Use an apple cider vinegar toning rinse This homespun method is a long-term way of gently fixing orange hair. Add a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into one litre of lukewarm water, then add a couple of drops of liquid food colouring - use blue for orange hair, and purple for more yellow.
Vinegar Rinse: Mix equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water, apply it to your hair, leave it for 10-15 minutes, and then rinse. This can help tone down brassiness. Blue Shampoo: If your hair is still too warm, you can use blue shampoo, which is more effective for orange or gold tones.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sun Exposure + Color Fade
The sun's powerful UV rays can break down hair dye molecules, fading the cool tones faster than the warm tones. This can lead to the hair taking on a brassy, orange, or yellow tint.
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.
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.
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.
Baking soda
To use baking soda as a remedy for brassiness, mix one-part baking soda with three parts water. Pour the mixture over your head, and massage it into your scalp. Leave it in for a few minutes, then rinse it out.
Brassy hair is caused by an overabundance of warm pigments in your hair, usually caused by bleaching and the hair coloring process. Brass usually shows up as yellow or orange tones in blonde hair and orange or red tones in brunette hair.
If your bleached hair looks more yellow than orange, you'll need a purple toning shampoo to neutralise the yellow. If your hair's turned orange, you'll need a blue toning shampoo to tone the brassiness and get rid of the orange.
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.
This brassy effect could be the result of mineral deposits from your shower, pollution from city air, cigarette smoke or even your styling products. It's a good idea to introduce a clarifying shampoo once a week, along with a purple shampoo, for tone, once a week, if you have a problem with brassiness.
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.
At-Home Color Management
Violet hued shampoos will neutralize yellow brassiness. 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.
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.
A bit more depth at your roots add some dimension and can look very natural. Change to a cool based colour. Cool tones will counter-balance and correct unwanted warmth. Try using a toner, which will deposit cool tones only to balance unwanted warmth.