DIY hair-dye experiments have gotten the best of just about all of us. We swore we did all our research; following Brand Mondo’s tips to a T and avoiding all the mistakes we saw others make on TikTok. But sometimes, our hair has other plans!
An at-home bleach-job can result in orange hair or even brassy hair. Perhaps you have dark hair making it harder to achieve a lighter color or you may have blonde hair that became brassy or over-bleached and is showing a yellow tone. You might be shocked when you give your hair a rinse after processing but no worries, these things are easily fixable.
Meet the Expert
Annagjid ‘Kee’ Taylor is a celebrity hair stylist, entrepreneur, and author. She owns her own salon, Deeper Than Hair and is the CEO of Shear Genius Collection.
Why Did My Hair Turn Orange?
Chances are, your hair was too dark to begin with. Natural brunettes often end up with a brassy orange hair color after bleaching because darker hair colors have red and orange pigments or undertones. If you’re unable to bleach those darker pigments effectively, your hair color might not be able to reach your ideal shade, resulting in a brassy orange tone.
“Having orange hair as a result of bleach happens when the bleach fails to remove darker pigments in your hair. It can happen in both lighter and darker colors of hair, as all hair types lift warm,” explains Taylor.
If you have blonde hair, you’re not automatically in the clear. Naturally, blondes struggle the most with brassy tones given their hair is so light. This is true for all blondes, even natural ones. Things like excess buildup from hair care products, oils, minerals from water, and chlorine can contribute to a brassy tone in blonde hair. When you throw bleach into the mix, your chances of brassy and orange tones are even more common.
How Can I Fix Orange Hair After Bleaching?
The good news is, you have options! There are a couple different ways to get orange tones out of your hair as a result of a bad bleach job depending on what is best for your situation.
“Some of these problem-solvers include using purple and blue shampoos, color glazes in the hair, toners, or dyeing your hair a darker color. Purple shampoo helps neutralize the yellow, but if your hair is orange, you will need a blue toner,” says Taylor.
Tone it up!
Depending on the result of your DIY bleaching; you’ll either need a purple shampoo or a blue shampoo. Toning your hair will neutralize brassiness and reveal the lighter hair color you’re aiming for.
Blondes are no stranger to using purple shampoos for color treated and virgin hair. They can help tone the yellow in hair on a regular basis and remove buildup to reveal shiny, healthy hair. Similar to a clarifying shampoo, but also being able to tone the brassiness! So if you bleached your hair and it came out more yellow, you’ll likely need to use a purple toner before going in with your purple shampoo to neutralize the yellow color.
If your hair is truly orange, you’ll need to use a blue toner and a blue shampoo to tone the brassiness and work to get rid of the orange color. And if you’re still unsure which route to take when it comes to purple vs. blue shampoo, take a look at a color wheel. Whatever color your hair is, look across the wheel to find the opposite. That will be the toner and shampoo color you need to use.
Add an apple cider vinegar rinse to your routine.
“The role apple cider vinegar plays is that it could help strengthen hair and improve luster by lowering hair and scalp pH. Apple cider vinegar also is a great way to bring life back to frizzy, damaged, and lifeless hair as it will coat the strands and make it more lustrous,” says Taylor.
Regardless of a DIY dye or not, keeping an apple cider vinegar rinse in your routine is a good idea. It has lightening abilities and can bring your hair back to life. While you’re experimenting and trying to get your color back on track, try an apple cider vinegar rinse to target buildup and strengthen your strands. Your hair will have gone through a lot between bleaching and hair dye, but an ACV rinse (along with a hair mask) can help minimize the damage—bringing moisture and balance back to your strands.
Dye it darker.
While this isn’t the ideal situation as your entire goal was to go lighter, it may be best for your hair health if seeing a professional isn’t an option right away. You can buy a box dye similar to your original color if you’ve already tried using a toning shampoo and it didn’t quite get the color right. Then, seek the advice of a hairstylist or colorist on when you can attempt to safely bleach your hair again and avoid breakage.
Should I Go to a Salon to Get the Orange Out?
“Some of the most common issues I help clients fix when they come to me from an at-home dye job gone bad are related to the hair color coming out darker than desired, bleached hair hitting a breaking point, warm tones in the hair, and discolored roots,” Taylor tells us.
Hairstylists and colorists are no stranger to helping clients fix their at-home dye mishaps. If you have orange hair after bleaching, there is no shame in asking for help at a salon. Even if you’ve tried to fix the problem yourself, they’ll have options for you and will be able to better evaluate your hair health. They might recommend trying a new color, using a professional toner, or a hair glaze.
“I think it's important to know that this is a common problem, which means there are a plethora of remedies available–both at home and behind the chair. Just take care of your color-treated hair the best you can, and if problems arise, take solace in the fact that you are not alone and a professional is always here to help,” says Taylor.
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