There’s nothing worse than looking in the mirror and seeing ashy green tones in your blonde or brown hair! If this is happening to you, your first instinct is probably to rush to the grocery store, buy a box of black hair dye, and slap it on. That’s not a good idea! As a professional stylist, I’ll share how you can fix overly ashy hair.
Green or cool, ashy tones can be corrected without such extreme measures. In this article, we will discuss how to warm up overly cool tones so that you can showcase your beautiful hair with confidence.
- Pool exposure can cause a temporary green or dull cast, especially on light or porous hair.
- A bad color job is the most common cause of overly ashy hair.
- For pool-related green tones, use a chelating (swimmer’s) shampoo, then add warmth with a peach, gold, or copper mask.
- For over-toned hair, use a demi-permanent warm gloss or toner, or see a stylist if needed.
What is Overly Ashy Hair?
In the professional hair world, “ash” refers to cool tones, like grey, blue, violet, or, in some cases, green. Ashy toners or hair dyes can be used successfully to counteract warm tones in the hair. There may be ash tones in “neutral” hair dyes as well.
Ashy toners and dyes can be very useful, but under some circumstances, the cool tone can take over and make the hair look dull, matte, grey, or, in extreme cases, green.
Once it reaches that level, whether your hair is brown or blonde, you could say that your hair has become overly ashy.
Why Does Hair Become Ashy?
Hair can become overly ashy for a couple of reasons. If your hair has come into prolonged contact with pool chemicals, it can start to show a cool or green tint, especially if you have light blonde hair. A more common cause of overly ashy hair, though, is a bad color job.
If you naturally have cooler tones in your hair and you have a neutral or ashy color added to your hair, this can result in unwanted green or dull tones. Another cause would be over-toning your hair.
If you tried to tone orange out of your hair with an ash toner, chances are you left it on too long, or your hair was simply too absorbent and porous, and the cool tone took over.
How to Fix Overly Ashy Hair
If your hair is overly ashy, you probably want to fix this problem right away. However, it’s important that you do this the right way. Otherwise, you could be digging a deeper hole for yourself and end up with an even duller, darker result.
As discussed previously, there are a couple of different reasons why your hair may look overly ashy. Therefore, there are a couple of different ways you can correct it. Let’s discuss those ways.
- Do a strand test first, especially if your hair is bleached, porous, or very light. Porous hair can grab pigment fast and turn darker than you expected.
- Avoid purple products if your problem is green or overly ashy. Purple is meant to neutralize yellow brass.
- If you feel unsure at any point, contact a professional stylist so the correction matches your starting level and undertone.
If Your Hair Is Temporarily Ashy Due to Exposure to Chemicals Like Chlorine
If you have just spent a day swimming in a highly treated pool, chances are that your hair has picked up buildup, especially if you neglected to protect it with a swim cap. This can be especially common if you have light blonde hair.
The good news is that this can be an easy dilemma to fix, especially if you take action right away.
Supplies You Will Need to Fix Your Temporarily Ashy Hair:
- Chelating (swimmer’s) shampoo
- For light blonde or platinum hair: A peach, rose-gold, or soft pink depositing mask or conditioner
- For strawberry blonde or warm brown hair: A copper or warm gold toned mask or conditioner (If you need tips for your specific hair color, consult the information further down in the article that specifies the best toner for each hair color.)
Pool “green” is often caused by copper compounds binding to hair. Shampoos with chelating agents help remove this type of discoloration. For a science-based explanation, see this American Chemical Society article: Periodic Graphics: Summer hair color changes (C&EN).
Step-by-Step Guide to Eliminating the Ashy Tones from Your Hair:
- Cleanse your hair thoroughly with a chelating (swimmer’s) shampoo. Wash your hair several times until you are able to work up a good lather.
- If your hair is strawberry blonde, copper, or warm brown, apply a warm-toned hair mask onto your hair to counteract the temporary cool cast. This would include a mask or conditioner that deposits gold, copper, or red tones. If your hair is platinum blonde or very light blonde and has a green tint, use a peach, rose-gold, or soft pink depositing mask or conditioner to add a touch of red or copper and neutralize the green.
- Let your conditioner or hair mask sit for at least 10 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on your hair to ensure that you are getting the desired results.
