How to Tone Brown Hair to Ash - Turn Brassy Brunette to Stunning Ash in 2023 (2023)

FAQs

What happens if you put ash toner on brown hair? ›

Toner for brown hair works to neutralize brown hair tones by offsetting any unwanted warm or brassy tones in the hair. Because complementary colors neutralize each other, we know that hair with red undertones can be neutralized using matte (. 7) tones, while orange undertones can be neutralized using ash (. 1) tones.

If you're starting with dark brown or black hair, your colorist will likely need to use bleach to achieve your chosen ash brown shade. It's important to note that bleach will always cause some damage, but your colorist will help to improve the look and feel of your hair before you leave the salon.

Similarly, if you want to tone brown hair to ash, you'll need to cancel out the shades of red and orange in your hair. Blue is the color that is opposite to orange in the color wheel, so if your hair has brassy notes, then a blue-tinted toner or shampoo can help.

When deciding how to tone yellow hair to ash, try using a violet shampoo first. As purple is the opposite of yellow on the colour spectrum, the shampoo's purple pigment draws out the yellow brassiness from your blonde, neutralises those unwanted tones, and makes your colour look cooler, healthier and more vibrant.

You could use a silver toner on brown hair to remove any yellow tones, or to refresh the cool tones (for example on ash brown or cool cocoa shades).

Use Blue Shampoo and Conditioner

Orange is across from blue on the color wheel, which means the blue pigment in blue shampoos and conditioners can neutralize brassy orange tones in brunette hair. Specifically designed for brunettes, blue shampoo helps knock out brassy tones in brunette hair.

Pink: Cancels BROWN | This helps camouflage brown spots, age spots, sun spots, acne scarring, and more; it is especially helpful for fair skin tones.

If you apply blonde hair dye on dark hair, you will never reach a blond hair colour. You will however damage your hair from the chemicals in hair dye and risk ending up with dry, brassy, straw-like hair. If you have dark hair and you want to go blonde, you'll have to bleach it.

Ash Brown. If you are looking for a deeper Colour, mix 7.1 Ash Blonde with 5 Light Brown. The 7.1 will give the Ash hit and the 5 brings the Natural, darker Colour. Combined, this is a true Light Ash Brown.

Violet (purple, in other words) would be the right choice of toner to counteract this yellow and help you get to a cool ash blonde or platinum blonde result.

How do you get rid of brassy tones in brown hair naturally? ›

You can remove these brassy tones with apple cider vinegar, baking soda, or chamomile tea with lemon juice. You can also try blue or purple shampoos, and hair toners and conditioners. Keep your tresses from gaining a brassy hue by avoiding heat, using the right hair products, and more.

KNOW THIS: Hair will always appear darker when it has an ash tonality, according to Constance. Explain to your client that warm tones reflect light and cool tones absorb it.

If you're trying to cancel out orange tones to achieve a dark, ashy blonde or light brown, a blue toner is your best bet. Going for a platinum or silvery blonde? Use a violet-based toner to remove yellow undertones.

Ash simply refers to the absence of warmth, and it's great for counteracting brassy tones. Ash can be gray, blue, green, or violet-based depending on the type of warmth being covered.

Toning neutralizes unwanted brassy tones to reveal a cooler blonde or light brown shade. The trick is figuring out which color toner to use, where the choice is usually between blue and purple depending on your hair color. “Toning neutralizes unwanted brassy tones to reveal a cooler blonde or light brown shade.”

Colors like butterscotch, light auburn and golden brown, or ash brown for those with a cool skin tone, are all versatile brunette shades that aren't too dark and are some of the best hair colors to hide gray.

Silver shampoo is designed for those with gray or silver hair, and as silver is opposite yellow on the color wheel. This shampoo fights brassy tones of yellow that can appear in your gray locks, and take away from your color.

A hair toner can help boost and maintain your beautiful brown-hued hair by neutralizing the color and lessening the undesirable hues, such as orange undertones that cause brassiness. By using toner for brown hair, you won't feel the need to re-dye your hair and splash out a salon appointment right away.

Matrix's Brass Off blue shampoo tops our list as the best overall blue shampoo to banish brassiness in brown hair. Over 28,000 Amazon reviewers rated this shampoo four stars or above.

Purple shampoo works the same way to eliminate brassiness on brown hair as it does on blonde. It helps to prevent color fade, while emphasizing shine, keeping brown hair vibrant and rich. Using purple shampoo on brown hair regularly will take out any unwanted warm tones in your strands.

What brings out brown hair? ›

Orangey-reds, gold, bark browns and deep forest greens are a terrific complement to brown hair. You also look great in a range of greens — mossy to olive and sage. Nature's best browns are universally flattering to brunettes, who can wear dark chocolate and creamy lighter tones, as well as browns with a reddish cast.

Red + Yellow + Dark Blue

Generally, black simply overpowers brown to the point where it loses its textured nuance. A dark, inky blue is often a better option for darkening brown than black.

If you have dark brown or black hair, you're likely going to have to lighten your strands using a hair color bleach before you can achieve your desired ash brown color. When it comes to DIY, it's all about using the right hair dye.

