What Does Blue Shampoo Do to Orange Hair?

If you have recently dyed your hair or had balayage, lowlights, highlights, or bleach, you may notice an orange undertone. This is where blue shampoo can save the day.

What does blue shampoo do to orange hair? If you are a natural brunette, you may also wonder how it can shift your tone.

In short, blue shampoo can help reduce orange tones in brown and dark blonde hair. Keep reading for clear answers.

Will Blue Shampoo Work on Orange Hair?

Yes, blue shampoo works on orange hair.

Nothing is more frustrating than paying a professional at a salon to dye or lighten your hair, then watching the color shift over time. What to do if your brown hair turns orange? One simple step is applying blue shampoo.

It is a strong option for canceling out an orange tint. Blue sits opposite orange on the color wheel, so using a blue shampoo will neutralize the warmth and restore a cooler, richer brown.

If you add highlights or balayage to your dark brown hair, using blue shampoo helps reduce warm orange tones in the strands, giving you a more bronde look.

If your brown hair looks dull or too warm, this shampoo can help cool the tone. We recommend using blue shampoo for natural brunettes and light-brown highlights that pull orange.

There are some cases when blue shampoo will not work. For example, if your hair is dark brown with extremely red undertones or very orange, it may not cancel out the tones fully. In that case, a salon fix is often the best choice.

What Does Blue Shampoo Do to Your Orange Hair?

When you apply blue pigments to orange-toned hair, they “cancel” each other out. This doesn’t lighten your hair, but it cools it down. Using blue shampoo can help your brown hair stay vibrant and keep the look you are going for.

Blue shampoo works by adding blue pigment that helps neutralize orange and copper tones. This can help reduce brassy warmth on dyed, lightened, or naturally medium to light-brown hair.

You can use blue shampoo and help get the best result by following these tips:

• Choose your frequency. Ask your stylist how many washes per week you should use blue shampoo.
• Use the right shampoo for each tone. If you see both yellow and orange, apply purple to the yellow areas and blue to the orange areas.
• Lather well. Work the shampoo through the areas that look orange.
• Let it sit. Leave it on for at least 2 minutes. Do not go past 5 minutes.
• Moisturize. Blue shampoo can dry out the hair cuticle. Use a deep conditioner, a leave-in treatment, or a blue conditioner to keep hair soft. We recommend leaving a deep conditioner on for 15 to 30 minutes before rinsing it out.

When Should You Use Blue Shampoo on Orange Hair?

You can use blue shampoo when orange tones start showing through your brunette strands or caramel highlights. Using it once per week can help reduce that warmth.

The best advice to keep in mind is to use blue shampoo only when you need to tone down brassy orange hues in brown hair.

We recommend using the shampoo once per week to help with tone and prevent excess drying. Using it too often can lead to frizz, dry hair, and split ends.

You should not leave the shampoo on for more than 5 minutes, or it may overtone your hair. Once you notice the color shifting toward your desired shade, you can cut back on how often you use it.

Wrap Up

Blue shampoo helps fight orange tones and copper warmth in brown hair, so your color stays closer to the shade you want.

For best results, use it about once a week and leave it on for 2 to 5 minutes, then follow with conditioner to keep hair soft.