Hair gone wrong after bleaching and turned ORANGE?! Fear not-- here are 6 ways on how to fix orange hair to achieve gorgeous hair in no time.
Hair problems happen to the best of us.
If your DIY box hair dye project went wrong and your hair turned orange and brassy instead of a gorgeous blonde–fear not– orange hair is fixable.
There are several ways how to fix orange hair both at home and in the salon.
Depending on the color you are trying to achieve and how bad your orange hair is will influence which strategy you should use to correct your brassy orange hair.
Read on to learn more about how to fix orange hair after bleaching that’s gone wrong ASAP!
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click and purchase through my link, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Why Did My Hair Turn Orange After Bleaching?
First things first, you may be wondering, what went wrong? And, how did I end up with orange hair in the first place?
Hair box dye can no doubt be risky. Done right, you have a gorgeous hair color and save the money you would have spent getting it professionally done at a salon.
However, if done wrong (and trust me, there is plenty of room for error here) you can end up with several hair problems. One of which being orange hair.
If you used box hair dye to bleach your hair and ended up with orange hair, you likely are a brunette.
This is because darker hair colors have predominantly red and orange pigment undertones, which can inevitably show if you don’t bleach your hair enough.
Thus, causing a not-so-cute brassy orange hair color.
But, brunettes aren’t the only ones that can struggle with this dreaded orange hair color.
Blondes can also get brassy orange tones in their hair typically as a result of having too many chemicals or minerals in your hair built up over time.
For example, if you swam in a pool which inevitably has tons of chemicals like chlorine.
How To Fix Orange Hair After Bleaching
Orange or brassy hair can be fixed typically by neutralizing the color with its complementary color.
For instance, using a purple shampoo to tone more yellow hair and a blue shampoo to tone more orange hair.
Therefore, if you have brassy orange hair after bleaching, you don’t necessarily have to head straight to the salon to get it fixed.
There are plenty of at home ways you can fix your orange hair.
Below are 6 different ways on how to fix orange hair, both at home & at the salon!
1. Go To A Hair Stylist That Specializes In Color Correction
If you find your hair is SO orange and brassy and don’t want to take the risk of making your hair even worse, consider going to a hairstylist that specializes in color correction.
This will ensure you don’t make your hair any worse or cause any more excess damage to your hair.
Although most professional hair stylists have practice correcting brassy hair problems, again try finding a hair stylist that specializes in color correcting.
2. Tone With Blue Or Purple Shampoo
Toning your hair is one of the best, go-to methods for neutralizing orange hair.
When you are trying to get rid of orange hair, what you are doing is neutralizing the orange (or in some cases yellow tones) with a complementary color.
So, if you have orange hair you would be using blue toner like a blue shampoo to neutralize your hair.
And, if you have more yellow toned hair you’d use a purple toner like a purple shampoo.
Don’t have purple or blue shampoo on hand?! Fear not, be sure to check out these top picks!
Best Blue Shampoos To Neutralize Brassy Hair
With tens of thousands of five star reviews on Amazon, Matrix's blue shampoo helps tone and neutralize brassy hair and is perfect for bleached orange hair gone wrong.
A cheaper alternative is this Fanola No Orange shampoo that helps reduce brassiness and achieve cooler blonde hair for under 10 bucks.
Best Purple Shampoos To Neutralize Brassy Hair
With thousands of 5-star reviews on Amazon, this Paul Mitchell purple shampoo helps eliminate brassiness to achieve beautiful platinum blonde locks.
This purple shampoo from Nexxus helps neutralize brassy tones and brighten blonde hair to look effortlessly cooler and brighter.
3. Apply Glazes or Glosses
Applying glazes or glosses is another effective way on how to fix orange hair after bleaching.
Glazes and glosses eliminate the brassy tones and make the hair overall appear shinier and smoother while giving you the right tone without looking so orange/ brassy.
4. Use Box Dye To Darken Hair
If you have patches of orange hair that can’t be fixed by toning your hair, and you don’t want to go to a hair salon to get your orange hair fixed, consider getting a box dye to darken your hair.
