What is Toning Brassy Hair?
Toning brassy hair is a hair care technique designed to neutralize unwanted yellow, orange, or brassy hues in your hair, leaving it with a cooler, more ashy tone. This process involves using specific products that counteract warm undertones, enhancing the vibrancy and brightness of your hair without the need for harsh bleaching. Toning is especially effective for lightening dark shades to achieve an ashier, more refined look.
The process can be done safely at home with the right products, careful application, and patience to achieve professional-quality results.
Types of Brassy Tones
Brassy hair typically falls into two categories based on the unwanted hue: yellowish or orange tones. For yellowish brassiness, purple shampoos are highly effective as their violet pigments neutralize yellow hues. For orange tones, green shampoos or toners work best by counteracting red and orange shades. It’s important to note that brassy tones can affect all hair colors—including brunette, blonde, and redhead—often appearing as orange or red in darker hair, faded in redheads, or yellow/orange in blondes.
Top 10 Effective Methods to Tone Brassy Hair at Home
Many people feel uncertain when their hair appears brassy after coloring. Brassiness can be addressed effectively at home using a range of methods tailored to your hair type and the specific brassy tones.
Discover how to tone brassy hair at home using the following proven techniques:
1. Use Purple Shampoo
Purple shampoos are essential for neutralizing yellow and golden hues in light hair. The violet pigments in these shampoos counterbalance brassiness, leaving your hair looking cooler and more refined. Top-rated options include Fanola No Yellow Shampoo and Wella Professionals Silver Lady Violet Shampoo, both praised for their effectiveness and salon-quality results.
2. Take Vitamin C Supplements
Vitamin C is renowned for enhancing hair brightness and preventing brassiness. Taking Vitamin C supplements daily can restore your hair’s natural shine and tone while protecting against future discoloration. Many hair professionals recommend starting supplementation up to two weeks before coloring to prolong color vibrancy.
3. Eat More Red Foods
Incorporating red fruits like cranberries, cherries, and strawberries into your diet can reduce the appearance of brassy tones. These fruits contain anthocyanins, phytochemicals that help diminish orange and yellow pigments naturally. While beneficial, consume these fruits in moderation due to their high sugar content.
4. Dip Your Hair in Warm Water
A popular stylist tip involves soaking hair in lukewarm water for at least five minutes. The warmth helps “melt” brassy pigments, promoting ashy and silver tones. This technique requires patience but can be a natural complement to other toning methods.
5. Use Sulfate-Free Shampoo
Sulfate-free shampoos gently cleanse without stripping essential pigments, preventing hair color from fading quickly. They are especially suitable for maintaining blonde, silver, or gray hair tones, allowing your hair to retain its vibrancy longer.
6. Do a Hair Mask
Use a nourishing deep-conditioning mask containing ingredients like coconut milk, olive oil, argan oil, or macadamia oil. These ingredients strengthen hair, reduce breakage, and can subtly lighten brassy tones. Avoid this step if your hair is severely damaged to prevent additional stress.
7. Change Your Towels
Using darker towels can cause pigment transfer to your hair, enhancing brassiness. Switching to light-colored or microfiber towels minimizes this effect and maintains your hair’s cool tones. The same applies to white pillowcases that might collect coloring residues.
8. Use Heat-Protecting Products Before Styling
Protect your hair from heat damage by applying heat protectants before using blow dryers, flat irons, or curling tools. This helps prevent hair color from darkening or fading prematurely due to high temperatures.
9. Tone Multiple Times Per Week
For consistent results, apply toning treatments such as purple shampoo every other wash. Frequent toning keeps brassiness at bay but be cautious not to overuse on damaged hair to avoid over-fading.
10. Choose Ashy or Cool-Toned Hair Colors
When selecting hair color, opt for ashy or cool tones such as light brown to medium blonde shades to naturally minimize brassiness. These colors effectively neutralize warm undertones better than warmer colors do. Note that if your hair is already ashy, this benefit may be limited.
Read more: An In-Depth Guide About How To Fix Bleached Hair That Turned Yellow?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
By following the aforementioned tips, your hair color can stay vibrant for 6-8 weeks. However, exposure to hot tub chemicals, chlorine, or saltwater can accelerate fading by stripping pigments from hair.
Brassiness occurs when melanin pigments in hair oxidize due to hydrogen peroxide or bleaching agents, creating unwanted orange/yellow tones. This oxidation process changes the natural hue and intensifies with chemical treatments.
Besides purple shampoo, you can use products containing blue pigments, eat foods rich in anthocyanins, or apply home remedies like lemon rinses to naturally diminish brassy tones. Avoid red or purple pigmented products as they may darken your hair.
For additional insights, explore How To Fix Bleached Hair and visit our fashion category for comprehensive guides and tips.
Additional Insight: Maintaining cool-toned hair requires consistent care beyond just toning products. Limiting sun exposure and using UV-protectant hair sprays can prevent heat and sunlight from fading color and increasing brassiness. Additionally, avoiding harsh chemical treatments and regularly trimming damaged ends promotes healthier hair that holds tone better. Incorporating moisturizing treatments ensures hair remains hydrated, reducing porosity that often leads to color loss. By adopting a holistic hair care routine—including diet, protective styling, and proper product selection—you can enjoy longer-lasting vibrancy and reduce the need for frequent toning.
