If you like Keeping Up with the Kardashians, then you’ve probably succumbed to either the ombré or balayage trend. It’s a great way to change up your look without losing length — and Khloe’s hair is always enviable. Don’t ya think?
If you decided to lighten up those ends a few months back, your lovely do’ might be turing a bit brassy. Unfortunately, salon visits are pricey. It’ll most likely push you back about $40 to get a toner. And unless you’re trying to be a red head, you most likely don’t want orange-y or yellowish hair.
Below are a few ways to get rid of the brass (or prevent it altogether).
1. Use a Clear Oil
If you put oil in your hair before blow drying, check to see if your oil of choice is colored. Many of the popular oils on the market are brown in color (we’re calling you out Argan oil). That’s not bad if your hair is naturally dark, but if you’re trying to prevent brassy hair, you may want to start using a clear oil. The color in the oil can slowly alter the tone of your blonde.
We recommend the Recovery Serum from John Freida and the Ghost Oil from Verb. You’ll also most likely have more flyaways than you’re used to due to some damage from over lightening your hair. The oil will help that too. You should also consider using an anti-static brush. This will help your toned ombre shine even more.
2. Use Purple Shampoo and Conditioner
Purple shampoo and conditioner isn’t just for platinum blondes! Consider using a purple shampoo and/or conditioner about once a week to maintain your ombre or balayage. For extra power, leave the conditioner on for five or more minutes before rinsing — these products are a great way to tone on the cheap.
My all time favorite purple shampoo is from a brand called Fanola. Fanola No-Yellow Shampoo is the best and it’s very powerful; my hands tend to have a purple hue for a bit (don’t worry, it doesn’t last more than an hour).
If you’re a brunette with highlights that have turned orange-y, the Fanola No-Orange is a great option. The best thing about these products is the price point is too hight. About $12/bottle. For an even cheaper option, you can go for the cult-favorite, Shimmer Lights. I find Shimmer Lights to be extremely drying, so just follow it up with a good conditioning mask.
3. Use a Green Shampoo
If your locks have become more red than orange or yellow, you’re going to need a green shampoo. Green neutralizes red. Unfortunately, there’s not many for sale. I personally use the anti-dandruff medicated shampoo from Selsun Blue (the red bottle). It’s a dark green color and it helps keep my ombre in check.
You can get a green bottle of Manic Panic and dilute it with a deep conditioner. Start by adding one cup of white conditioner into a bowl. Slowly add the green manic panic until you get a pale green color (to be safe, only do a teaspoon at a time). You can always add more green, so don’t over do it. The last thing you want is green hair!
If you do over-do it, you will need to use a clarifying shampoo (or a dish soap) to remove the green.
4. Do an At-Home Toner
Don’t be scared now! If your hair is more on the lighter side, use T18 from Wella Color Charm (just follow the directions on the box).T-18 is the original cult-favorite toner for those with very light blonde hair.
If your hair is more on the caramel side, use T10.
5. Use a Color-Safe Shampoo
When you’re not using a specialized shampoo or conditioner, you need to use product that’s color-safe. Sulfates and sodium chloride tend to strip hair.
6. Go to a School
If you absolutely need to get a toner, and don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, make an appointment at a local cosmetology school. The service will be either free or extremely discounted.
Another option is Salon Apprentice — an awesome site filled with discounted (and free) services at reputable salons. That’s how I got my ombre! Check it out below:
If you do use Salon Apprentice, tip your stylist. Your service may be free or discounted, but you should tip as if you were paying full-price.
How do you prevent brassy ombre? Let us know in the comment below!
I have ombre hair and i get scared to use very permanent toners because i dont want to mess it up. I just add purple semi-permanent hair die (I get mind from hot topic) to conditioner and use it all over my hair and leave it in for 5-10 mins after i wash my hair. That way i know that it wont turn out darker or lighter than i want, it’ll just fix the tone, and
I can add more or less die depending on how it’s looking.
I had a baylage the cost me over $400.00 in January ( I have long super thick hair) I grew to love my hair after a week of guilt for the price I paid. I went back for my touch up ( roots and toner) only to have all that blonde to be washed out with ash Brown toner ( I wanted to cry) this incident cost me another $150.00. I tried washing my ends with baking soda, dandruff shampoo, claryfying shampoo and the olive oil hair treatment ( to strip color) so far it has faded quite a bit. But, still not the baylage I originally had. Help! How do I remove this brown toner? Will I ever get the blonde back? I refuse to spend any more money at a salon. Any at home advice? Thanks in advance.
Hi Melissa! Feel free to email me a photo of your hair as it is now so I can suggest a toner/solution for you. For washing out toner, I recommend using a clear dish soap, it will strip your color a lot. You can also consider mixing shampoo with a bit of bleach powder (meant for hair, you can find it at sally’s), with a bit of 20 volume to activate it. You can shampoo just where the ombre was to lighten it (no more than 10 minutes). But if you can, send me a photo of your hair. I’m actually licensed hair stylist 🙂 I’ll be better help if I can see what’s going on. In the future, I recommend going to an Aveda Institute or Paul Mitchell School. You can also say something to the salon if you’re not happy, they will often fix it with no problem. email: [email protected]
xoxo, Amanda
Ugh this is SO me right now! I cannot understand why my stylist would put a brown toner on me when my hair was finally getting light! So tired of wasting money! What did you ever do? Thinking about the wellaT18
You could try mixing vitamin c tablets with clarifying shampoo or dandruff shampoo to remove the toner I tried it from a youtube tutorial after I died my hair dark over blonde… it def took the red and browns out!
This article was fantastic! I was dyeing my brunette locks blonde for years before I finally decided to stick to an ombre (less up keep) but strangely enough the blonde was turning so incredibly brassy. I’m not sure if it was a mix of sunshine (living in the Sunshine State) or the chlorine in the pool I frequent at, but my hair was turning into this awful hue. Thankfully my stylist suggested I use the Debrass Shampoo and Conditioner from Keratin Complex. It’s been a complete lifesaver. Not sure if you’ve ever used it but you need to look into it! I only use it once or twice a week and it’s perfect!
Thank you! I really appreciate it. T10 from Wella Color Charm is another great toner. (mix with 20 vol). I love Keratin Complex products so I’ll definitely check out their Debrass line. Thanks for sharing!
xoxo, Amanda