How Do I Warm Up My Ashy Hair at Home?

Have you recently dyed your hair ash blonde, ash brown, or any other ashy tone and found that the color looks too cool? Don’t worry; you can warm up your ashy hair at home!

While visiting a salon is always an option, you can also try a few things at home to add warmth to your hair. In this article, we’ll discuss some tips and tricks for DIY ashy hair warm-up.

While a cool, silvery tone is often the desired result of blonde color treatments, sometimes it’s just not for you. You may wonder, how do I warm up my ashy hair at home?

Adding warmth to your ashy hair can be as simple as washing with a clarifying shampoo or, for quicker results, using a color-depositing shampoo or conditioner during your final showering step.

This simple fix can give you the champagne hue, honey blonde, or another warm tone you sought.

Highlights

• You can try several DIY techniques to warm up ashy hair at home, including using a warm-toned hair dye or color-depositing products.
• Choose the right shade of warm-toned hair dye based on your natural hair color and the desired level of warmth.
• Washing hair can reduce ashy hair color over time.
• Clarifying shampoos can remove the pigments from freshly colored hair.
• Adding warmth with new hair color or toner can be done with lowlights, layers of red or caramel, or an all-over complete coloring application.
• Toners can also be used to add warmth to ashy hair.
• Color-depositing shampoos and conditioners work to coat the hair with pigment. The longer these products are left on the hair, the more intense the color will be.
• Color-depositing masks, glosses, and sprays can add depth and warmth to ashy hair.

What Causes Hair To Be Ashy?

What color is considered ashy? Ash blonde is a very light blonde with grey undertones, almost a platinum color. Any ashy color is caused by the blue, violet, or green-based undertones in toning products or hair dyes.

Ash brown is a cool brunette shade with blue, green, or violet undertones. Applying brown color over blonde can result in an ashy brown with a grey-green undertone.

Always consider your natural hair color when selecting a hair color product. The picture on the box only represents what your hair might look like following the application.

Using a color wheel to understand the base colors when choosing a new color may prevent any unwanted ashy mishaps.

Ashy Hair From Toning

After bleaching treatments, toners are used to correct blonde shades or neutralize the remaining orange, red, or yellow pigment. Leaving toner on too long or using a shade that has the wrong base colors can leave hair a cool ashy color.

As with using a brown permanent hair color on blonde hair, using a brown toner with a blue or purple base on blonde hair can result in an undesired ashy brown color.

How To Warm Up Ashy Hair at Home

You look in the mirror and see a color that is too ashy or silver. Maybe the color has too much of a cool tone for your dress and skin tone. Whatever the reason, you want to change up those ashy locks to something warmer.

#1: Washing Out The Ashy Tone

The simple act of washing your hair will reduce ashy hair color over time. Both ash blonde and ash brown colors will fade to a lighter, often brassy color after several weeks, depending on how often you shampoo your hair and what type of shampoo you use.

Clarifying shampoos are used to remove the build-up of oils, minerals, and product build-up from your hair and scalp.

Strong clarifying shampoos can also remove the pigments from freshly colored hair if used the same or the next day. The results are subtle but can be the trick to removing unwanted ashy tones.

You can also use anti-dandruff shampoos on color-treated hair to fade the color. Be aware that this type of shampoo can be very drying, so a moisturizing condition should be used.

#2: Adding Warmth With New Hair Color or Toner

Adding a hair color with either a semi-permanent or permanent dye can be done with lowlights, layers of red or caramel, or even an all-over complete coloring application.

Another way to add warmth to overly ashy hair is with toner. Toners are used to remove brassiness or yellow after bleaching, but they can also be used to add warmth to ashy hair.

Select a toner with a red, gold, or neutral base to add warm hues and pull your hair through a highlighting cap, divide your hair into sections, or use a wide tooth comb to distribute the toner if you don’t want an all-over application.

#3: Adding Warmth With Color Depositing Products

For hair that is too ashy, where using a permanent product or toner could cause additional damage to your hair, using a color-depositing hair product might be the best solution.

Color-depositing shampoos and conditioners work to coat the hair with pigment. The longer these products are left on the hair, the more intense the color will be.

You can also use color-depositing masks, glosses, and sprays to add depth and warmth to ashy hair. These products add color lasting five to fifteen washes, and changing the frequency of use can change the tone of your hair from week to week.

So, How Can You Warm Up Your Ashy Hair at Home?

There are many ways to warm up ashy hair right at home. Try applying a new, warmer color all over or even highlighting with a caramel tone to blend warm colors throughout.

Or, use clarifying shampoos, anti-dandruff shampoos, color masks, and color-depositing hair products to add different color facets and warmth to ashy hair.

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