What Color Cancels Out Blue Hair?

By: | Last Updated: February 11, 2022

It was the stay-at-home dilemma — being trapped in a room furnished with all the tools to unleash one’s creativity is just too enticing not to try a new hair color for yourself. 

So you went with blue.

Eye-catching in every shade, blue hair makes a great statement. It shows you’re funky and brave. While naturally seen on fair-skinned individuals, the right shade of blue adds a coolness to the warmer complexions of darker skin tones.

But here’s the catch: dyes with a blue base cause heavy cuticle staining, unfortunately. 

If you have researched it already, then you’d know that blue is a color of paradox. It is tough to maintain the initial shade you picked, but it is tougher to get rid of it. It will quickly lose its vibrancy in the first weeks. After that, it’s a lifetime of blue or green tints peeking through.

So you end up everywhere trying to search on what color cancels out blue hair. Knowing a little color theory will help you a lot on the way. But if you do not want to end up with the darkest brown, here are some tips you may want to check out on how to fade it out.


How To Get Rid Of Blue Hair

PROFESSIONALLY.

There is no better way to solve a difficult problem than to hand it to someone experienced in solving it. 

GOOD OLD BLEACHING

Technically speaking, bleaching and color stripping are two different processes. Though they both lighten the hair, their chemical components and how they work are not the same.

Bleach is made up of peroxide+ammonia. It works by oxidizing the melanin in your hair. You’re left after with a whitish-yellow color as your hair pigment (melanin) is decolorized.

But not everyone has money for what could be a long and costly battle. 

If you want to try your hand on bleaching, make sure to wear gloves as a precaution. 

How To Get Rid Of Blue Hair

Warning: The success of DIY bleaching to strip blue hair is low and may only fade it out to a couple of lighter shades or even green.

As a precaution, wear your gloves. Safety first.

  • Make a bleach bath by mixing 20 vol of peroxide and 20 vol of bleach powder
  • Add to shampoo. 
  • Check every 5 minutes.
  • Rinse.

Bleaching can only do so much after all and may not oxidize some types of hair dye. You certainly do not want to end up with a hurting scalp, brittle hair, and split ends because you decided to bleach your hair repeatedly. 

Now that it’s lightened, proceed with caution to minimize damage as much as possible.

CHECK OUT: How To Remove Permanent Hair Dye From Grey Hair


How Do You Strip Color Out Of Blue Hair?

Color stripping works by breaking down the bond between dye molecules and the melanin in your hair. Darker shades of blue can be stubborn. You can bleach it out and leave only a bluish tint (moderate risk) or have it gradually removed by these commercial and DIY color strippers. 

Color Remover 

Most color removers available are sulfur-based. Sulfur bonds itself to the synthetic dye and breaks it down to smaller molecules. In that way, it is easier to wash.

Note that commercial color strippers work well for permanent dyes only. This is because sulfur attaches to oxidized dye and temporary dyes require no oxiders in the process. 

Every product available in stores has different instructions. It is important to follow these explicitly to get the most of it. 


How To Get Blue Tint Out Of Blonde Or Bleached Hair

Having blue hair means you definitely underwent rounds of bleaching to prep. You may not want to go back to that again just to end up with more damaged hair than you started with.

Here are some options to try.

How To Get Blue Tint Out Of Blonde Or Bleached Hair

Clarifying And Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

Clarifying shampoos are used to clear out product build-up from oils and waxes and even leftover regular shampoos. It is heavy on surfactants which act as an emulsifier to lift the dirt (or dye in this case) and allow water to dissolve it. 

Anti-dandruff shampoos are self-explanatory. They contain an active ingredient, selenium sulfide, which is a cleansing agent for metal jewelry. Powerful stuff! 

There are non-commercial options that have been proven effective. If you do not want to spend a dime, here are some DIYs to try and gradually leach out the blue dye from your hair.

CHECK OUT: How long does oVertone last

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.

Neutrogena Exfoliating Healthy Scalp Clarify & Shine Shampoo for Oily Hair and Scalp, Anti-Residue Shampoo with Pink Grapefruit, pH-Balanced, Paraben & Phthalate-Free, Color-Safe, 12oz

Vitamin C Wash

  • Crush vitamin c tablets (5-10) and mix with an anti-dandruff or clarifying shampoo.
  • Massage hair with the mixture.
  • Leave for more than an hour to see results. 

Dish Soap

If you can’t do it with clarifying shampoos, you need to rely on something you know has a higher surfactant level. 

High enough to remove that greasy pan sitting duck on your sink.

  • Pour 5-6 drops of dish soap with shampoo. Mix.
  • Create a good lather on your wet hair.
  • Rinse.
  • Deep condition to minimize damage since the process can be very drying. 

A word of caution: Do not mix with baking soda. Each of these chemicals are designed to clean much tougher surfaces than your scalp. It might leave a burning sensation. 

Baking Soda Paste

Baking soda is already known to be a tough cleaning agent. Coupled with other liquids, it’s mild abrasiveness can be more effective. 

Lemon Juice and Baking Soda

  • Make a 1:1 ratio of 2 tablespoons baking soda and lemon juice.
  • Leave on hair for 15 minutes.
  • Rinse thoroughly.

Epsom Salt and Baking Soda

  • Make a 1:1 ratio of 1 tablespoon epsom salt and baking soda.
  • Leave on hair for 15 minutes.
  • Rinse and deeply condition.

Sun Exposure

I need not encourage you to go out in this pandemic. But if we are talking about technicalities, the UV rays coming from our sun is damaging enough to break down the melanin in our hair. It is also capable of oxidizing hair dye to some extent, lightening the hair in the process.

Swimming

Chlorine is a bleach. So swimming pools are basically free salons to strip your hair of color. Chlorine bonds with melanin in your hair. Done frequently enough, swimming can lead to several degrees of fading out for your blue hair. 

CHECK OUT: What to do right after bleaching hair


The Help That Is Color Theory

When in doubt, don’t fear to go opposite.


FAQs:

Can You Dye Over Blue Hair?

Of course you can! 

Dying over blue hair may be the least dull course to take. The only question is if you want to dial down to your original color or tune it up to brighter colors. 

Although your options are limited for the latter, dyes such as green, purple and turquoise which already have a blue base on them are good options to take. 

What Color Neutralizes Blue Hair? 

What Color Neutralizes Blue Hair

According to the color wheel, orange cancels out blue. An orange dye or one with a coppery hue will get you a chestnut or brown tone. If you are more experienced with DIY coloring, you can use an orange toner

The intensity of the dye depends on the intensity of the color left in your hair. Note that the result also depends on your initial dye. Dark blue covered with darker orange dye will also result in a dark brown etc. 

Here are some recommendations:

  • Dark blue – L’oreal Paris 4.45 Mahogany Copper Brown
  • Medium blue – L’oreal Paris 6.54 Ash Mahogany Copper Dark Blonde
  • Light blue – L’oreal Paris 8.34 Light Gold Copper Blonde

CHECK OUT: How long does henna hair dye last

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.

L'Oreal Paris Dia Light Professional Hair Color 8,34 Light Gold Copper Blonde 1.7 Ounce 50 Milliliters


Takeaway

If you have already outlived a color, it’s best to consult a professional for color correction or removal is highly considered on your part.

Doing it yourself is fun and maybe less expensive in the short run but always note that every failed attempt may cause extensive damage. Hence, a higher cost in repairing and maintaining it. 

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