How can I lighten my copper hair?

Author: Richmond Cummings  |  Last update: Thursday, December 4, 2025

The easiest way to lighten hair is to use a clarifying shampoo or a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice. These methods are gentle and can gradually lighten the hair over a few washes. For more immediate results, a professional toner or hair lightener can be used.

How to reduce copper tones in hair?

Use a Color-Correcting Product:Color-correcting shampoos or conditioners can help neutralize unwanted tones. For copper hair, a blue or purple-toned shampoo or conditioner might help balance the color and reduce the coppery appearance.

What cancels out copper tones in hair?

Blue (silver) toned shampoos will cancel out copper brassiness. This works because blue and purple are opposite orange and yellow on the color wheel, effectively counteracting the brassy tones. There is a wide variety of options, ranging from affordable drug store versions to pricey salon products.

How do you make copper hair less orange?

Use a purple or blue shampoo

Blue and purple shampoos neutralise unwanted brassy tones to reveal a cooler blonde or light brown shade. Examine the colour of your hair currently, and find the colour that is exactly opposite it using a colour wheel.

How to remove copper color from dark hair?

Clarifying Shampoo: Use a clarifying shampoo to help strip some of the color. Wash your hair multiple times, leaving the shampoo in for a few minutes before rinsing. This can help fade the copper tone. Homemade Treatment: Crush vitamin C tablets and mix them with a clarifying shampoo to create a paste.

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How do I lighten my dark copper hair?

How to Lighten Hair Dyed Too Dark with a DIY Approach
  1. Use a paste of Baking Soda and Lemon Juice.
  2. Wash your Hair with Apple Cider Vinegar.
  3. Take some Vitamin C Tablets.
  4. Wash Hair With Clarifying Shampoo.
  5. Use Purple or Blue Shampoo for Brassy Tones.
  6. Do a Bleach Bath.
  7. Bleed the Color Out.
  8. Use Hair Lightener or Toner.

Is copper hard to get out of hair?

Copper tones can be really hard to remove from hair, especially when the hair is already damaged from years of colour, but look how amazing this result is!

What color neutralizes copper hair?

Orange or brassy tones are best neutralized with blue, while red tones find their match in green. OVERTONE offers a range of award-winning Coloring Conditioners as well as Toning Conditioners designed specifically for these correction needs.

How do you tone down orange ginger hair?

Use blue shampoo regularly

To combat orange tones you need blue to neutralize. On the color wheel, blue sits across from orange, which means it will balance out and neutralize unwanted warmth or brassiness in the hair.

What will blue shampoo do to copper hair?

So what does blue shampoo do? In short it neutralizes orange, red and copper tones; keeps brunette hair looking vibrant and multi-dimensional and cools down warm tones. But it's not just a hero product for brown hair, it helps to tone down brassiness in blonde hair too!

What shampoo cancels out copper?

Blue shampoo: Neutralizes unwanted orange, red and copper tones that shows up in lightened hair.

How to lighten copper hair to blonde?

A 30-volume developer is best if your hair is between light copper and dark red. It can lighten your hair more than 3 shades. However, if you hair is a very, very dark red, you might need to use a 30-volume developer in more than 1 round of bleaching.

What happens if you have too much copper in your hair?

An elevated copper level on a hair tissue mineral analysis indicates a condition of bio-unavailable copper. Although copper is present in excess in body tissues, it cannot be utilized properly.

Does purple shampoo work on copper hair?

Yes, purple shampoo can be used on red hair, particularly for those with dyed red hair. While it won't fade the red, it can help tone down bronzy or brassy hues, enhancing the overall color. Natural redheads may notice minimal effects.

Does apple cider vinegar help with brassy hair?

Remove orange and yellow tones simply by applying two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with water, using a cotton ball. After 30 minutes, wash your hair with cool water.

What Wella toner cancels out orange?

The most powerful toner against orange tones is the Wella Colour Charm Toner in 050 Cooling Violet. Used alone on blonde hair this gives a steel grey result. Used alone on orange hair this will really reduce the orange tones and leave you with an ashy dark blonde/light brown result.

How to tone down copper hair at home?

Blue (silver) toned shampoos will cancel out copper brassiness. This works because blue and purple are opposite orange and yellow on the color wheel, effectively counteracting the brassy tones. There is a wide variety of options, ranging from affordable drug store versions to pricey salon products.

How to remove orange from hair without bleaching?

You can also use toners to correct the color and balance out the warm tones. By looking at color theory and choosing the opposite color of your hair in the color wheel, such as purple or blue shades, you can neutralize the yellow and orange.

Will medium ash brown cover orange hair?

Orange hair to light brown: Try using a medium ash blonde hair dye, as it can help neutralize the orange tone and achieve a cool light brown hue. Another option is to wait for the orange tones to fade and apply a light brown hair dye over it, making sure to choose a shade with ash undertones to neutralize the orange.

What cancels out copper tones?

Blue shampoos contain blue or violet pigments; when you wash your hair with blue shampoo, these pigments are deposited onto your hair strands, and help to counteract brassy tones. Use our Blue Crush Shampoo and Blue Crush Conditioner to get rid of those orangey, reddy hues, and reveal cooler-toned brown hair.

What shampoo tones down copper?

Fanola No Orange Shampoo, Anti-Orange Tones Shampoo for Neutralize Copper, Orange and Red Tones with Immediate Toning Action for Dark Colored Hair, 1000.

What colors to avoid with copper hair?

What Not to Wear: The sunny shades of yellow and orange are too strong. True white isn't as good of a choice as off-white or cream. Pink, especially bubble gum pink, doesn't really flatter, but a bolder pink might. Red clothing isn't a great color for red hair, especially orange-red or burgundy.

How to lighten dyed copper hair?

If your hair dye is too dark, you can use a clarifying shampoo or a color remover to lighten it. Home remedies like baking soda and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar can also help. For significant color correction, visiting a professional stylist is recommended.

How to remove copper tones from hair?

As you can probably imagine, blue shampoo contains cobalt-colored pigments that help offset orange and other copper-leaning tones. Use it in place of your regular shampoo once or twice a week to help fend off unwanted warmth.

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