Do your clients complain about their colour turning brassy? We’ve rounded up our top tips to keep those unwanted brassy brown tones away!

 

Prevention is better than cure

If your client has just had their hair dyed, then it’s worth giving them a few hints and tips to prevent it from becoming brassy in the first place. After all, if they can take a few steps after their dye job, then it’ll prevent those unexpected red or orange tones making an unwelcome appearance…

 

Switch to products for colour treated hair

Your client might just assume that they can carry on using their standard shampoo and conditioner. Wrong. Not all shampoos or hair conditioners were created equal. Coloured hair requires colour-safe products. Products such as Redken’s Color Extend Magnetics Mega Mask are ideal for the protection of colour treated hair through deep intense conditioning.

 

Stay out of direct sunlight

We all like to get out and soak up the summer rays (especially given how scarce they can be), but the damage that the sun can do to your hair isn’t something that is as well known as it should be. Just as the sun can damage your skin, it can damage your hair too. Specifically, it’s the sun’s UV rays that do the damage. To prevent the emergence of those brassy tones, advise your clients to cover up their hair when they’re out in intense sunlight.

 

Use a neutral hair dye

If your client has naturally warm undertones to their hair, then they can benefit from using a neutral hair dye. Dyes such as TIGI’s Copyright Colour Creative selection offer such a solution. Neutral hair dyes are typically formulated with blue and green dyes that counteract the natural red and copper underlying pigments in dark bases, helping to prevent brassy hair.

 

Be careful with those heat tools

If your client likes to heat style their hair, then it’s worth making them aware of the impact blow dryers, hair straighteners and curling irons can have upon their newly coloured hair. Hair damage due to heat will normally be on the surface, cuticle layers but can also affect the keratin fiber structure. 

Your client may not be able to avoid heat styling (especially if it’s an essential part of their look), but if they can switch to conditioners rich in protein and moisture, this will help keep their colour intact. You can also recommend that they use a blow dry creme or heat protection spray which will help keep some of that heat damage at bay. It’ll also help if your client can let their hair air dry. Yes, it’s a pain, but it can save their hair from serious damage in the long run.

Sometimes, however, all the precautions in the world won’t stop the emergence of those unwanted red and orange tones. So, if you’re faced with a client who’s despairing over their brassy locks, here’s how you can fix it…

 

Getting rid of those brassy brown tones

 

Buy and use a hair toner

Using a hair toner can be one of the most effective ways of tackling brassiness in your client’s hair. Hair toners are specially designed to be used on colour-treated hair to neutralize any unwanted undertones. If your client wants to make the impact of an in-salon hair toner treatment last, then recommend that they use an at-home toning hair-care system; they just need to make sure they are using a toner for brown hair specifically.

Schwarzkopf Igora Vibrance
(Pictured: Schwarzkopf Igora Vibrance 60ml).

 

Try a blue or purple toning shampoo

Yes, you read that correctly! Blue or purple shampoo can help your client get rid of the brassiness in their hair. 

To understand why these shampoos can be so effective, we have to take a look at basic principles of the colour wheel. Blue and green fall directly opposite from red and orange, meaning the cooler blue and green tones of a blue shampoo will neutralise and counteract the warmer tones found in hair.

A shampoo such as Redken’s Color Extend Brownlights is the perfect blue shampoo for brunettes.

Redken Color Extend Brownlights Shampoo 300ml.
(Pictured: Redken Color Extend Brownlights Shampoo 300ml)

Reach for the gloss treatment

Another in-salon or at-home option, a hair gloss is another way of neutralising those yellow, red or orange tones in your client’s hair. 

A good hair gloss product will not only target those colour treated strands, but will also repair and nourish any damage that occurred during the original colouring treatment. An example of a good hair gloss is Redken’s Shades EQ Gloss which can deliver great results in as little as 20 minutes.

The best way to think of hair gloss, is as a ‘refresher’ treatment for your client’s current shade and strands together.

Redken Shades EQ Gloss 60ml
(Pictured: Redken Shades EQ Gloss 60ml).

Switch to a cool-toned brown

Warm brown hues are popular, and justifiably so! They can look stunning. But unfortunately they are much more at risk of appearing brassy. If your client wants to avoid brassiness, encourage them to try a cooler or more neutral shade of brown instead. 

At Salons Direct we stock a huge variety of cooler hair colours from many of the world’s leading colour houses such as Koleston Perfect, L’Oreal Majirel, Goldwell Topchic, Schwarzkopf Igora Royal, and more. Explore our range of hair colours here.

 

Encourage them to visit your salon regularly

Whilst your client may want to try at-home solutions, there’s nothing better than visiting a professional and having them take care of it. If brassiness is a particular concern for your client, then it won’t take much to encourage them of the value of regular visits to your salon’s colourist!

 

Discover great deals on permanent and semi-permanent colour from Salons Direct.

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