Opting for the right hair color has always been a critical choice to make for most of us. Many people are afraid of getting hair bleached because when bleaching goes wrong it can make you look ridiculous and strip away your confidence.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways decolorizing your hair can cause a damage to your hair color and how to fix it;
One of the most common outcomes of bleaching your hair to make it a few shades lighter is being left with patchy, orange hair.
Our hair is a mixture of different colors that combine to form the color we see in the mirror. The richness of red hair present underneath causes our hair color to appear dark, giving a more intense depth to your brown or black hair. To reveal the base tone we lighten it with a dye.
Why Your Hair turn Orange
One primary reason why your hair may turn orange is that it wasn’t light enough to reach the blonde color. The first step in reaching blonde hair is to reach the yellow stage, here a greater number of red pigments have been bleached beforehand.
The yellow and violet tones are fused together to neutralize the yellow tone and help you dye your hair back to natural shade. It is essential to reach the yellow stage, if you fail to do so you can’t dye hair blonde, however, orange hair can be toned to light brown.
Some people may be afraid to use bleach or have a comparatively darker color and try to bleach it too soon, resulting in orange hair and when trying to tone it with a blonde dye, the dye won’t cover it.
Environmental factors such as pollution and smoke may also cause the tone of your hair to become oranges – yellow. Moreover, hair products such as shampoos containing sulfates, parabens, and silicones also play their part in brassiness.
Water also plays its role in making your hair brassy as it contains a high proportion of mineral deposits, which can accumulate in your hair, damaging it. An easy way to overcome this problem is by using a water filter which can lessen the minerals that reach your locks
How to fix Orange Hair
Having a dreadful shade of orange is certainly not the most desirable color unless your fashion style matches that too of an orangutan, this means that you need a solution to fix your orange hair and regain your lost confidence. Fortunately, fixing orange hair is an easy task and does not require much effort.
More: How Often Should You Wash Your Hair
Visit the Hair Salon
This is the most ideal yet costly solution and is preferred if you are inexperienced in fixing hair damage. The salons may charge a hefty amount depending on the intricacy of your color. But if your hair is already damaged, it’s best if you get an expert to fix it instead of experimenting further with it.
Use Hair Toner
Many people opt for a toner to fix orange hair. Toners are available in various shades and need to be blended with a developer. Toners can remove the orange part in darker hair as well as make yellow hair grey and some toners may not show its effects on orange hair when your hair natural color is too dark. Finding the right toner for your hair is imperative. To be on the safer side imitate the directions given carefully, however, if you find it hard to use please consult the professionals.
How to Fix Orange Hair with Box Dye
To fix your hair that has gone patchy with bits of blond and orange, re-dye your hair. You can find a huge variety of shades in box dyes. First, section your hair apply an ample amount of dye to cover your hair completely. Next part your hair into thin sections that are easy to cover with the mask completely.
Give the appreciable amount of time for the dye to sit, in the end, shampoo and condition it. The effect of box dyes can last for quite a while. Dying hair impairs and damages your hair so make a habit of regularly conditioning your hair.
Try Blue and Purple Shampoos
If your hair is orange, a deeply pigmented blue or purple shampoo may be of some help. Some may prefer to mix the yellow and orange tones. These shampoos follow the color complementary theory according to which the shades that sit opposite to each other in a color spectrum can neutralize each other when mixed. For example yellow and orange sit opposite purple and blue, so when applied to your hair a small quantity of that pigment is absorbed by your hair and rectifies the brassy tones. The effect of these shampoos is brief.
Get a Semi-Permanent Dye
Semi-permanent dyes can darken your hair color and contain absolutely no ammonia but a small quantity of peroxide, which helps in opening the hair cuticle, so that more color may be absorbed. The effect may be visible for a few weeks. This method is quite successful for fixing orange hair, enhancing natural color, refreshing color, and as well as for correction works.
Rinse with Apple Cider Vinegar
Not many people know this but, apple cider vinegar can be used for toning your hair color. Here are two ways you can use it to fix orange hair:
Coconut Oil and Food Coloring
Thoroughly apply coconut oil to your hair before bed. Prepare a toner of by adding a few drops of blue liquid food color, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 1 cup of water. Wash and condition your hair with apple cider vinegar and the mixture of food coloring. Carry on using this treatment for 2 weeks and you will see positive results.
Hollyhock Herbs
The ingredients required are 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 ounce of hollyhock herbs and a cup of water. First, bring the water to boil and add hollyhock herbs and apple cider vinegar, heat the mixture till it thickens and let it cool off. Spread the thick mixture in your hair and massage, give it at least 10 minutes and wash off with a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. You can also mix some blue or purple food coloring with your shampoo and conditioner; this will help reduce the orange color built up in your hair.
Use a Natural Hair Mask
Natural ingredients can prove to be very beneficial in fixing damaged hair. If your hair is already patchy and dry from bleaching, you should try avoiding chemicals and use a natural hair mask to fix orange hair.
