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How To Get Rid of Brassy Hair Without Toner at Home

Blonde hair comes in several different envious shades like buttery, strawberry, or platinum. However, brassiness isn’t one of those fabulous shades that any blonde wants to have on their head. This article will teach you how to get rid of brassy hair without toner.

Learn how to remove the unwated tones without leaving your home. There are natural ways to treat this issue with brassy hair home remedies that you can find in most cupboards.

Why Does Hair Turn a Brassy Color?

Why Hair Turns Brassy?

The key reason why blonde locks and highlighted hair develop yellow and orange tones is oxidization, which happens if the hair is not neutralized properly after bleaching.

Dark hair usually has more issues with brassy tones due to chemistry and molecule size differences between dark versus blue hues. Naturally, lighter hair can turn brassy, too, thanks to chemicals in shampoo, water supply, and air.

What Can You Do To Avoid Hair Turning Brassy?

Now that you know why blondes go brassy let’s look at ways to prevent brassy hair. Of course, avoiding things that can develop unwanted tones can be easier said than done when it comes to the air that surrounds you, especially if you live in a smoggy area.

However, there are particular things to evade when keeping those unwanted warm undertones at bay.

  • Avoid chlorinated pools: Pool season can be refreshing but very damaging to colored or natural hair cuticles, especially when it comes to highlighted blonde hair strands. In addition, pool water has a habit of putting unwanted tones into hair, like green, orange, and yellow, by stripping hair color while building up chemical deposits.
  • Wash your hair with sulfate-free shampoo: Sulfates are extremely drying to the shaft of each strand. It can result in frizzy, unmanageable dos. In addition, sulfates have been linked to hair loss. Sulfate shampoo leaves a buildup of residue that may discolor all hair colors, especially blonde hair. A sulfate-free shampoo can reduce brassy hair by maintaining moisture while keeping the hair light and clean.
  • Don’t wash your hair with hot water: You’ve undoubtedly heard that cold water is excellent for hair care, and it’s true. Avoiding hot water will give your strains a longer lifespan, especially blondes who are diligently working to keep the brass away.

    Just like laundry, stains will set easier in hot water. So, shampooing in cold water will keep the chlorinated shower water from staining your strands while providing hydration and shine.
  • Keep your hair healthy: Daily lifestyle plays a huge role when it comes to how healthy your hair is going to be on the regular. Eating right, adequate vitamins, and good hair hygiene all play a collective part in what happens from the inside out.

    In addition, avoiding the excessive burn of heat styling tools will keep your hair more vital. It’s also imperative to avoid overwashing, but remember always to use conditioner and apply weekly or monthly hair masks.

    Avoiding certain things can keep your strands brighter for longer between hair color and highlighting sessions. Limiting hair appointments that contain chemical treatments is essential when maintaining healthy hair. Over-processed hair is prone to dryness, frizz, and unwanted tones, so space out hair sessions accordingly.

Although it isn’t possible to shun everything that can cause brassy hair, steering clear of harsh chemicals can make a big difference daily when it comes to color and healthy-looking hair.

How To Get Rid of Brassy Hair Without Toner: 5 Home Solutions

So, you’ve avoided all you could aside from living in a bubble. Unfortunately, your blonde strands have still developed those undesirable brassy tones.

It’s manageable by trying some fabulous brassy hair home remedies. Let’s look at the most popular talked-about home remedies and see if they will work for you and your hair.

1. Add Virgin Olive Oil to Your Hair Strands

How To Get Rid of Brassy Hair Without Toner - Virgin Olive Oil

Using Virgin olive oil on your hair instead of toner to remove brassiness is absolutely worth trying. Olive oil can pull the chemical-induced color out of hair, whether it comes from a dye or natural elements.

It’s best to use this remedy on darker blondes or brown hair. You can use this method on dry hair, but you might get better coverage by using it on wet hair.

  • Use ¼ cup of warmed olive oil. Note: Ensure it’s not too hot because it can burn your skin.
  • Apply the oil onto your hair, working from the scalp down the shaft.
  • Massage the scalp to stimulate blood flow and promote hair growth.
  • Work the oil through the strands, hitting each section to get full coverage.
  • Let it sit on your hair for one hour. Then, you can pin up your hair or use plastic wrap to trap the heat.
  • Rinse thoroughly and wash hair like usual with a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner.

2. Try Apple Cider Vinegar

How To Get Rid of Brassy Hair Without Toner - Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a fantastic probiotic that can pull out orange and yellow tones with ease. Vinegar is perfect for all blonde colors. Ash blondes and dirty blondes will benefit from an apple cider vinegar wash.

