Why does my hair always feel brassy?
Brass is not a word you ever want to hear when your sitting in a salon chair, but it is often a word I hear a lot from my guests. I wanted to write about this topic today because I felt that many people think that there is nothing that can be done about this, so let me enlighten you. Here we go!
What is a “Brass” tone and how do I make it disappear?
A lot of guests use the word brass to describe warm tones like gold, copper, or red. Everyone’s idea of brass can also be very different. I’m going to be a little biased here because I personally associate brass with orange or copper tones, similar to a penny!
If you remember my Blog Post from two weeks ago, I went into a deep conversation regarding what tones are and how Hairstylists counteract these tones. If you don’t recall this, simply click on the image above [or click here] and it will direct over to that article to help you better understand where I’m going with this topic!
These brass-like tones tend to live amongst Level 5 through 8, and are “masked” over using a specially formulated toner. However, toners are temporary and will not permanently change the hair, so these tones living underneath are what will shine through when the toner has faded out over the course of 6-8 weeks. Now if your Stylists lifts your hair past these undertones [found at Level 5 - 8] and then tones over it, about 6-8 weeks later what you will see is a golden tone pop through or a much softer pale yellow.
How do I prevent these Warm Tones from reappearing?
Of course there is no way to make these tones go away forever, because these undertones are what make up the color of our hair. If we were to remove all pigment from the hair then the result would be melted or extremely damaged hair, and neither are ideal!
There are a few options I’d recommend for you when trying to prevent these warm tones from appearing as quickly and they are as follows.
Toner Cooler
If you prefer Beige or Warmer tones from the start then your warm tones will come up much quicker, as they were warm to begin with. I would suggest asking your Stylist to go a little cooler with your toners to prevent the warmth from popping up too quickly. Remember, cooler tones do appear darker even on the same levels, but it will gradually lighten up as it gets closer to your follow up appointment.
Another quick tip would be to wait 48 hours before washing your hair after your color service so that your toner can fully absorb into the hair shaft and then wash your hair in cooler temperature water. This will prevent your color from fading as quick.
Purple or Blue Shampoo
Purple and Blue Shampoos have literally changed the at home hair care systems! Before, guests used to have to come in every 4 weeks for toners, but not they can simply take home one of these shampoos and viola at home toner!
I suggest Purple Toning Shampoos for those who have more golden tones to their hair and Blue Toning Shampoos for those who struggle with orange tones. If you were to use a Blue Shampoo to try and counteract golds it would make your hair appear mucky or green, and if you were to use a Purple Shampoo on orange tones it would do absolutely nothing. Both shampoos are extremely pigmented but don’t be afraid to leave them on for 3-5 minutes to really let the color pigment penetrate the hair and cancel those unwanted tones for you.
I have a few favorite shampoo brands I’d like to suggest and they are as follows:
Pulp Riot - Barcelona [Purchase Here] This particular Purple Shampoo is quite pigmented and will only need to be left on for about 3 minutes before the purple will start to grab. Only use once a week or every other week.
Amika - Bust Your Brass [Purchase Here] This Purple Shampoo is my absolute favorite and I also sell it at Sugar Plum Salon. This is a strong Purple Toning Shampoo but it’s really hard to over do it, so feel free to leave this one on for the full 5 minutes. It also smells like heaven so it’s quite easy to get carried away!
Fanola [Purple Shampoo] - No Yellow [Purchase Here] This is by far the best purple shampoo recommended on the market right now. I do have to say though that this is very strong and should be used fairly quickly once applied. I would not leave this on for more than 2 minutes, unless you like a violet or grey tone to the hair.
Fanola [Blue Shampoo] - No Orange [Purchase Here] I personally have not had any reason to purchase a Blue Shampoo to use, as the majority of my guests want to remove golden tones rather than orange. However, from those I know who have used this shampoo they absolutely loved it and it comes highly recommended!
One thing I’d like to add if you decide to go this route is to make sure you don’t begin the use of these shampoos until after your toner has truly begun to fade, roughly around 5-6 weeks after your initial color service. Over use of any of these shampoos can also cause your color to appear dull or mucky, so to avoid this happening don’t use these shampoos more than once a week, or once every other week.
Tone More Often
On average, I recommend for my guests to come in for maintenance appointments every 9-12 weeks. However, I have some cases that require them to come in a little more often, around 6-9 weeks. This is usually the case for my guests who prefer beige, natural or warmer tones to start with. Coming in more often will prevent your warm or natural tones from going too warm for you and keeping them just the way you like them!
Go Lighter
Last but not least, talk to your Hairstylist about going lighter! As mentioned a few times above, the darker your hair is the more of these brass-like undertones will appear. However, if lifted properly these brass undertones do not live in lighter levels [Level 9-10]! Your toners will fade out much softer and feel as though they are lasting a bit longer!
This is something that will one hundred percent have to be determine by your Hairstylist, because we always want to take into consideration the condition of your hair and what it will allow for. If your Hairstylist gives you the OK to move forward with lightning, then consider going a level or two lighter so that you can push through those unwanted tones and move into beautiful soft blondes!
In Conclusion…
If gold, copper or brass are an issue you are dealing with daily consider trying out one of the four options listed above and of course talk it out with your Hairstylist! I promise you there will always be an option out there for you and of course if you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.
xoxo,
Shelby Alexandra
