5 Reasons You’re Going From Bombshell Blonde to Bleak Brassy
Do you leave the salon with your perfect shade of blonde only to notice it looking dull, brassy, and muddled a few weeks later? Here are 5 main reasons for the discoloration and how to treat and prevent it from happening.
- Too Much Heat
I feel like this is always a hard lesson to teach. We begin developing hair habits early on in life, and it can sometimes feel like we are trying to move a mountain to break those habits.
So, today, I want you to revisit your 13-year-old self. Hanging out in your best friend’s bathroom, curling each other’s hair, you were probably using all the wrong products, grabbing giant sections of hair, and cranking that iron up to high and becoming thoroughly convinced your hair simply wouldn’t get curled enough unless it was super-hot.
It’s likely that just isn’t the case, so, lets go ahead and change that story you’ve been telling yourself all these years. When you were doing your hair back then, you probably weren’t the blonde bombshell you are today. Hair that has been chemically lightened has been changed on a molecular level, so if you are still treating it the way you were before it was transformed, you’re likely causing your hair excessive harm.
Lightened hair should never be exposed to heat that exceeds 380 degrees. I can’t stress this enough. If your hair is being exposed to too much heat via a curling iron, flat iron, or even just a blow dryer, one of the first signs will be yellowing of your beautiful blonde locks. Your hairdresser should be taking the time to educate you on the proper heat to use on your hair and the products that will be required to maintain your hair color and hair health at home. If they aren’t ASK. It’s part of their job, it’s their responsibility as a salon professional, you aren’t expected to just naturally know these things, so ask, and keep asking until you feel fully prepared to care for your hair at home.
My one last heat tip is also an extremely important one. If you have an iron, you regularly use that does not show you the temperature and instead just has a number or high, medium, low setting, I want to strongly encourage you to upgrade to styling tools that provide you with a temperature control setting. I know not everyone can run out and do this today, but make sure you put it on the Birthday or Christmas wish list. If you need to make do for now, I encourage you to use your current iron on the low or medium setting until you can make the upgrade.
- Using Purple Shampoo Too Soon
Purple shampoo is a main staple in any blondie’s product arsenal, and it absolutely should be! Purple shampoo helps counteract brassiness in blonde hair by depositing light amounts of color and canceling out yellow tones that may appear in blonde hair as your toner begins to fade. Many people assume the more purple shampoo, the better, and begin using it immediately.
Unfortunately, purple shampoo has one small draw back. It’s easily abused. Purple shampoo is still a shampoo but should never be your daily shampoo, it can be drying, and when used too soon after you’ve had your hair toned, it can start stripping your toner out, and even make your blonde become dull and muddy looking.
I always recommend waiting at least 1 to 2 weeks after your salon visit (depending on your shampooing frequency) before you begin adding purple shampoo into your home care routine and only using purple shampoo at an absolute maximum of every other shampoo or a minimum of once a week depending on your shampooing frequency. When properly used, purple shampoo can keep your locks on point until you return to the salon.
- Your Environment
Yes, your surroundings can affect your hair color. Weird, right? There are a ton of things in our environment that will cause a ton of different affects in our hair, including brassiness in blonde. Today, we are going to address the top two.
Hard water mineral deposits can build up on the hair and can strip hair color from your hair and even turn it a number of different colors. There are a few ways to address hard water build up. Using a hard water filter on your shower head can often reduce many of the harmful affects caused by hard water mineral deposits, but sometimes they alone are not enough. I always recommend receiving a crystal gel treatment prior to your lightening service to remove hard water deposits and start your hair off with a clean slate (this also helps for removing color and product buildup), then following up with the malibu hardwater treatment at home, once every 7 shampoos.
Air pollution. It’s a real thing, and it’s affects can be discoloring. If you are consistently exposed to pollutants that leave your hair smelling after exposure, they are likely being absorbed in your hair and can cause your hair to yellow. This can include any excessive exposure to fumes, grease, smoke from fire or cigarettes, and even dust. The best way to address these build ups is to prevent them. If possible, limiting your exposure will always be the best route, but when that is unavoidable, a product that provides lightweight protection like Olaplex No. 7 can make a huge difference.
- Not Toning Frequently Enough (or at all)
Do you skip the toner when getting your hair lightened? Clients will sometimes skip the toner or gloss treatment when getting their hair lightened because they a.) don’t really know what it does b.) weren’t offered the service and didn’t know they needed to request it or c.) they don’t want to be charged extra for it.
I firmly believe toner is just part of any lightening service, the hair rarely looks complete to me if we don’t tone it. Toner is what gives those gorgeous shades to blonde hair. Raw blonde will always have an underlying tone to it that can rage from orange to pale yellow. So, to make a white blonde white or a golden blonde gold, a toner is an absolute must.
Some stylists do not offer toner in their service menu at all, if you aren’t in love with your blonde, it may be time to seek out a glossing or toning service from another stylist. Some salons charge extra for the toner, but not all of them do. I personally build toner into my service pricing and will only give someone an untoned blonde if they specifically request it. This is becoming an increasingly more common practice in the salon world, but others still charge for it separately this can vary from salon to salon or even stylist to stylist, I’m here to tell you it’s worth the charge. If you don’t want to pay a separate charge for it, it maybe time to seek out a stylist that includes toner in their services automatically.
Lastly, toner generally lasts 6 to 8 weeks if it is properly cared for at home, if you are a blonding client that only visits the salon every few months, scheduling a glossing service between lightening services will keep the brassy at bay. Glossing services are generally quick and inexpensive but can make all the difference.
- Washing Your Hair Incorrectly
I can’t even begin to tell you how often clients tell me they must wash their hair daily. I can’t say that I’ve never met anyone that needs a daily shampoo due to their work or other extenuating services, but I can say that this isn’t as common as most people believe. Generally, when people feel they absolutely must wash their hair everyday it is because they are not washing their hair properly, and they don’t even realize it. I’ve met hairstylists in the industry for many years longer than myself that are still not properly educated on proper shampooing, which has led me on a mission to ensure that every client I shampoo is properly educated on how to shampoo their hair. I laid out a step-by-step approach to shampooing your hair at home in another post, which you can find here.
Over washing your hair, improper washing, and using non-color safe hair products are a huge reason for blonde going brassy. When you are committed to making the time and financial investment involved with blonding services, it can be easy to overlook the fact that the care should be continued at home. One of the easiest ways to prevent the bleak brassiness is to care for your blonde with the recommended and proper products at home which will always include a color safe shampoo and conditioner. The products needed will vary from person to person, so be sure to discuss the products you will need with your stylist before leaving the salon after your appointment.
About the author:
Cierra began her career in 2006 and is a third-generation licensed cosmetologist. She has received specialized training in blonding and balayage techniques, men’s haircuts, children’s haircuts, advanced cutting techniques, is a Pravana certified colorist, and is the founder of Rage & Mane Hair Company in Newport, Kentucky. She specializes in blonding and color corrections.