Baking Soda Shampoo
Mix 2 drops of blue and purple food colors, 1 teaspoon of baking soda to your shampoo. Wash your hair with it regularly to see the results.
Lemon Juice Toner
Create a mixture with a 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 tablespoon honey and 3/4 cup of water. Spray this mixture to your hair and leave it in for two hours before washing with a shampoo and conditioner.
These were some of the ways you can fix orange hair. But orange hair is nuanced and can seriously damage your hair and leave you afraid of experimenting with your hair color. Let’s take a look how you can get the desired hair color without facing the embarrassment of orange hair.
How to Bleach Without Getting Orange Hair
Start off by moisturizing your hair and apply coconut oil 10 days before bleaching, it can be replaced by extra virgin oil. Materials required are.
- Bleach powder
- Hydrogen Peroxide, thirty volumes
- A pair of gloves
- Clips to hold back pieces of hair once you divide it up to bleach
- Plastic bowl
- A brush to apply the product.
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
Read the instructions and prepare the mixture, make sure to use 2:1 ratio of bleach powder and hydrogen peroxide. After preparing the mixture, test on a small portion of hair. Apply the mixture and cover it with aluminum foil and check it after every 15 minutes, once the desired color is achieved set this time of setting the dye. Section your hair and start bleaching and let it set for the desired time and then wash it off with shampoo and conditioner.
Yellow Hair
Obtaining a platinum blonde color only by bleaching isn’t possible; it takes a series of colors of orange, then yellow, pale yellow and white to reach platinum. Also, all red pigments need to be removed to reach the desired color.
People who naturally possess dark brown or black hair, for them completely eliminating red pigments is almost futile, leaving your hair brassy, yellow and shades of golden. Bleaching gone wrong can also leave your hair yellowish and damaged.
To overcome this problem, a toner commonly known as a gloss is used which removes undesirable colors in your hair and gives a glossy touch to your hair. In addition to that, a toner fixes brassy or red undertones and helps you achieve your preferable color.
A toner may be permanent or semi-permanent, one which can eradicate yellow tones completely from your hair but professionals unanimously recommend semi-permanent one as it is less damaging. Tones are available at reasonable prices online at different outlets. Other toners can be used for canceling out different colors, for instance, the red toner can cancel green color.
How to Get Rid of Yellow Hair
In order to fix yellow hair after bleaching a conditioning mask with purple pigments, for example, a homemade vegetable based toner mixed with a conditioner left to set in your hair for half an hour can leave desirable results with no significant damage to your hair. The preferred blue toner for yellow hair is violet mixed with a good quality conditioner. Apply it for half an hour in your hair and leave it to rest.
It is best to start with limited amounts of dye. You can always apply more if there is a need for it. It is easy to increase the quantity of blue toner rather than withdrawing it. Be careful not to use too much of the toner as it may leave your hair color with a grayish or greenish cast. Check the toner continuously and make sure to wash your hair twice in order to remove the toner. Toners cannot lighten your hair color so make sure your hair is to the right level before toning it.
Here are a few steps you need to follow when handling a toner.
In a container mix the toner and peroxide in the ratio 1:2. With the help of an application brush cover all your orange hair with the mixture, make sure all of the mixtures is applied evenly, next to leave the hair to rest for 45 minutes, the time should not exceed 45 minutes (follow all the directions on the box.).
In the end, wash your hair off by using a blue toning shampoo to lock the mixture deeply and help you get relieved of the damaged hair faster.
Conclusion
If you have tried dying or bleaching your hair at home and ended with a yellow or orange mess, don’t panic. This can happen sometimes and is easily treatable. If you want to fix your hair immediately, you can always use toners and box dyes. But if you want to avoid putting any more chemicals in your hair, the best way is to use natural treatments. They can take from weeks to months to show results but can leave your hair feeling and look better than ever.
One way to avoid getting into so much trouble is to always seek professional assistance when experimenting with hair color. A professional can not only guide you on which hair color to try but also use the high-quality products on your hair that can avoid the damage.
Rachel
Saturday 16th of November 2019
My hair ended up a orange after touching up my roots with bleach and a 30 vol developer what do I do now I want a bright icy white platinum color what should I use from Sally's beauty supply to achieve that kind of color please help
Irina Tracy
Saturday 16th of November 2019
hi, Rachel! There are shampoos created especially to take orange tones out of your hair. It is not an instant fix though. But if you wash your hair with a purple or blue shampoo, you should be able to diminish the orange in your roots. You can also mix a pigmented toner with your shampoo, the toner you choose depends also on the undertones of your hair. Going to platinum color is difficult to do over night so if you are patient, you will get there. There is also the option of bleaching it again in order to get rid of the orange BUT make sure you wait at least a week before you repeat the bleaching process. Otherwise, you could damage your hair a lot! Try the shampoos and see if it works without the need to bleach it.