How to Get Rid of Brassy Hair
Even with a perfect salon dye, colour-treated hair is susceptible to fading over time. But occasionally, dyed hair can fade and reveal unwanted warm tones. This is known as ‘brassy hair’—and it’s particularly noticeable in direct light. While brassy tones are most common in blondes, other hair colours aren’t immune to pigment changes either.
In the below guide, we’ll be delving into what brassy hair looks like, what causes these unwanted warm undertones, and how to get rid of brassy hair with the right hair care and treatments.
What is brassy hair?
Brassy hair refers to unwanted warm undertones — like orange, red or yellow–that develop in hair after lightening, highlighting or colour–treating. Brassy tones are usually the result of natural pigment being removed or diluted.
Depending on your hair colour, brassy tones will show up differently for everyone, but they usually appear as patchy, faded, or uneven colour. This is a common, albeit frustrating hair concern, especially if your desired shade is cool or ashy.
What causes brassy hair?
Brassy hair happens as a result of lightening your hair. Your natural hair colour comprises two types of pigments: eumelanin (responsible for brown and black hues) and pheomelanin (responsible for red and yellow hues). When hair is artificially lightened or bleached using peroxide and ammonia, your dark (eumelanin) pigments are diluted or removed. Then, the applied colour deposits lighter pigments onto the hair.
When hair stylists lighten hair, they typically apply toner to cancel out any residual pheomelanin pigments and achieve the desired colour. However, when artificial colour fades over time, your natural warm pigments can sneak through — giving the hair its brassy appearance.
Environmental factors like UV exposure, hard water, chlorine, sulphate shampoos and pollution can cause oxidation, leaving brassy tones in their wake.
Which hair colours get brassy tones?
Dyed blonde hair is most susceptible to brassiness. This is because dyed blonde hair has been lifted the most — and the darker your hair is before going blonde, the more brassiness you are likely to get. However, any hair that has been lightened can get brassy tones:
• Platinum or light blonde – yellow or gold undertones undertones• Dark blonde or light brown – orange undertones
• Medium to dark brown hair – orange or red undertones
• Black hair – red or orange undertones
• Silver, grey or pastel shades – yellow undertones
While brassy hair is typically a byproduct of colour-treating, even virgin hair can become brassy — notably in natural blonde or light brown hair.
How to fix brassy hair
Left unchecked, brassy hair can exacerbate over time as lighter pigments come to the surface. Luckily, there are plenty of at-home hair care interventions that can cancel out those unwanted warm undertones. From purple hair care products to corrective gloss treatments, read on for our expert-backed tips on how to remove brassy tones from hair.
Switch to a purple shampoo
Before splurging on a trip to the salon, one of the most effective steps for how to remove brassy tones from brown hair is to switch out your standard shampoo for a specific purple shampoo that will help correct your brassy hair.
Since purple and yellow sit opposite each other on the colour wheel, purple shampoo works by neutralising brassy yellow tones — bringing the vibrancy back to your blonde or silver colour.
On hair wash days, start by applying the Blond Absolu Ultra-Violet Purple Shampoo to saturated hair, gently massaging into your scalp and strands. Leave on for approximately three to five minutes — but you can adjust based on your level of brassiness.
After rinsing, follow up with the Blond Absolu Cicaflash Conditioner on your lengths and ends. Powered by hyaluronic acid, this conditioner helps shield your strands from daily external aggressors and minimise hair breakage.
Apply a purple hair mask
Another tip for how to tone down brassy hair at home is to incorporate a purple hair mask alongside your purple shampoo. Rich in purple pigments, the Blond Absolu Ultra-Violet Purple Hair Mask is formulated to counteract brassy tones and deliver lasting nourishment to lightened, blonde or grey tresses.
This hair mask can be used in place of your conditioner one to two times per week. After using your purple shampoo, carefully towel-dry your hair. Then, massage the mask onto your lengths and ends. You can leave the mask on for five minutes or slightly longer for further toning qualities.
Use a hair gloss treatment
A hair gloss is designed for colour-treated hair, working to revive the vibrant tones of your hair and negate unwanted brassiness. However, if you have uncoloured hair that’s become brassy from environmental stressors, a gloss can also be beneficial to counteract dullness and amplify shine.
Start with towel-dried hair, then apply the Chroma Absolu Soin Acid High Shine Treatment for Coloured Hair to the mid-lengths to the ends of your brassy hair until saturated. If you have fine hair, use one dose. If you have thick or long hair, opt for two doses. Once the gloss makes contact with wet hair, it will transform into a creamy texture that you can massage into strands for two minutes. Then, rinse thoroughly.
How to prevent brassy hair: 4 tips
To help you prevent brassy hair from forming, it’s important to reduce your exposure to external hair stressors. Below are our top tips to keep your colour vibrant.
• Use colour-safe hair products: If you have blonde or grey hair, purple shampoo can be your go-to, but for other types of coloured hair, we recommend the Chroma Absolu collection to prevent colour fading and deeply nourish strands.
• Reduce heat styling: High heat from styling tools can open up the hair cuticle and cause oxidation — which can reveal warm pigments that make hair look brassy. Limit your heat styling and always use heat protection.
• Avoid chlorinated water/limit saltwater exposure: This type of water can degrade pigments in blonde or colour-treated hair, leading to a brassy appearance. We suggest limiting your exposure or wetting your hair before swimming to reduce chlorine and salt buildup on the hair.
• Protect hair from UV rays: Sun exposure can trigger oxidation which can lighten colour and contribute to brassy tones. Try covering up with a hat wherever possible.
Once you have gotten your brassy hair under control, explore our guide on how to hydrate hair for the ultimate glossy mane.
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