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HOW TO FIX ORANGE HAIR AFTER BLEACHING
Orange hair after bleaching happens when bleach fails to remove darker pigments in your hair. Use our tips to get rid of orange hair so you can rock your blonde locks!
BY JOHN FRIEDA HAIR CARE TEAM
You were going for a nice golden blonde. Instead, your DIY color job came out...orange. Don’t panic. It’s easily fixable! And you don’t even have to visit the salon. Here’s how to fix orange hair at home when bleaching goes oh so wrong.
Why Did My Hair Turn Orange?!
Chances are, if you tried to lighten your hair only to come out with a brassy orange color, you are a brunette. Dark hair has many underlying pigments in it that give your rich brown or ebony strands depth and dimension. Red and orange pigments are the most dominant undertones in dark hair. So if you don’t bleach enough of those pigments out, you end up with an unflattering brassy orange.
“But I’m already blonde!” you say. Well, those blonde locks may develop brassy tones after bleaching if you have a buildup of chemicals or minerals in your hair. Brassiness can also occur if you’ve been hanging out in salt water or a chlorinated pool.
How Do I Fix My Orange Hair?
When bleaching goes wrong, you have three choices:
Here are some expert tips on how to fix orange hair at home using one of these three methods.
Toning the Orange Out
When deciding how to fix orange hair, you might try toning the orange out first. Toning neutralizes unwanted brassy tones to reveal a cooler blonde or light brown shade. The trick is figuring out which color toner to use.
If your bad bleach job has come out more yellow, you’ll need a purple toner. A purple shampoo can also help neutralize the yellow. But if your hair is truly orange, you’ll need a blue toner.
Dyeing Orange Hair
If you were unfortunate enough to end up with hair that is not only brassy but also has patches of orange or yellow in it, it’s probably best to cut your losses and dye your mane dark again. Select a brunette hair dye that’s either close to your natural color or dark enough to cover the orange, and breathe easy once again. Learn more by reading our tips for hair color correction.
Lightening Orange Hair
If you’re one of those brave souls that wants to give bleaching a whirl again, you can try to lighten your orange hair further to get that perfect blonde you were shooting for. But don’t bust out the bleach again too soon. To avoid major damage, you’ll need to wait at least a week or two to restore your hair’s natural moisture balance. So be prepared to rock that orange mane for a while!
Once you’ve made it through the waiting period, you can give round two a go. After about 20-30 minutes, your locks should be a nice yellow. From there, you can use an ash blonde dye kit to achieve a cooler blonde, or you can tone your hair with purple shampoo to neutralize the yellow. After dyeing your hair, use a hair mask for blonde hair to strengthen and protect your bleach-damaged locks.
Color mistakes happen to the best of us. Fortunately, there’s always a solution. Now go show off your beautiful brass-free do! Check out more John Frieda blonde hair color tips here.
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