If your blonde, highlighted or lightened hair has started to look yellow, orange or "brassy", you're not doing anything wrong, it's one of the most common things that happens to colour-treated hair. The good news is it's easy to manage at home once you understand why it happens.
What causes brassy hair?
Brassiness is the warm tone that appears as lighter hair fades. Lightening removes pigment in stages, and the last tones to go are the warm yellows and oranges underneath. Over time, minerals in water, sun exposure, heat styling and product build-up all pull your colour back towards those warm tones.
It shows up most on blonde, silver, grey and balayage hair, but brunettes who lighten can see orange tones too.
How purple and blue shampoo fix it
The fix comes down to colour theory. On the colour wheel, purple sits opposite yellow and blue sits opposite orange, so depositing a small amount of the opposite tone cancels the unwanted one out. That is exactly what toning shampoos do:
- Purple shampoo neutralises yellow tones, best for blonde, silver and grey hair.
- Blue shampoo neutralises orange tones, better for lightened brunette and darker blonde hair.
Insight's Anti-yellow Shampoo is a vegan purple shampoo that tones as it cleanses, while Cold Reflections Brightening Shampoo keeps cool blondes bright between salon visits.
How to use toning shampoo without overdoing it
- Use it in place of your normal shampoo once or twice a week, not every wash.
- Massage through wet hair and leave for 2 to 5 minutes, longer for more toning, shorter to simply refresh.
- Rinse, then follow with a hydrating conditioner or mask, as toning formulas can be slightly drying.
- If hair looks too cool or faintly violet, you have left it on too long, so reduce the time next wash.
The right toner doesn't just adjust colour, it transforms the finished result.
From brightening the blonde to creating a beautifully balanced finish, this glossy transformation shows just how much impact expert toning can have.
Colour and finish by the talented Lorraine Matic (@lm_haireducation)
Beautiful hair starts with the right products, techniques and expertise. Here's another gorgeous transformation created by @bethanyhairstudio
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Every transformation tells a different story, but the goal is always the same: healthy hair, beautiful colour and a finish that lasts. We love seeing these results come together. Another amazing look by the talented @beauhairandextensions
You can also see it used here
Keep brassiness away for longer
Toning is easier when colour fades slowly, so protect it: rinse with cooler water, use a heat protectant before styling, and wash a little less often. A weekly hair mask keeps lightened hair hydrated so it holds its tone better.
Explore the full vegan blonde haircare range for toning shampoos, masks and treatments, all 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
About the author
Charlotte Read has spent six years in the hair industry with Insight Professional and holds a First Class BSc in Business Management and Marketing. She writes with reference to real salons across social media and the wider Insight community, and draws on the Insight office team, who between them bring over 100 years of combined experience on salon floors.
Where technical expertise is needed, Charlotte consults Lorraine Matic, Head of Insight UK Education, who brings over 38 years of global experience in colour, technique and hair science.