While this isn’t ideal compared to easily using some blue or purple shampoo, hair dye will help cover the orange.
5. Bleach Your Hair Again
Another method you can try is bleaching your hair again.
BUT, you need to be extra careful if you are doing this method to prevent any more damage to your hair.
Bleaching your hair again can help lighten your hair to achieve that gorgeous cool blonde you were going for in the first place.
However, you must give your hair at least 1-2 weeks after you initially bleached it to then bleach it again.
This time gives your hair the ability to restore its natural moisture and not cause too much damage to your hair.
So, be sure to wait in between bleaching your hair a second time.
Once you have bleached your hair and your orange hair has turned yellow, you’ll then want to use an ash blonde hair dye to achieve that gorgeous cool blonde look.
You can also try using purple shampoo to tone your yellow hair after bleaching.
And, keep in mind that with anything when bleaching your hair, your hair will likely be damaged and sensitive so try to limit the hot tools you use on your hair + consider using a hair mask to strengthen your hair.
6. Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse Routine
A more natural approach on how to fix orange hair is rinsing your hair with apple cider vinegar.
Take a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and add about a cup of water and some food coloring (blue food coloring to fix orange hair, purple food coloring for yellow hair).
Mix all three, the apple cider vinegar, cup of water, and food coloring together!
Then after you wash your hair, thoroughly apply this apple cider vinegar mixture to your hair and then rinse off.
Repeat about every couple of weeks to keep toning your hair.
How To Prevent Orange Hair After Bleaching
The best way to not have orange hair after bleaching is to prevent it from even happening.
Here are 3 ways to prevent orange hair so you don’t have to panic and scramble to fix your brassy locks.
1. Skip The DIY Home Box Dye and Go To A Salon
With most things in life, you get what you pay for.
While DIY hair box dye isn’t the worst thing in the world, it isn’t going to give you that salon-quality color.
So, if you want your hair done right the first time and don’t want to risk damaging/ruining your hair, consider going to a hairstylist instead of dyeing your hair yourself at home.
2. Avoid Direct UV Rays
Direct sunlight can bring out all different types of colors in your hair, especially brassiness.
So consider limiting your amount of time in the Sun to help prevent brassy hair.
3. Avoid Pool Or Ocean Water
Chemicals like chlorine found in pools or salt in ocean water can cause your hair to change color and cause your blonde hair to become brassy. So, if you enjoy swimming in a pool or the ocean, try limiting the number of times you get your hair wet.
Final Thoughts: How To Fix Orange Hair
It can be terrifying getting orange hair after bleaching. However, just because your DIY hair dye project at home went wrong doesn’t automatically mean you have to book an appointment at a salon.
Hair stylists can color correct your hair; however, there are many at-home ways you can fix your orange hair at home for a lot less money.
So, when in doubt if your hair is super brassy or orange, invest in a quality blue or purple shampoo, or follow some of these other methods on how to fix orange hair above.
FAQs
What color removes orange from hair?
If you have orange hair, consider using a blue shampoo to neutralize the orange tones and achieve a more gorgeous cooler blonde look.
What color cancels out brassy orange hair?
There are several ways in which you can fix your orange hair, without necessarily having to try and go to the salon.
For brassy tones in your hair, try using a blue or purple shampoo. If your hair is worse and has patches of orange consider dyeing your hair either darker or lighter altogether to cover up and fix the orange.
Should I bleach my hair again if it turned orange?
Although bleaching your hair again can help correct orange hair, it’s important to understand that bleaching your hair, especially repeatedly, can cause significant damage to your hair.
So, consider trying another method like using a purple shampoo or the apple cider vinegar rinse method first before jumping straight into bleaching and lightening your hair again.
And if you do go the bleaching your hair again route, be sure to leave enough time in between bleaching sessions (1-2 weeks) to restore your hair and minimize potential damage.
Other Posts You May Like:
???? 10+ Best Olaplex Dupes For Gorgeous Hair On A Budget
