If you dye your hair blonde, you’ve probably experienced leaving the salon happy but quickly becoming frustrated in the following weeks. Sometimes it’s surprising how fast a beautiful golden or ashy blonde can turn brassy-looking.
So, what really goes on with your hair in the days and weeks after the dye job? Let’s talk about how to prevent orangey-toned hair from happening and what you can do if you’re currently stuck looking like a goldfish.
What Is Brassy Hair?
Brassiness in hair is the unwanted warm tones that appear in colored hair. This is typical for people who have dyed their hair from brown to blonde or platinum. The reason the term is “brassy” is because of the color the hair turns when orange and red tones show up in strands.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between brassy and warm-toned hair. Brassiness refers to excessive amounts of warm tones at the roots, which makes it look unnatural. Warm blonde hair has cooler roots and is warmer at the midshaft and ends.
What Causes Brassy Hair?
When hair is bleached during coloring, the melanin in your hair gets diluted, which is what’s called oxidation. In addition to removing your existing color, the dye also deposits color in your hair. Usually, the chemical process will create the color that you want. But with time, your hair might start to look brassy.
Hair dye is made of three different pigment colors, red, blue, and yellow. The blue-colored molecules usually fade faster, leaving the yellow and red colors to show through. Together, these colors create an orange hue.
Preventing Brassy Hair
There are a lot of ways you can keep up with the maintenance of your hair and prevent it from turning brassy. Let’s talk about some of the methods you can utilize.
Choose The Right Color To Begin With
If you’re looking to avoid brassiness altogether, try to pick a hair color that is cooler-toned. This will steer you away from the red and yellow hues that cause brassy strands. Cooler results for your blonde hair will counteract any brassiness before it takes over.
Avoid The Pool And Sun
It can be difficult to stay out of the water or the sunshine during the warmer months, but it might just save your hair. If you want to keep brassiness to a minimum, stay away from chlorine and UV exposure. The chemicals in the pool make your hair more prone to damage and also causes hair color to fade faster.
If you are going to be out in the sun, make sure you use an SPF hair spray to protect your precious locks and your scalp. If you can, wear a hat to decrease the amount of hair that is exposed directly to the sun.
Purple Shampoo
Purple shampoo works on brassy hair because of science—more specifically, color theory. Yellow and purple are complementary colors that cancel each other out on the color wheel. When you use purple pigmented shampoo, it neutralizes brassy tones and brings your hair back to the cooler side.
There are a lot of purple shampoos on the market that claim to do the trick. However, different brands have various amounts of purple pigment in them that work for specific hair colors. VoCe has a Purple Wash that is crafted with the best globally sourced ingredients. It is made with just the right amount of violet pigment to wash away unwanted yellow tones.
If you plan to use a purple shampoo, it’s important to find the right balance for your hair. To avoid over-toning your hair, when you use purple shampoo for the first time, dilute it with your regular shampoo. Before you apply it to your hair, emulsify the product in your hands for the best results.
Get Rid Of Shampoo With Sulfates
A lot of brands utilize sulfates in their products to create a good lathering effect. However, these sulfates can be harmful to your hair and your body. It strips away color and moisture, leaving you with brittle, dull-looking hair. When purchasing a shampoo and conditioner for color-treated hair, avoid bottles that have sulfates as an ingredient.
Use Shampoo For Color Treated Hair
When you aren’t using purple shampoo, the regular shampoo that you use should be safe for colored hair. If it isn’t, you risk your color fading away much quicker than it would normally. When the color fades, brassiness is left behind, prompting another visit to the hairdresser.
Our Essential Haircare Moisture Hydrate Set is color-safe, 100% vegan, and paraben-free. It’s made with wheat protein and algae extracts to nourish and replenish hair that has been dried out by chemical processes.
Buy a Shower Filter
Another tip for brassy hair is buying a shower filter. When you wash your hair, a lot of mineral deposits are left behind by the water, such as iron and chlorine. The buildup from this has a drying effect which fades hair color rather quickly. This allows brassy tones to sneak in before you’ve even realized it. Shower filters help cut down on the number of mineral deposits in your hair to preserve its color.
Wash With Cool Water
You may not realize it, but the temperature that you wash your hair with makes a big difference in the results. Hair color often fades faster when you rinse with hot water because it opens up the outer cuticle layer of the hair. This disintegrates the color deposits, and you end up with yellow-toned strands. To avoid this, rinse your hair with cool or lukewarm water to close the hair cuticle at the end of your shower.
Shampoo Less Often
It might be tempting to wash your hair every day as a part of your routine, especially if you exercise and sweat a lot, but overwashing is a huge contributor to brassiness. Try to wash your hair every 3-5 days, depending on your hair type. This will make your color last longer and even help your hair retain more moisture. Bleaching your hair often removes a lot of the hydration in it, which is proper care is so important.
On days when you feel like you need to get rid of some oil and product buildup, use a dry shampoo instead of washing your hair. This will help you get through your non-wash days and still make your hair look gorgeous and styled. Our Refresh Me Dry Shampoo contains a unique formula that soaks up oil and removes buildup to give your head a break.
Clean Beauty For Less Brassiness
Any products that contain harsh chemicals leave your hair more susceptible to brassy tones and a straw-like texture. Choosing clean, vegan beauty products allows you to rest easy, knowing that the ingredients you’re putting on your hair are safe and good for it. At VoCe, we believe in only using the best ingredients for our products, so that you can see results right away.
VoCe Products For Gorgeous Blonde Hair
Our purple shampoo is great for blondes, but it won’t work for everyone. Sometimes, a combination of products is best for your hair’s health. That’s why VoCe caters to a wide variety of hair types, and we offer several clean options. As the seasons change, your hair care requirements might shift slightly too. If you need moisture, volume, or smoothing abilities, we’re here to help. If you need hydration, try our Hydrate Wash Moisture Shampoo. It contains shea butter, white tea, and vanilla cactus to provide a protective moisture barrier for your hair.
If you need help taming coarse, unruly hair, our Smoothing Set is perfect for you. Its ingredients include Tamanu seed oil, Buriti oil, and passion fruit to create a beautifully fragranced shampoo and conditioner for brittle hair.
In Summary
Violet shampoo does wonders for blonde hair struggling with brassy tones. If you’re looking to get rid of those pesky orange-tones in your beach blonde hair, try using purple shampoo to start. Following our tips is sure to get you the hair you’ve always dreamed of.
Finding a shampoo that works best for your hair is crucial to its overall health and appearance. Don’t be afraid to test out new products on your hair until you find something that you’re happy with. Allow the product some time to adjust to your hair after using it, and then decide if you like the results before giving the final verdict.
Sources:
How To Get Orange Out of Hair At Home | Healthline
When You Need to Use a Sulfate-Free Shampoo—and When You Totally Don't | Self
How hard water in your shower affects your hair | Insider