Why did my ash blonde turn orange?

Author: Karley Gerlach  |  Last update: Tuesday, August 26, 2025

If you were a blonde to start with and you've ended up with orange hair after bleaching, it could be due to a build-up of chemicals or minerals in your hair. Brassiness can also happen if you've been in the sea or a chlorinated pool frequently.

How to fix blonde hair that turned orange?

Purple shampoo can help neutralize the orange tones. Look for a high-quality purple shampoo and use it a few times a week. Leave it in for a few minutes before rinsing to let the purple pigments work. Consider applying a toner specifically designed for blonde hair.

Should I bleach my hair again if it turned orange?

Best approach would be to wait a week or longer for your hair to recover and then do another bleach on your ends and the length of your hair. Can try toning it down with blue or purple shampoo in the meantime.

What color cancels out ash blonde?

Yes, purple coloring can help tone ash blonde hair, especially if you're trying to neutralize unwanted yellow or brassy tones. Purple is opposite yellow on the color wheel, so it effectively cancels out those warm hues. Here are a few tips:

Why did my hair go from blonde to orange?

if your hair turns orange (aka brassy) after you bleach it, it means you didn't lighten it enough. wait one to two weeks after your first bleaching session, then bleach it again until it turns yellow (like, aggressively yellow), after which you can either tone it or dye it with a light ashy brown.

How to Fix a Brassy Base Color + Have Bright Blonde Highlights

What color cancels out orange in blonde hair?

Use a purple or blue shampoo

Blue and purple shampoos neutralise unwanted brassy tones to reveal a cooler blonde or light brown shade.

Does purple shampoo fix orange hair?

The Bottom Line: Use purple shampoo to tone yellow, usually blonde hair, and blue shampoo to tone orange, usually brunette hair. When deciding how to fix orange hair, you might try using a toner to get rid of the orange pigment. Toning neutralizes unwanted brassy tones to reveal a cooler blonde or light brown shade.

Will lightest ash blonde remove orange?

Even though ash blonde might seem like a light and delicate color, it will indeed cancel out brassy tones and orange hues commonly left behind by hair lightener and other hair color.

What color to put over orange bleached hair?

You've got it: blue! Since red and yellow make orange, that means blue is the missing primary color. Blue and orange are complements on the color wheel, which means that blue will neutralize an orange hair color.

How to tone down ashy blonde?

Ashy Hair Color Correction
  1. Use A Clarifying Shampoo. If you have ashy hair and want to tone the color down, then clarifying shampoos will do the trick. ...
  2. Wash Your Hair Regularly. ...
  3. Use Lemon Juice. ...
  4. Use Warm Colors. ...
  5. Color Remover To The Rescue. ...
  6. Bleach Wash. ...
  7. Hair Gloss For Those Ashy Tones.

Can I use purple shampoo immediately after bleaching?

When To Use Purple Shampoo After Bleaching? Avoid washing your mane for the first 48 to 72 hours after bleaching it. This is to give your hair enough time to seal in its new color. If you waited 72 hours before washing your hair after it was bleached, you could use the purple shampoo the next time you shower.

Will a bleach bath lift orange?

Yes, a bleach bath can help to fix orange or yellow hair by neutralizing brassy tones. The bleach solution can help to remove excess pigments from the hair, resulting in a more neutral, natural-looking color.

Will toner work on orange hair?

In-salon toner

Professional glosses are ideal for those dealing with stubborn or severely brassy orange hair. The pampering salon technique can last six to eight weeks on your hair, depending on how often you wash it.

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.

What color is ash blonde hair?

Ash hair colour is on the cool side of the colour spectrum, meaning that it does not contain many red or orange tones. Ash hair colours can vary from a light ash blonde to a dark brown ash, and is a popular hair colour because it adds a silvery tone to the hair, and avoids any brassiess.

What happens if you don't use toner after bleaching?

Why is Toner Needed? Toners are more than just an accessory to your color treatment. They refresh and enhance your hair's tone, and they're a lifesaver for tackling any unwanted oranges, brassiness or yellows as bleaching exposes the hair's underlying pigments that can get damaged without further treatment.

How to fix bleached hair that turned orange?

How Can I Fix Orange Hair After Bleaching?
  1. Tone it up! Depending on the result of your DIY bleaching; you'll either need a purple shampoo or a blue shampoo. ...
  2. Add an apple cider vinegar rinse to your routine. ...
  3. Dye it darker.

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.

Can I bleach my hair again if it didn't lift enough?

Repeated bleaching is not recommended since you're putting yourself at risk of overprocessing and breakage. If you do bleach again, make sure to wait 3 weeks to give your hair cuticle enough time to heal, close and lay flat again.

Why does my hair look ginger in the light?

And because those UV rays are stronger in summer compared to other times of the year, some strands will turn a copper red colour due to the underlying warmer tones in your brunette hair being revealed as it's bleached by the light. Suffice it to say, until new hair grows through, the reddish tint will remain.

How to warm up ashy hair at home naturally?

How To Warm Up Ashy Hair at Home
  1. Use a color-correcting cream. The trick to getting rid of unwanted coolness on your strands. ...
  2. Wash extra. If you decide that you're not happy with the level of cool tones in your hair, wash it! ...
  3. Always use a heat protectant.

What happens if I put ash blonde on yellow hair?

As a 2nd step, I use L'Oreal Excellance - 9A shade - light Ash Blonde to achieve platinum hair color. Ash cancels the yellow. But make sure to only apply the ash product on the hair that you bleached that are yellow. The ends of your hair are usually much light and will absorb the ash color much quicker than the roots.

What happens if I leave purple shampoo in my hair for 30 minutes?

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.

Why does my hair go ginger when I dye it blonde?

Any time you go lighter than your natural color, you will bring up your natural underlying pigments.” Brown and black hair have darker orange and red underlying pigments than naturally blonde hair, which is why these hair colors tend to turn more brassy once lightened.

How to tone orange hair at home?

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.

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