What does brassy hair look like?

By: | Last Updated: April 13, 2023

Have you ever bleached your hair? Dyed it blonde? Got some highlights?

If so, you might’ve gone through or at least are familiar with brassy hair.

Picture this: you go to the salon to get your hair done and walk out afterward, loving how it looked on you. You can’t deny it’s certainly a satisfying feeling!

But as the weeks go by, you start to notice that your hair’s beautiful light hue you once adored so much has turned into a rather undesirable shade of yellow, orange, or red. Uh oh! Sound familiar?

When it comes to hair color, lighter tones have always been a top choice for many. They have a certain air to them that can either make or break your overall look. If you’re one of those who can pull it off, good for you!

However, maintaining your light-colored tresses is not an easy feat. 

Aside from choosing the right shampoo and deep conditioning, you must also learn how to handle brassiness effectively to maintain your desired hair color.

If you want to learn how to do that, sit tight and read on because you’re about to bid your brassy hair goodbye!


What is a brassy hair tone?

What is a brassy hair tone
Learn about brassy hair tones.

A brassy hair tone is an unwanted warm color that shows up on your bleached or lightened hair where it wasn’t meant to.

It’s especially common for individuals with naturally dark hair dyed blonde. It can also appear in highlighted hair or hair that’s been lightened to brown. It’s possible to have brassy highlights on dark hair if you’ve had a balayage.

Although some brassy colors could potentially work well with dark hair, that isn’t always the case. 


How do I know if my hair is brassy?

Brassy hair can manifest itself in different colors, especially in blonde and brown hair. It isn’t particularly hard, but some could easily mistake brassiness as their hair simply being the color it was meant to be.

Fret not; all you have to do is observe the color carefully.

What does brassy blonde hair look like?

what does brassy blonde hair look like
See what brassy blonde hair looks like.

This is the hair color where brassiness is most obvious. 

It will usually turn up in yellow or orange undertones — think gold, copper, and bronze. If the blonde in your hair is a much warmer shade than what you ordered it to be, then it’s most likely turning brassy. 

What does brassy brown hair look like?

what does brassy brown hair look like
See what brassy brown hair looks like.

Brassiness in brown hair, just like blonde hair, shows up in warm tones. Besides yellow and orange shades, it can also appear in reddish tones depending on the pigments in the dye.


What does it mean if my hair is brassy?

It’s totally normal for your dyed hair to turn brassy at some point.

This just means that bleaching hasn’t completely removed your natural pigments, allowing them an opportunity to reveal themselves again. 

The cooler pigments in the hair dye wear off before the other ones do, leaving only the warmer tones behind, resulting in your hair being warmer in color.

Why is brassy hair bad?

Let me give it to you straight: brassiness in your hair isn’t necessarily bad.

In fact, certain individuals with the right undertones have the potential to pull it off. 

It’s only bad if you’re aiming for a certain color that isn’t brass. And even if you were, you can still let your brassy hair be if that’s what you prefer. 

Simply put, it’s only bad if you don’t want your hair to be brassy.

Even though brassy hair isn’t going to kill you anytime soon, it might not look too pleasing to the eye. 

If that’s not something you can live with, then continue reading because we have some solutions for you!


How do you fix brassy hair?

How do you fix brassy hair
How should you fix brassy hair.

The good news is all is not lost. There are many different ways to get rid of brassiness and preserve your light-colored hair, making it all the more vivid and beautiful.

1. Use Hair Toner

If there’s anything you should use to adjust the hue of your brassy hair, it’s hair toner

Because the primary function of hair toner is to fix and neutralize hair color, it makes it the perfect product to use after going through a lightening treatment or after bleaching your hair.

It either removes or adds to warm tones, depending on the kind of toner you’re using and the color of your hair dye. Additionally, it doesn’t absorb into the hair but rather acts as an outer layer, so it’s not permanent.

2. Stay out of the Pool

I know, I know… swimming in the pool can be so much fun! Especially when it’s summer and all you want to do is find a way to beat the heat.

Yes, it’s all fun and games until your hair color either fades or turns green. 

It’s a real bummer, but some of the components of pool water include chlorine and copper. They react in such a way that it removes the dye from your hair, leaving a green hue or having the color fade. It can also strip away the hair’s natural oils, leaving it dry and brittle.

So if you just got your hair bleached and you’re looking for some summer fun in the pool, I suggest you think twice before you decide to take a dip. We don’t want you coming out of the water looking like a seaweed monster, now do we?

3. Avoid Heat

Speaking of summer fun, it looks like you’ll have to steer clear of the sun too. Actually, you should protect your hair from heat in general!

Aside from drying up your hair, heat has a nasty habit of altering the color. Heat styling tools can cause it to fade, and using them too much damages your hair.

Both these tools and the sun can produce brassiness, so it’s best to limit your exposure as much as possible.

4. Purple Shampoo

You’ve surely realized the importance of color balance when it comes to restoring brassy hair by now. Maintaining cool pigments is essential to keeping those pesky tones away.

This is precisely why you should make the most of purple or, if more appropriate, blue shampoo. Since purple and blue are cool tones, so they make up for the extra warm pigments and balance your hair color.

You don’t even have to go to the salon for this; you just need to buy one that suits your hair, and you should be good to go.


Wrapping Things Up

To conclude, brassy hair is not uncommon. It’s something that many people go through when choosing to lighten their hair.

However, only you can decide whether to keep your brassy hair or not. If it‘s what you want and makes you feel like a queen, then, by all means, go for it! 

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