- Rinse out the conditioner or hair mask with cool water.
- If you still notice some unwanted tones, try repeating this process again the next day.
If you use a DIY vitamin C (ascorbic acid) treatment for swimmer’s green, follow with a deep conditioner. Hair can feel dry after metal-removal treatments. Do not leave any acidic treatment on longer than directed.
If Your Hair Is Ashy Due to A Bad Color Job
If your hair is ashy due to a bad color job, the unwanted tones can be a bit more difficult to get rid of. However, this doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with it! There are steps that you can take to correct the color you have now and get closer to the result that you really want.
My first suggestion would be, of course, to contact the stylist that colored your hair in the first place. They may be able to fix the problem free of charge. But, if you colored your hair yourself, or you can’t return to your stylist, you still have options. By applying the right toner or gloss, you can neutralize unwanted tones.
Supplies You Will Need to Fix Your Ashy Hair:
- Clarifying shampoo
- Demi-permanent hair toner (I suggest a liquid toner such as Redken’s Shades EQ)
- Deep conditioner
The most important part of this process is choosing the right toner. This can vary based on the color of your hair. In order to choose the right toner, we will be referencing the color wheel below.
On the color wheel, green sits opposite red. This means they are complementary colors and can cancel each other out.
To neutralize green tones, choose a toner or gloss with red or copper pigments. If your hair looks flat grey or has a blue cast (not green), choose a warm beige, gold, or soft copper tone to bring back warmth. Purple is opposite yellow, so it is used for brassy hair, not green or overly ashy hair.
Below, I will discuss the best options based on your hair color (of course, referring to your hair color without the unwanted tones).
Best Toners for Each Hair Color
Platinum Blonde
If your platinum looks overly ashy (too silver or grey), a warm beige or soft gold toner can help restore a more natural-looking tone. If you have a green tint, look for a very soft peach or rose-gold gloss to add a touch of red or copper and neutralize the green. Avoid violet or purple toners until you are dealing with yellow brass.
Golden or Strawberry Blonde
A warm gold toner works best for reducing an overly cool cast in golden or strawberry blonde hair.
Cool Brown
If your cool brown looks too ashy or slightly green, choose a warm brown, golden brown, or mahogany gloss to add back warmth. Avoid violet or purple toners, since they can make brown hair look darker and flatter.
Warm Brown
A warm brown or dark gold toner will work best for reducing an overly cool tone in your hair.
Red, Copper, or Copper-Brown
A copper toner can work wonders for eliminating a green tint in the hair. The oranges and reds help neutralize the green hue.
Step-by-Step Guide to Eliminating the Ashy Tones from Your Hair:
The directions below refer to the use of a liquid toner, like Redken’s Shades EQ, which, in my opinion, is the best.
- Shampoo your hair using a clarifying shampoo. Wash your hair more than once to ensure that you have built up a good lather. Don’t condition your hair after shampooing.
- After you shampoo your hair, gently squeeze out the excess water.
- Apply your toner section by section or all at the same time. Usually, applying the toner all over the head can be just as effective as going section by section for a liquid toner.
- Make sure to fully saturate your hair with toner. If you are applying it all over your head at the same time, you may want to flip your hair over a sink or the bathtub and really rub the toner in from roots to ends, just as you would a shampoo.
- Comb the toner through your hair with a wide-toothed comb or your fingers after you have applied it.
- Cover your hair with a plastic cap to prevent making a mess and to keep your hair from drying while the toner is on your hair.
- Set your timer for the recommended processing time, but make sure to check your hair occasionally to see its progress.
- Shampoo your hair with a gentle shampoo and lukewarm or cool water.
- Apply a deep conditioning mask to your hair and leave it on for at least 10 minutes.
- Rinse out the deep conditioner with cool water.
If you have completed these steps and still notice unwanted tones in your hair, try repeating this process again in one week, or contact your stylist for additional help.
In Summary
There are few things worse than looking in the mirror and seeing unwanted cool or green tones in your beautiful hair. But, before you make any rash decisions, make sure to evaluate exactly how your hair picked up the unwanted tone in the first place, and consult the guidelines in this article to correct it.
With the suggestions in this article, the right supplies, and a little bit of patience, you will be ready to rock your gorgeous locks with confidence!