As it turns out, you can use a blonde hair dye to neutralize your orange hair — the secret is to look for a shade that's ashy. Ashy, cool undertones are the key to canceling out the warm, unflattering orange tones that currently adorn your strands.

Like ash blonde hair, light ash brown hair often turns a brassy yellow color after a few weeks.

If you're a wintertype, the best colours you can choose are dark neutral- or ashtones, like black (1.0), dark brown (3.0), ash dark brown (4.1), brown (5.0) and ash brown (5.1).

"Whereas warm brunette shades look lighter and richer, ash-brown colors are usually deeper with a smoky, matte-like finish," says Nina Rubel, colorist at Rob Peetoom in NYC. And if you're anything like me, you've probably already convinced yourself three times this week that it's time to try ash-brown hair yourself.

Unfortunately, these colour pigments cannot be lightened or changed, despite common belief, by simply popping another colour on your hair. So if you want to go blonde from brown you will need to use a 'bleach' to do so.

Is T18 or T14 better for brassy hair? ›

If you have any orange left in your hair, T14 is probably the best for your hair over T18. T18 is only effective if your hair is a level 10 or higher (purely yellow).

Wella Colour Charm Toner T14 Pale Ash Blonde

The Wella T14 Toner has a violet - blue base, meaning that it will target golden orange and yellow brassiness. I would recommend this toner if you have quite light hair that is more golden orange.

Yellow and violet are opposites on the color wheel, so purple is used to cancel out overly warm, brassy tones.

Just as a purple shampoo neutralises brassy tones for blondes, a blue shampoo on brown hair neutralises orange and red tones for brunettes. After using our Blue Crush Shampoo, follow up with the blue conditioner for brown hair like our Blue Crush Conditioner.

What causes hair to turn orange? Reasons include high-mineral or chlorinated water, frequent sun exposure, high-sulfate and high-chemical products that can strip the hair, or simply lifting out melanin in a color treatment and revealing naturally existent undertones.

Leaving toner in your hair can take as quick as a minute but should not exceed 45 minutes.

This depends on how often you wash your hair. The less frequently you wash your locks, the longer your colour stays in, but you can increase the longevity of your colour by using professional hair care. Depending on you hair type and hair condition, toner can last between 2-to-6 weeks.

The Colour must be Cool Shade — an Ash or Beige Hair Colour. Only use a No Lift Developer — because you are not Lightening your Hair. Ash is the Coolest pigment and will give you the strongest Toning result. The Ash pigment will subdue the brighter, Warmer tinges into a crisper, subdued Hair Colour.

Green and green-based ash cancel out red, magenta and orange. Blue and blue based colors and toners cancel out orange and yellow orange. Violet, purple and purple based toners cancel out yellow and pale yellow.

How do you keep ashy hair Ashy? ›

Purple shampoo is the key to maintaining ash blonde hair. This is due to a little secret called color theory. Purple and yellow sit on opposite sides of the color wheel. This means violet hues counteract brassy tones.

You see, a toner has a semi-permanent color base, so when you apply it on wet hair, the lifespan of the product has tampered. So, it is best to apply toner on an 'almost' dry hair. Not too wet, and certainly not too dry.

Ash hair colours are on the cool side of the spectrum, meaning it is particularly flattering on those with a cool-toned complexion. The blue/purple pigments in ash blonde and ash brown hair colour are great for counter-balancing any redness in the skin, turning ruddy cheeks into a light rosy blush.

So the way to neutralize the orange would therefore be to use blue-based colors. Also, for very orange hair, you can add in some ash (which is simply the colorist's way of saying blue-green). This way you will be able neutralize your orange.

Vinegar has acetic acid, a natural conditioner that can remove the yellow/orange color from your hair. Here are some valid reasons why vinegar is a great choice to treat hair brassiness: It helps in restoring the pH balance in your hair because it's acidic. It's inexpensive and easy to use!

A chemical process that happens when you tone your hair weakens the fibers. Wait at least 4 weeks after toning to give your hair time to heal. If your hair is dry or brittle, you should wait at least 7 to 8 weeks before toning it once again.

Unfortunately, these colour pigments cannot be lightened or changed, despite common belief, by simply popping another colour on your hair. So if you want to go blonde from brown you will need to use a 'bleach' to do so.

Ash Brown. If you are looking for a deeper Colour, mix 7.1 Ash Blonde with 5 Light Brown. The 7.1 will give the Ash hit and the 5 brings the Natural, darker Colour. Combined, this is a true Light Ash Brown.

Warm-Toned Ash Brown Blend

A brunette-to-blonde ombre doesn't have to be dreary. Add some smokey ash blonde to transition from the dark brown roots to blonde ends. It looks perfect for the winter. The warm tone works well with colors like orange, yellow, and gold.

You can lighten your dark brown hair with natural ingredients such as green tea, honey, cinnamon, henna, or coffee. You can opt for a lighter brunette shade or go for funkier shades like purple or blue to change up your look.

Can you tone brown hair with ash blonde toner? ›

You should use an ash toner for brown hair to improve the shade quality. If you choose the right toner for brown hair, then the hair can turn pastel or neutral without making it blonde. You need to apply ash toner to neutralize all the warm undertones. Thus, you will get stylish ash-colored hair.