"All hair contains melanin, and melanin is responsible for the lightness or darkness of your natural hair color." So when we lighten our naturally dark hair color, "the underlying pigments in darker colors are one of the reasons that hair can turn that orange brassy color during or after a coloring session."
Look for a toner with blue or purple undertones, as these colors can counteract the orange. You can either visit a salon or purchase a toner to use at home. If the orange is persistent, you might want to apply a demi-permanent hair color that is a shade cooler than your current color.
Toner is primarily used to adjust the tone of hair rather than lighten it significantly. If you have dark brown hair and want to lighten it, toner alone won't achieve that.
Oxidation: Over time, hair can oxidize, especially if it has been previously colored or treated. This process can lead to a change in tone, often making brown hair appear more orange or red. Water Quality: Hard water, which contains high levels of minerals, can effect hair color.
Whether you're dealing with brassy or orange undertones, your best option is a color-depositing, blue toning shampoo. Yes, blue shampoo.
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.
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Hair toners designed to help neutralize brassiness typically contain micro-pigments that deposit onto the hair fiber. These micro-pigments help counteract the appearance of unwanted undertones, resulting in a more neutral, balanced hair color.
Purple toning products are perfect for blondes since the violet reduces yellow tones and eliminates brassiness to keep blonde hair looking fresh. In contrast, blue toning products are perfect for brunettes since the blue cancels out orange tones and increases luster in the hair.
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.
To avoid it going ginger or red then you must check what shade you are using. For example if the colour says golden, chocolate, mahogany, red, warm brown etc, these will all look 'ginger'. To achieve a rich colour, a basic shade must be added to create the depth (how dark it is).
Make sure you get washed immediately after you notice you have over-toned those locks! Most toners are not permanent, therefore eventually, after several washes, the 'cool' tones will fade. If you want that toner gone quicker, 2-3 washes with a clarifying shampoo will start to remove the blue, grey or purple stains.
Try a blue or purple toning shampoo
Blue and green fall directly opposite from red and orange, meaning the cooler blue and green tones of a blue shampoo will neutralise and counteract the warmer tones found in hair. A shampoo such as Redken's Color Extend Brownlights is the perfect blue shampoo for brunettes.
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.
"All hair contains melanin, and melanin is responsible for the lightness or darkness of your natural hair color." So when we lighten our naturally dark hair color, "the underlying pigments in darker colors are one of the reasons that hair can turn that orange brassy color during or after a coloring session."
Toning products work by depositing hair colour pigment onto each individual hair strand. Anyone can use hair toners regardless of whether your hair is dyed or not, but they're especially great at topping up faded colour, getting rid of those unwanted warm orange or brass tones, and adding intense shine.
Please keep In mind toner is only temporary and can last 4-8 weeks depending on how you take care of your hair. I always recommend clients come in for maintenance toning appointments in between big Blonding appointments.
Some toners contain harsh chemicals or high levels of ammonia or peroxide, which can strip the hair of its natural oils and cause damage if used incorrectly or excessively.
When you use blonde hair dye on dark brown hair, the dye works by taking away the natural colour (called melanin) from your hair and replacing it with lighter colours. This process is called oxidation. As the melanin goes away, your hair gets lighter and turns blonde.
When to use hair toner. You can use hair toner at any point during your colouring cycle - but we'd recommend you use it every time you bleach your hair, as you'll need a toner to neutralise unwanted undertones. Salon-style toners last around three to four weeks before a refresh is needed.
Brassy brown hair happens in color-treated brown hair and refers to the orange and red undertones that appear in the base color over time. When hair is lightened, the pigments are stripped, which leads to these unwanted warm tones that come to the surface.
If your hair is orange, you'll need a blue toner. Try a blue shampoo to tone the brassiness and get rid of the orange.
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.