The Good. Clean. Fun.™ BLOG

Another day, another hair color issue we’re here to help you solve. This time, we’re focusing on how to warm up ashy hair, and how to neutralize ashiness in your hair color. Now, don’t get us wrong – if your style incorporates gray, lavender, blue or green hair, we love that for you. But if you’re not into your new, cool-toned color, we’re here to help.

Here's everything you need to know about fixing ashy tones at home.

What is ashy hair?

While they’re total opposites, ashy and brassy hair occur when your hair’s tone skews a bit too blue or orange, respectively. Ashy tones tend to turn up a bit too blue or green, while brassy hair can look orange or coppery. Unfortunately, they come with the hair-coloring territory. But luckily, there’s a fix for each. Today, we’ll focus on fixing that ash.

What makes your hair ashy?

Ashy tones occur in hair color when there’s too much of a cool or blue pigment in a dye or toner. Think of it as editing an image – if you cool down the coloring of a photo, it often turns very blue or green. The same happens with hair – if you have too much cool pigment, it saturates the hair with a blue/green tone. But that’s not always a bad thing. The look is often created on purpose, which we’re absolutely here for if it’s your style. But if it’s not quite the tone you’re going for, we’re here to help you get rid of it – and fast.

How To Warm Up Ashy Hair at Home

1. Use a color-correcting cream

The trick to getting rid of unwanted coolness on your strands. Add warmth. This can be done in a salon by adding a gloss or toner onto the hair. But if you’re looking to solve your ashy issue at home, reach for a color-correcting treatment, like the Better Natured Color Refreshing Crème in Rose Gold.

This in-shower, masque-like treatment deposits warm pigments onto your strands, counteracting the cool blue tones and in turn nixing ashy hues. For regular maintenance, use it once a week in place of your normal conditioner, leaving it on for 3 minutes for a complete treatment.

2. Wash extra

If you decide that you’re not happy with the level of cool tones in your hair, wash it! This fix may sound obvious, but when you’re panic-stricken over your color, going in for a few extra washes is sometimes not the first thing that comes to mind. This technique is simple: just wash your hair two to three times in the shower, making sure to suds up sufficiently and really get to every strand.

But be careful: extra washing can strip your hair of it’s natural oils, so it’s important to use a super-hydrating shampoo to get the job done safely. And to avoid excess dryness, follow your triple wash with a deep conditioner, like Better Natured Moisture Replenishing Masque.

3. Always use a heat protectant

While this tip won’t necessarily fix your ashy hair, it will help maintain your hair’s vibrancy for longer. Because heat can react with hair color and pigment, it’s imperative to the integrity of your color that you protect it. Whenever you’re heat styling, coat your strands with a trustworthy protectant, like Better Natured Heat Styling Lotion. It’ll protect your hair from heat-caused damage, dryness and breakage. That’s a win-win if you ask us.