By Rebecca Anderson of Becky B Hair
Achieving and maintaining blonde hair can be a labour of love, but keeping it looking fresh and vibrant without unwanted brassiness is a common challenge. Whether you’re rocking a platinum hue, soft balayage, or golden highlights, maintaining that salon-fresh blonde requires the right care routine. In this blog, explore the best tips and tricks to banish brass and keep your blonde locks looking bright, beautiful, and healthy. From choosing the right products to understanding how lifestyle factors affect your colour, I’ve got you covered!
Why Does Blonde Hair Turn Brassy?
Blonde hair often turns brassy due to underlying warm pigments exposed during the lightening process. Over time, external factors like environmental exposure, water quality, and hair products can accelerate this shift, leaving hair with unwanted yellow or orange tones. Maintaining healthy blonde hair is essential to keep it vibrant, shiny, and brass-free.
The Science Behind Brassiness
When hair is lightened, the natural pigments are broken down to reveal warm tones underneath. Blonde hair can take on yellow or orange hues depending on how much warmth remains. Without proper care, these tones can become more pronounced, diminishing the cool, bright blonde that most clients desire. Environmental aggressors, such as UV rays, pollution, and mineral buildup from hard water, further contribute to brassiness. Using the wrong products or overexposing hair to heat can also exacerbate the issue by damaging the hair’s cuticle, making it harder for toners and pigments to stay in place.
Top Ways to Prevent Brassiness in Blonde Hair
1. Use Purple Shampoo and Conditioner
Purple toning products are a must-have for neutralising yellow and brassy tones. Purple is the opposite of yellow on the colour wheel, making it effective at canceling out mild yellow hues in blonde hair. For more stubborn orange tones, opt for a stronger blue shampoo designed for brunettes, as purple shampoo alone won’t address these deeper tones.
Product Recommendation: Kérastase Ultra-Violet Bain — this product provides powerful toning while nourishing the hair.
Pro Tip: Avoid overusing purple shampoos, as they can deposit too much pigment and create an unwanted purple cast on light blonde hair.
Colour wheel
2. Rinse Hair with Filtered Water
Hard water, rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium, can leave deposits on the hair that cause brassiness. A shower filter can remove these minerals, helping to maintain your blonde shade.
Tips:
- Use filtered or distilled water for rinsing.
- Minimise exposure to hard water by washing less frequently and using a clarifying shampoo periodically.
- Use Intensive Repairing Concentrate, a chelating agent, the benefits of this include:
- Decalcify and significantly reduce persistent damage
- Eliminates calcium deposits
- Alleviate stiffness and lack luster appearance
- Reconnect broken links among keratin chains
Concentre Decalcifiant
3. Minimise Heat Styling
Excessive heat can cause colour fading and amplify brassiness by damaging the hair cuticle. To protect your blonde:
- Always use a heat protectant before styling.
- Invest in heat-controlled tools to prevent overheating.
- Experiment with heatless styling options, like braids or rollers.
4. Protect Hair from Sun Damage
UV rays can oxidise hair colour, leading to brassy tones and dryness. Protect your blonde by:
- Wearing hats or scarves outdoors.
- Using a UV-protectant spray formulated for hair.
3 Tips for Keeping Blonde Hair Healthy
1. Use the Blond Absolu Range
Kérastase’s Blond Absolu collection offers comprehensive care for blonde hair, targeting brassiness while hydrating and strengthening the hair. This range includes ultra-violet neutralisers to perfect cool tones and deeply nourish the hair fiber for luminous results.
Key Benefits:
- Immediate anti-brass action.
- Hydration and fortification.
- Enhanced shine and smoothness.
Blond Absolu Range
2. Incorporate Hydrating Masks and Treatments
Blonde hair is prone to dryness due to the lightening process, making hydration critical. Weekly use of nourishing masks can restore moisture, reduce frizz, and improve overall hair health.
Product Recommendation: Kérastase Masque Cicaextreme — infused with hyaluronic acid, this mask provides intense hydration, reduces porosity, and promotes scalp health.
Why Hyaluronic Acid Works: Hyaluronic acid is a powerful humectant, capable of holding up to 1,000 times its weight in water. This makes it ideal for repairing lightened hair, enhancing both short-term hydration and long-term resilience.
Hyaluronic Acid
3. Get Regular Trims
Split ends can make blonde hair look dull and uneven. Regular trims help maintain healthy ends and prevent further breakage, ensuring your blonde hair always looks its best.
When to Seek Professional Help
If your blonde hair becomes overly brassy or feels too damaged to hold colour, it’s time to consult a professional. Toners and in-salon treatments like Kérastase Fusio-Dose can rejuvenate hair and restore its tone.
Fusio-Dose Benefits:
- Customisable formulas tailored to your hair’s needs.
- Combines a concentrate and booster for double benefits in one application.
- Improves hair health without weighing it down.
Cicablond Booster
Key Takeaways:
- Use targeted products like the Blond Absolu range to prevent and neutralise brassiness.
- Protect your hair from environmental and heat damage.
- Hydrate and strengthen hair with masks and treatments.
