What is brassy hair?
Jana Rago, a salon owner, hairstylist, and colorist, defines brassy hair as unwanted warm tones in the hair. “These tones can turn due to sunlight, washing with the wrong shampoo that doesn’t protect colored hair, or a mistake made by a colorist, like not using a toner,” she says. “The sun will dry out the hair by opening the cuticle on the scalp, which will lift the color out, causing the hair to look brassy.” Depending on your hair color, the brassy shade will show up differently. As beauty entrepreneur and award-winning colorist Megan Graham explains, blonde hair will appear yellow or orange. A brunette or someone with black-colored hair will start to notice their locks looking orange or red, depending on how dark their hair is typically. For a redhead, hair may seem more washed out or faded. Rago says that when new clients visit her salon, many are stressed about their color but can’t pinpoint what’s bothering them. More often than not, it’s the brassy undertone that doesn’t feel right to them, and they are hoping to find a fix.
How to Remove Brassy Color
Though it’s essential to seek advice from a trusted local colorist who can access your locks in person, these tips will help you better understand what you need to correct the brassiness. A color-corrective appointment addresses what happened to your hair before you came in for help. A permanent color is often the culprit. “In the process of lightening the hair, the permanent color unearths the red and orange tones that are present in all hair types,” Graham says. For darker shades of brown, the permanent color then deposits a darker tone on top of the lightness it created, but in a few weeks when the color fades, Graham says the client is left with an unpleasant shade of brown. To avoid brassiness, many professional colorists like Graham will use a demi-permanent color, which fades in more natural-looking way. RELATED: 6 Stunning Balayage Hair Colors to Show Your Stylist One important note: Since a toner isn’t permanent, you’ll need to re-appply every month to six weeks, dependent on your hair texture and how often you wash your hair. Rago says brunettes should opt for a blue shampoo, and redheads should go for golden shampoo. Only do this treatment once a week to prevent over-washing.
