Brassy Blonde Hair 101: All You Need to Know

A common threat to most blonde women is brassy hair. We have all seen it at some point, and some of us have already suffered the consequences of having to deal with a brassy blonde tone… But, why does this happen? Why are we left with this hair color we don’t want, nor did we pay to get?

The thing is, brassy blonde hair is very common amongst girls who dyed her hair blonde or simply aren’t naturally blondes. But, even if it is common, it doesn’t mean it should happen.

Today, we are going to talk about it, why the hell it happens, the reason behind it, and how you can achieve a beautiful blonde color without having unwanted undertones in your hair. Let’s begin.

What is Brassy Hair Exactly?

You might have heard this term before but not really know what does it mean for someone to have ‘brassy blonde’ tone, but it basically means you have an orange undertone where just blonde should be.

So, when you talk about brassy hair, you’re simply referring to the warm, darker tones that start to show off in your dyed hair. Keep in mind, not all brassiness refer to orange hair color, there can be some other undertones in there as well running the whole color of your hair.

Basically, your blonde shade may develop yellow, orange, or even reddish tones although sometimes there is a little hint of purple undertone as well. The main cause of the problem is when bleaching or lifting hair doesn’t eliminate the underlying pigment. That way, warm undertones remain and later they simply emerge via this undesirable effect.

Why Does My Hair Go From Blonde to Brassy Blonde?

Now, we know this is the question you have been meaning to ask all the time and the one you want an answer for, and believe it or not, the answer is quite simple: Because the job wasn’t done right.

You see, although brassy blonde hair can happen even to a professional hairdresser, the very truth is that you can see people having more orange undertones when they dye their hair themselves rather than doing it so in a salon.

This happens because the bleaching process wasn’t done properly, especially when it comes to bleaching very dark hair to an almost platinum blonde or white hair.

Many people with dark brown or black hair want to dye their hair to blonde and want it done in a single session, which leads the hairdresser to put a lot of damage into the hair and not bleaching it correctly.

If you didn’t know, black and dark brown hair do not bleach to blonde, they bleach to ORANGE… yes, that’s right, orange. And it’s only when you apply bleach again that the orange turns into blonde, and then the dye is applied.

So, if this process isn’t done correctly, the orange undertone is never really gone, and you will still have it in your hair, even after applying the hair dye.

Now, doing a rushed bleaching session isn’t the only reason why your hair can turn into a brassy blonde tone, there’s also the fact you might now be toning it down properly.

To give you some context, toning down your hair is a very important part of any dying, or bleaching process that includes a blonde or white tone. Without toning, your hair would have a very dark undertone that would ruin the whole look.

With toning, you can avoid these dark undertones in a very easy way. You see, toning is nothing more than a product hairdressers apply after the dye to neutralize the tone of your hair.

Toners tend to be almost like shampoo and they often come in a dark or light purple tone. It is this purple color that successfully takes out the orange tones in your hair, making your whole hair be an even tone.

So, to answer your question about ‘why does my hair gets brassy?’ It’s because of two main reasons: One, the bleaching process wasn’t done properly on your hair, and two, you didn’t tone it as you should have once the dyed was applied.

What Can You Do to Stop Getting Brassy Blonde Hair?

Now that you know what causes brassy hair, let’s talk a little bit about what you can do to avoid this and actually achieve and maintain a very blonde hairstyle without an orange or yellow undertone.

Choose The Right Color

One way to avoid brassiness entirely is to choose the right hair color before you go ahead and dye your hair. Ideally, you should opt for cooler tones such as those that come with the word “ash” in their name. These colors are less likely to become brassy, unlike the warmer shades.

Understand It Takes Time

The very first thing you should know is that achieving blonde hair takes time, and you won’t be able to get the tone you want in a single session to the hairdresser… And if they do promise you this, it’s very likely they will damage your hair.

Of course, if you have naturally light hair and you just want to go a few tones up, it is possible to do so. But if you have dark or light brown hair or straight-up black hair, it will require more than one bleaching session to get you to a light blonde tone.

Make Sure to Tone Down Your Hair Through Every Session

This is why you need to go to a hairdresser if you really want to avoid the brassiness in your blonde hair because professionals know you need to tone down your hair color even when you’re just at the bleaching part of the process.

Meaning every time you go to a bleaching session to get your hair lighter, you will need to use a toner to get rid of any bad undertones and prepare the hair for the next session.

Get a Toner for Brassy Hair

So brassy hair shows up and now what? You may want to consider some quality hair toner. Toner is, essentially, a translucent deposit of hair color that fades away after a few weeks. Not only is it practical for changing your hair color temporarily and without too much hassle, but toner also acts as a quick fix for brassy blonde hair.

Toner successfully corrects the unwanted orange, yellow, or reddish undertones due to the fact it contains a sufficient amount of pigmentation to fix your brassy tone. At the same time, toner makes your hair shiny and smooth.

The Right Ways to Get Orange Out of Blonde Hair

Use A Purple Shampoo

Believe it or not, toning doesn’t end at the beauty salon. The reason why blonde hair turn brassy after a while it’s because you aren’t taking proper care of it!

You need to buy a shampoo that doubles as a toner, or what is also known as purple shampoo. This will help you preserve the blonde tone of your hair for way longer, avoiding the orange colors to show off after a week or two.

Purple shampoo is mentioned a lot lately and rightly so. Girls and women with light blonde hair may want to consider getting purple shampoo which neutralizes unwanted warm tones in your hair. Due to the fact, these shampoos are opposite of orange and other warmer hues their violet pigments eliminate brassiness and restore your color.

Yes, it can be that easy! Besides the best purple shampoo, you may want to use purple conditioner too to get rid of brassy hair.

Use Color-Protective Hair Products

You don’t need to use purple shampoo every time you wash your hair. Alternate it with other shampoos, but make sure they are color-protective. Nowadays it’s easy to find shampoos that are specifically created to protect your hair color and retain its glory.

Conditioners and hair masks created for color-treated hair are also a great choice, of course. Hair toner for brassiness is a great way to avoid it!

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Limit Sun Exposure

Sun’s harmful UV rays are not only bad for your skin but your hair as well. How? Hair fades faster when exposed to the sun and the brassy blonde tone becomes even more visible. Summer is almost here, so a great way to avoid all this hassle is to wear a nice hat.

Plus, the hat is a great accessory; it’s so fancy! Try not to spend too much time outside when the sun’s rays are at their strongest. Speaking of summer, try not to spend too much time in the pool or at least make sure you protect your hair. Chlorine dries out your hair and also aggravates brassiness.

Other Things to Do

• Invest in a shower filter
• Consider using at-home brass banisher
• Rinse your hair with cool water
• Avoid washing your hair every day
• Use a rich conditioner

To conclude this, avoiding brassy blonde hair is all about going to professionals to get it done and then educating yourself to take proper care of your brand new blonde hair after the main thing is done.