumble Hair Powder in Brown: LOOKFANTASTIC, code LFTFNEVEEN for up to 25% off
FAQ
Does Mane Hair Thickening Spray work on thinning hair?
For me, yes. It’s my second favourite of the four I’ve tried, and it’s the one that survived what I call the scratch-the-itchy-scalp-dirty-nail test, which is the moment you absent-mindedly scratch your head and look down at brown fingernails. They all do it to some degree, but this one did it least. It also didn’t clump, and I never got brown trails running down my face in the rain with it.
How does Mane hair thickener work?
Mane describe it as a micro-fine cosmetic powder that attaches to your existing hair, so fine or thinning hair looks thicker and less scalp shows through. It doesn’t grow hair or add real density.
Do tinted hair sprays for thinning hair actually work?
Yes, within limits. Tinted hair sprays and scalp concealers reduce the visible contrast between your hair and scalp, which makes thinning look less obvious. They don’t add density or stimulate growth, but they can make a real visible difference on the scalp. They need washing out at the end of the day and transfer onto clothing and pillowcases.
What is the best root cover up spray for thinning hair?
Of the four I’ve tried, Batiste is my favourite for everyday because it’s cheap and gentle, and Mane Hair Thickening Spray is the one I’d pick when it needs to last. Mane transferred the least onto my nails, didn’t clump, and didn’t run when it rained.
What is the best cheap tinted hair spray for hair loss?
Batiste, and it’s my favourite of the four I’ve tried. Cheap, cheerful, and the spray is far less aggressive than the others, which matters more than you’d think when you’re aiming a can at your own head at 8am. Clean the nozzle with a cotton bud and warm water every so often, because it cakes up and then sprays out in clumps.
How do I apply tinted hair spray without making a mess?
Hold the can at least 30cm from your head, apply in thin layers rather than one heavy coat, and do it before you get dressed. Clean the nozzle with a cotton bud and warm water to stop it clumping.
What is the difference between tinted hair spray and scalp concealer fibres?
Tinted hair spray coats existing hairs to make them look darker and reduce visible scalp contrast. Scalp concealer fibres like Toppik or Nanogen are tiny keratin fibres that cling to existing hairs and add the appearance of density. Fibres add more visible fullness but are more vulnerable to wind and rain, and sprays don’t add volume.
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