Some brassy hair home remedies recommend adding blue and red food coloring (creating a purple food coloring) to the vinegar until it becomes violet. However, the wrong combination can result in purple hair and skin. The good news is that vinegar itself has the power to pull out the brassy tones on its own.

  • Use 2 cups of apple cider vinegar after shampooing with a sulfate-free shampoo.
  • Let it set for a minute or two.
  • Rinse out the vinegar and condition your hair as per usual.

3. Use a Purple Shampoo or Conditioner

How To Get Rid of Brassy Hair Without Toner - Purple Shampoo

Purple shampoo and conditioners are the best alternatives of toner to remove unwanted brassy hair tones with ease and effectiveness. It’s as simple as cleansing your hair. It may take a few uses to get the complete desire for brightness, but purple shampoo has the power to lighten hair just by washing it.

It’s essential only to use purple shampoo or conditioner twice a week, or it could lighten too much, especially on ash blonde hair.

Making your own purple shampoo and conditioner is possible using food coloring. However, it can be super messy since you don’t have the same control over it as manufactured purple hair care products.

  • Add a couple of drops of red and blue food coloring into a mixing bowl.
  • Using a full bottle of shampoo or conditioner to start with, add-in ½ of the shampoo or conditioner to the mixing bowl to get the proper blend.
  • Once the color in the mixing bowl becomes violet, add the shampoo or conditioner back into the bottle with the remainder of the shampoo or conditioner and shake thoroughly.
  • Use caution because it may stain hair or skin if the mix is off. Wash hair like usual, and keep it from sitting for long on hair before rinsing out.

4. Consider a Tea Wash

How To Get Rid of Brassy Hair Without Toner - Tea Wash

The tea wash is a simple remedy for blondes when pulling out brassy blonde hair or fixing yellow hair. However, It isn’t as potent as other remedies when tackling orange hues.

If you are familiar with green tea, it is packed with antioxidants, which are great for breaking up mineral deposits that can cause brassy hair.

  • Add three tea bags to boiled water.
  • Let it steep for 15 minutes at least.
  • Let the mixture cool before applying the tea water to your hair. Then, you can use the infused water on clean, wet hair.
  • Allow the tea water to stay in the strands for 30 minutes before rinsing and conditioning.

5. Use Baking Soda

How To Get Rid of Brassy Hair Without Toner - Baking Soda

Baking soda is practically a stripping agent for removing brassy tones in the hair. It has the power to fade all dyes and brassy hues. Unfortunately, this process can be drying, so use it with caution.

  • Add one tablespoon of baking soda to 1/8 cup of shampoo.
  • Add a drop of red food coloring.
  • Add a drop of blue food coloring.
  • Mix to get a violet color paste.
  • Apply the paste to the hair carefully. It can stain skin.
  • Let it sit for 10 minutes before washing it out thoroughly.
  • Use a deep conditioner or conditioning mask after rinsing out the mixture.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know how to get rid of brassy hair without toner at home, you probably have a remedy in mind that you might want to try. Of course, blondes with dark hair tones won’t get the same results as platinum blondes regarding specific home remedies.

None of the treatments above or store-bought hair toners will bleach your hair lighter as a professional bleach will. But if removing brassy hues is your goal, a number of these options in this piece will do the job well.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are many options out there that have a success rate when removing brassy tones from your blonde hair. Helping you find the best options is a priority of this article. So, let’s take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions relating to removing undesirable tones of brassy hair.

Can I use vinegar to get rid of my brassy hair?

Yes, you can use vinegar to get rid of brassy hair. White vinegar will be just as effective as apple cider vinegar when removing unwanted tones in your hair. However, apple cider vinegar might be less drying since it is less acidic. Nevertheless, vinegar lowers the pH balance, which will neutralize brassy tones in your hair.

Should I try to bleach my hair again if it turns brassy?

No, it would be best not to reach for the bleach every time your hair goes brassy. Over-processing can cause significant damage, leading to massive breakage and hair loss. Unless your hair is bright orange, try a hair toner first.

Toners can remove the brass without damaging your precious locks. However, if your hair turns a yucky orange, bleaching is a great way to pull out those brassy sienna hues easily.

What home remedy works best to get rid of brassy hair?

Lemon water tends to be a fan favorite for platinum blondes. However, lemon doesn’t do justice to darker blondes. So, if you have a choice between lemon or apple cider vinegar, apple cider has a higher success rate for all shades of blonde.