Renowned stylist Oscar Blandi has designed a new color pen for root touch-up.

Years ago, when we spotted our first silver hair defiantly sticking up, a fellow brunette told us she colored her sporadic grays with a Sharpie. Deterred, however, by the threat of marker fumes, we plucked each one instead and named them for their potential causes (Mortgage, for example, was joined by Company Downsizing and Health Insurance Dispute).

Now that we’re older, wiser and more gray, we let a colorist handle it — but in between appointments, that Sharpie looks pretty tempting. Thankfully, the new Oscar Blandi Pronto Colore Pen Root Touch-up & Highlighting Pen ($23) is designed precisely for this purpose — to cover stray grays and unsightly roots.

Select neutral brown, beige blonde, light golden blonde, dark brown/black or warm reddish brown and twist the end of the cap to release the color. Then pull the hair taut and paint over roots with the brush. The temporary color is designed to stay until the next wash and dries fairly quickly — just wait a few minutes before running your hands through your locks. (We’d also advise a thorough rinse before resting your head on your favorite ivory sheets, just to be safe.)

The color is free from ammonia and peroxide, so it’s safe for pregnant women and doesn’t have a strong smell. The pen, available at Sephora, is one of the latest products from New York City stylist Blandi, whose client list includes Faith Hill, Salma Hayek and Renee Zellwéger.

We’re usually not too self-conscious about our roots, until we feel someone staring at them. Now we can postpone a trip to the stylist for a week or two; a sticker on the box also notes that the pen is a recession-friendly product. Do you know of any other effective cover-ups for roots and grays?

Tags: Brown hair, Faith Hill, Hair color, New York City, Oscar, Renee Zellwéger, Roots, Salma Hayek, Sharpie, USD, Writing instruments