How To Get Rid of Brassy Tones From Brown Hair

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You’ve noticed that your hair starts is becoming that brassy tone and want to get rid of it ASAP?! We’ve got you, after all, we’ve all been there!

Maybe it’s the excess pigment that didn’t get entirely removed from the bleach process coming through or maybe just from the sun. Either way, it happens regardless of the hair color!

Brown hair dyed blonde always turns warm or yellow and dyed brown hair turns red or orange.

Keep reading and you will know our favorite tips and tricks to banish the brassy tone fast!

How To Get Rid of Brassy Tones From Brown Hair

1. Use Blue Toning Shampoo
2. Use Blue Toning Conditioner
3. Blue Tone Mousse

Yep! 3 step solution to get rid of the brassy color! But it is crucial you use the right products in these steps. It’s go time!

How To Get Rid of Brassy Tones From Brown Hair-In Depth Guide

1.Shampoo with L’ange Brunette Boost

l'ange shampoo

L’ange Brunette Boost ‘Blue’ Toning Shampoo is IT! It’s seriously the IT GIRL SHAMPOO! The L’ange cool toning shampoo gently nourishes, cleanses, and hydrates while depositing blue pigments that help cancel out unwanted warm, brassy tones. Natural and color-treated brunettes will enjoy soft, shiny, neutral-hued results.

Before and After toning shampoo

L’ange has designed their shampoo to really amplify your brunette after just one time!

Don’t be worried about using a blue colored shampoo, just trust the process.

The toning shampoos are becoming popular with brunettes and even more so with blondes, although blondes use purple shampoo because purple and yellow tones are opposite on the color wheel and cancel each other out.
So, brown hair that turns brassy and appears red or orange, blue is opposite of those on the color wheel and cancels out those tones.

However, we recommend using the toning shampoo every so often, if used too frequently, your hair could become dry.

What We LikeWhat We Don’t Like
Gentle cleansing formula
Deposits blue pigments
Gets rid of brassy tones
Boosts softness & shine
Sulfate and paraben free
Can dry hair out if used too often
The smell could be better

2. Condition with L’ange Brunette Boost

l'ange conditioner

Use the Brunette Boost Conditioner from L’ange after you shampoo. We recommend letting it sit in the hair for at least 5 minutes before rinsing to get your hair brassy free.

The conditioner is just as amazing as the shampoo! The toning conditioner adds additional pigment to ensure that your hair color looks refreshed and healthy after your wash.

Like we said above, trust the process! It works!

What We LikeWhat We Don’t Like
Gentle conditioning formula
Deposits blue pigments
Gets rid of brassy tones
Boosts softness & shine
Sulfate and paraben free
Can feel greasy
The smell could be better

3. Goldwell Colorance Soft Color Foam

This is my go to, holy grail, gate kept product I use when I need my color to be refreshed! AND it works with brunettes and blondes!

Soft Color is a semi-permanent color foam formulated with direct dyes which produce intensive, vibrant results. Soft Color can quickly and easily be applied on damp or dry hair!

You get instant results which is one of the many reasons why I adore this product.

However, Goldwell does not mention the downfalls which are if you use too much of the product or use it too often, the product is strong enough to actually turn your hair ashy or purple depending on your hair color. (If you make that mistake, you’re able to fix that with a good shampoo and rinse.)

I recommend using a very, very little amount at a time and blow dry it in on dry roots for the best results. Before using, find the shade that will work best with your hair to ensure that results come out perfectly!

What We LoveWhat We Don’t Love
INSTANT results
Non-alkaline
Non-oxidizing
Ammonia Free
The bottle lasts a while
Definitely will get rid of brassy tones
Very strong
Can be difficult to instantly reverse (Takes a few washes to get out).

Prevent Brassy Hair

Chlorine or pool water dries and strips colored hair which leads to damage. This then in turn, leads to brassy hair. Ever heard of blonde hair turning green in pool water? Overall it’s just not good to mix colored hair and chlorine so try not to get your hair wet if you go swimming.

Sun exposure causes color to fade faster which can cause hair to look brassy. Keep your hair protected from the elements with leave-in treatments and by covering it.

Final Thoughts

Brassy hair happens to everyone! It’s annoying but with the right products, it can be fixed relatively quickly with minimal effort. The best thing you can do to protect your brown hair from fading and turning brassy is to start using blue shampoo! And of course, cutting out chlorine, sun exposure, and try out our recommended products! If you get your hair colored a few times a year, consistent use of L’ange Brunette Boost Shampoo should be enough to curb the brass between appointments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use purple shampoo instead of blue?

If you already own purple shampoo, sure it’s worth giving a try! Purple combats yellow tones so it’s not going to be as effective on dyed brown hair as it is on dyed blonde hair. If your hair is dyed brown, blue tones are best for counteracting red and orange brassy tones.

What if blue shampoo dries out my hair?

Blue and purple shampoo can be very drying. A good thing to try is a blue conditioner which works just like the blue shampoo but in a conditioner form. The L’ange conditoner shouldn’t dry your hair out!
IGK Hair has blue toning, leave in drops that work to combat brassiness in brown hair! Just add a few drops to your hair oil or leave-in-conditioner and apply generously all over the hair. This is another good option since it won’t dry out your hair as it’s not shampoo.

What shampoo should I use if I have brown hair and blonde highlights?

Purple shampoo is aimed for hair dyed blonde with yellow tones. Blue shampoo is aimed for dyed brown hair with orange and red tones. So, if you just have blonde highlights then a purple shampoo. If your hair is dark brown with lighter highlights then blue shampoo. Look at the undertone of your highlighted hair and go from there – yellow go for purple, red or orange, go for blue.