If you are seeking an at-home solution, start with purple shampoo and conditioner. "Purple shampoo is great for neutralizing yellow or brassy tones by balancing them with cool pigments," shares Korab. "Use it once or twice a week and leave it on for a few minutes, but avoid overuse to prevent a purple tint."
The easiest way to fight that unwanted warmth is with purple shampoos and conditioners which neutralize/cool down those warm tones. You can also book an appointment with your colorist for them to apply a toning gloss or glaze. This should last you a few weeks.
"For cooler blonde, I would do a heavy highlight all over with a cream bleach mixed with a low volume to get as much warmth out as possible. Then after the blonde processes (it needs to be as close to a level 10 or lighter as possible) I tone with a level 9 or 10 blue or violet based demi-permanent gloss."
Vinegar Rinse: Mix equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water. Rinse your hair with this mixture after shampooing to help remove buildup and tone down red. Chamomile Tea Rinse: Brew chamomile tea, let it cool, and rinse your hair. This can lighten and brighten blonde tones while minimizing red.
Purple and yellow are opposites on the color wheel, which means they can be used to counteract one another. Since blonde hair that's turned brassy looks yellow, a pigmented purple shampoo can actually neutralize the yellow hue and take you back to the ashy blonde color you wanted in the first place.
Along with gently removing product buildup and excess oil from your scalp, ACV can also help lighten your hair (especially if your natural highlights are on the warmer side). Fill a spray bottle with equal parts ACV and water, let it sit on your hair for a few minutes, and then rinse it out.
Toning to balance out the warm tones
You can also use toners to correct the colour and balance out the warm tones. By looking at colour theory and choosing the opposite colour of your hair in the colour wheel, such as purple or blue shades, you can neutralise the yellow and orange.
An essential for both natural and coloured blonde hair, purple shampoo with a mild toning effect can keep brassiness at bay to help maintain a cool, icy shade.
Consider a New Colorist or Salon
A new stylist will treat the appointment as a new color, not a color correction, but if it's a complete redo, Hazan says it'll be worth it to resolve the issue. "Or, if you want to switch stylists at the same salon, that's fine too—it's your hair and your money," Hazan says.
Toning to 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. This method gives the impression of cooler tones without affecting the pigments in a permanent way.
Purple shampoo works by the concept of colour theory. On the colour wheel, purple is opposite yellow. That means the violet pigments in purple toning shampoos can neutralise unwanted yellow hair. Similarly, blue is the opposite of orange on the colour wheel.
If you want to use a more concentrated toner, try a leave-in product to banish brassy, yellow tones to restore cool, ash blonde hues. If you have brown hair, a blue shampoo and conditioner will ensure orange tones don't seep through. For red hair, reach for a green shampoo to ensure your color doesn't fade away.
Darken your highlights by applying toner and developer. For a quick fix, try using a colored dry shampoo or color-depositing shampoo to even out the tone. A gloss treatment, semi-permanent, or permanent hair color gives more drastic, longer-lasting results.
Q: For folks who don't want ashy hair color, is it hard to fix? A: It's super easy to fix. When formulating your shade, your colorist will likely use a copper or golden tone to counteract the ash.
Add warmth. This can be done in a salon by adding a gloss or toner onto the hair. But if you're looking to solve your ashy issue at home, reach for a color-correcting treatment, like the Better Natured Color Refreshing Crème in Rose Gold.
If you are seeking an at-home solution, start with purple shampoo and conditioner. "Purple shampoo is great for neutralizing yellow or brassy tones by balancing them with cool pigments," shares Korab. "Use it once or twice a week and leave it on for a few minutes, but avoid overuse to prevent a purple tint."
Baking Soda Paste
Baking soda can be an effective way to remove permanent hair dye naturally because of its lightening properties. Try mixing baking soda with lemon juice, which is acidic, to create a paste. Then, work the paste through your hair, allow it to sit for five minutes, and rinse thoroughly.
Taking the next step in the laws of neutralization, you can conclude that a violet or blue violet color formula will cancel out the unwanted yellow or gold tones in your blonde hair color; blue will cancel out the unwanted orange or brassy tones in your brown hair color and green will cancel out the unwanted red tones ...
If you have brunette hair, chamomile tea can work great as a lightening treatment. Combine a fourth cup of strong chamomile tea with one fourth cup apple cider vinegar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spray the mixture to saturate your hair, let dry, and leave in overnight.
Diluted apple cider vinegar alone may remove build-up but it can also strip your hair color and leave a lingering smell. Our formula is perfectly balanced to offer all the benefits of diluted Apple Cider Vinegar without its downsides. Our ACV Hair Rinse is color safe and is conditioning for your hair and scalp.
When applied to the hair, hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen, releasing oxygen molecules that penetrate the hair shaft. As these oxygen molecules interact with the melanin in the hair, they break down the pigment, causing the hair to lighten.