HOW TO FIX ORANGE HAIR AFTER BLEACHING: 5 AT-HOME TIPS

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 and tone brassy hair at home when bleaching goes oh so wrong.
 

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 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 saltwater or a chlorinated pool.
 
“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.”
 

When bleaching goes wrong, the key to fixing orange hair is usually to neutralize the color with its complementary color—blue.

Here are some expert tips on how to fix orange hair at home using one of these three methods.

The Bottom Line: Use purple shampoo to tone yellow, usually blonde hair, and blue shampoo to tone orange, usually brunette hair.

When deciding how to fix orange hair, you might try using a toner to get rid of the orange pigment. Toning neutralizes unwanted brassy tones to reveal a cooler blonde or light brown shade. The trick is figuring out which color toner to use, where the choice is usually between blue and purple depending on your hair color.

“Toning neutralizes unwanted brassy tones to reveal a cooler blonde or light brown shade.”

A rule of thumb is to look at the color of your hair currently and find the color that is exactly opposite it. Try imagining a straight diagonal line from your current color to the other end of the wheel to figure out what color toner to use.

If your bad bleach job has come out more yellow, you’ll need a purple toner. Purple shampoo can help neutralize the yellow.

If your hair is orange, you’ll need a blue toner. Try a blue shampoo to tone the brassiness and get rid of the orange. This color toner is commonly needed for darker hair.

Whether you’re using purple shampoo, blue shampoo, or another hair toner, it is usually a simple fix that will get rid of the orange or yellow brassiness without you having to book another salon appointment.

You can also try an anti-brass cleansing treatment that works for all shades of color-treated or highlighted blonde hair. Just apply the treatment to wet hair, then lather, and leave it in for up to 1 minute. Rinse well and use again up to 3 times per week.

Over time, hair glazes or glosses can help get rid of brassy tones and prevent them from appearing. Glosses can make your hair look shinier and smoother as well as reinforce the tone you are looking for. Choose a glaze or gloss depending on your desired hair color.