After a long time, you decided to fulfill your golden blonde hair dream. Expecting to look like a million bucks, you walk into the salon and get your hair dyed. But, did you end up with orange or brassy strands instead?
There is no need to worry. It is very much possible to correct the orange, brassy tones in your hair with home remedies. Keep reading to find out how.
Highlights:
What Is Orange/Brassy Hair?
If you colour your hair regularly, and you find that it is developing shades of orange, brass or red over time, it implies that brassy tones are spreading through your hair. These warm tones spread in an uneven manner in your hair, giving it an orange/brassy appearance.
Why Did Your Hair Turn Orange?
When brunettes or people with dark coloured hair lighten or bleach their hair, the natural pigment, which is an undertone of red or orange remains. These undertones are what show up as brassy or orange.
A build-up of minerals can also make your hair brassy. Products containing sulphates make lighter coloured hair look orange or yellow with sustained use. In most cases, dark-haired people who lighten their hair end up with orange or brassy tones.
How To Fix Orange Hair?
Luckily, there are options to remove the orange shades from your hair, right at home. Basically, you need to neutralise the dyes so that the orange and yellow undertones are removed. Below are the various ways you can try:
1. Use A Hair Toner
A hair toner is basically a transparent hair dye that has the pigment your hair needs to change its colour. It can be applied by mixing it with peroxide after you have lightened or bleached your hair. The process needs to be done till you get the colour you want.
How To Select A Toner
Examine the colour of your hair closely. If you have more yellow undertones, take a purple toning shampoo or a purple toner. If you have more orange undertones, opt for a blue toning shampoo.
What You Need
You need a bowl, a colour brush, a toner and hydrogen peroxide volume 20. You need to mix the toner with the peroxide in a ratio of 1:2. The peroxide quantity should be double that of the toner.
Mix both well and apply the paste to your hair, especially the yellow and orange bits. Leave it on for exactly 45 minutes. Wash off with a toning shampoo or one that is sulphate free.
2. Darken Your Hair With Hair Colour
If your hair looks very brassy and it has orange and yellow tones, your best bet is to colour your hair really dark. Choose one that is closest to your hair’s natural colour or a shade that will cover the orange effectively.
3. Use A Box Dye
You can opt for the OTC variants of hair colour that can cover your entire hair adequately. You can also ask a salon professional to do it for you so that all the hair is covered with the colour and the orange is minimised.
Apply and leave it on as per instructions on the box and then shampoo and condition as usual.
4. Purple Shampoo
This is your best bet at removing yellow and orange tones from your hair. A purple shampoo contains violet pigments that can neutralise the yellow and orange to give your hair an even colour.
You need to wet your hair with hot water so that the cuticles open up. Then apply the purple shampoo and leave on for 15-20 minutes. Wash out the shampoo with cold water to ensure the colour doesn’t get washed off.
You can also mix blue or purple food colour with your shampoo and conditioner and make your own toning shampoo to neutralise the orange and yellow. Only, make sure your shampoo has no sulphates.
5. Lighten Your Hair
You can also bleach your hair or use a lighter coloured hair dye to reduce the orange and yellow tones. Choose an ash blonde or a light blonde shade, apply and wash as per the box instructions. This helps to neutralise the undertones of yellow and orange.
Here are a few natural ways to remove the yellow and orange colour from your hair.
1. Apple Cider Vinegar And Herbs
Take 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, preferably organic, two tablespoons [approximately 28 gms] of hollyhock herb, a plant that has medicinal properties, and one cup of water. Boil the water, add the herbs and the vinegar and cook till it thickens.
Cool and apply to your hair. Massage it well and leave on for 10 minutes. Wash off with a shampoo and condition -- ensure both are free of sulphates.
2. Coconut Oil And Apple Cider Vinegar
Take 2-4 tablespoons of organic coconut oil depending on the length of your hair, 2 tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar, one cup of water and 4-5 drops of liquid purple or blue food colour.
Apply the warm coconut oil to your hair and leave on overnight. The next day, mix the remaining ingredients and shampoo your hair as usual. Give a last rinse to your hair with the vinegar-colour mixture.
Follow this procedure for your hair every two weeks till you get the desired results.
Tips To Prevent Yellow And Orange Hair
Colour build-up and the loss of hair colour leads to orange hair. You can prevent this from happening by:
- Protecting your hair from exposure to the UV rays of the sun.
- Not getting your hair wet in saltwater i.e. seawater.
- Using products that are free from parabens and silicone.
- Reducing the frequency with which you colour your hair.
- Using water softeners if the place you live in has hard water.
- Use colour protecting shampoos and conditioners if you colour your hair frequently.
Wrapping Up
Brassy or orange/yellow toned hair can reduce the impact of your gorgeous locks if you don’t have them removed. There are ways in which you can remove them or prevent them from recurring with simple home remedies or prevention techniques.
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