Extra porous hair tends to absorb pollution, hard water, and other environmental causes resulting in hair turning brassier than non porous hair. It means your hair has been damaged, through environmental factors, over processed color or the overuse of heat.
To cancel out brassy orange hair, you should use a blue toner or hair dye. In color theory, blue is opposite orange on the color wheel, which means it can neutralize the unwanted brassy tones.
Rinse With Cool or Cold Water
When you rinse with warm water and the cuticles lift, the water rinses out the color, leaving behind brassy strands. Rinse with cool or cold water, and you'll prevent brassiness and frizz.
Purple Shampoo or Conditioner: Using a purple shampoo can help tone down brassiness temporarily, as purple neutralizes yellow and orange tones. Toner: A professional toner in a blue or violet shade can effectively neutralize brassy tones. You can apply this at home or have it done at a salon.
If you leave purple shampoo in your hair for 30 minutes, the risk of over-toning increases significantly. While purple shampoo is designed to neutralize brassy or yellow tones, leaving it on for an extended period can lead to overly cool or even purple-tinted hair, especially for those with light or porous hair.
Purple toners are the best for brassy blonde hair! As a blonde, if you're seeing brass you're likely seeing unwanted yellow - and purple counteracts this.
There's two reasons why your hair is still brassy after toning or colouring. Either the undertone of the toner/colour is wrong, or the product is too light for you.
If your client's hair is on the yellow end of the orange spectrum, a violet shampoo can help to correct and neutralize their brassy hair. This is because violet sits opposite yellow on the color wheel, allowing it to cancel out those unwanted tones and leave strands beautifully balanced.
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.
If you think of the color wheel, blue and purple are located directly opposite yellow and orange, which is why blue and purple-pigmented shampoo helps to correct color and remove brassy tones from the hair.
Nexxus Blonde Assure Shampoo
Our top pick for this category is Nexxus Blonde Assure Purple Shampoo Color Care Shampoo because it not only includes keratin protein but also effectively neutralizes brassy tones while nourishing strands.
If you have any orange left in your hair, T14 is probably the best for your hair over T18. T18 is only effective if your hair is a level 10 or higher (purely yellow). Putting the wrong toner in your hair won't necessarily harm it, but it likely won't affect the color at all.
Purple formulas help cancel unwanted yellow or brassy tones, as purple and yellow are opposite on the color wheel and neutralize each other. Blue formulas are best for orange undertones and brassiness, and perform that same function.
Use a Color-Correcting Purple Shampoo
Yellow and violet are opposites on the color wheel, so purple is used to cancel out overly warm, brassy tones. Purple shampoo is a toning hair product that can be used at home. Invest in a purple shampoo to help crush brassy tones for a cooler, brighter blonde.
At-home toners help to maintain your hair colour between salon visits and come in shampoos, conditioners and hair masks that contain purple, silver or blue pigments. The difference between these and in-salon toners is that at-home toners contain less pigments, meaning they won't last quite as long.
Purple shampoo should be applied in the shower or during a hair wash. While your hair is wet, apply the shampoo and lather it onto your hair.
Palladino adds that toners aren't one specific product, and you can't go out and just buy a “toner.” Demi-permanent colors, glosses, tinted shampoos, and conditioners can all be considered toners because they all contain pigments that adjust the tone of your hair.
Level 2–3 is extremely dark brown, as level 1 is black. Level 9–10 is very pale blonde. Color does not lift color; only bleach can make your hair lighter.