Do you know what’s worse than bleach? The literal rainbow of aftereffects! The most frustrating thing after cutting down hair color with bleach is the appearance of the orange tinge in the hair. Well, if your hair is turning a not-so-lovely shade of orange, then here are some ways by which you can rectify it. Try them! If not, you always have the option to visit hair salons specializing in color.

Why Hair Turn Orange?

Before getting into the tips that can help you get rid of that hideous orange color from your hair, it’s important to understand why it happens in the first place.

Bleach is the main culprit in this whole debacle. However, there’s also the hair type, hair color, and what you’re trying to change the color to, that you need to take into consideration to get the whole gist of why things happen the way they do. Here are some possibilities that will result in your hair turning orange.

Going From Very Dark To Very Light

If you have a darker hair color, like black or dark brown, then it’s highly likely that bleach will not be able to cut down the deep color and if you don’t cut the hair color down in steps, then it will turn your hair into a brassy orange mess, that’ll look like a borderline hair disaster.

To put it simply, your hair is made up of proteins and the color of the hair is imparted by melanin, a natural pigment that gives your hair that beautiful and shiny hair color. Bleach breaks down the melanin in the hair and that leads to a lighter hair color.

However, things aren’t that simple. If you have super dark hair and want to go for a very light hair dye that’s 5 to 6 shades lighter than your existing color, then you’re giving a formal invitation to the orange tinge.

Dark color has brown, black, and orange undertones that can be visible in different lights. So, when bleach is applied to cut the color down, the orange isn’t fully eliminated and it can peek through after the bleach is washed off. This is essentially why your hair turns a weird shade of orange after bleach. This is why it’s recommended that if you want to go from an extremely dark color to an extremely lighter one, then you’ll need to bleach it in steps, otherwise your hair will turn orange.

Bleaching Blonde Hair

Blonde-haired girls might think that they’re out of the woods in this case, but unfortunately, they’re not. Even if you are a natural blonde, the orange tones can still turn a bit brassy, especially if you bleach it. The principle is the same with bleach not eliminating the orange undertones, although the orange tinge in natural blondes will be slightly less vibrant and it will be a light yellowish orange. This is also why natural blondes use purple shampoo daily and that is to keep the orange and brassy tones away.

How To Remove The Orange Tinge From Your Hair?

You might think that you can never change your hair color ever again given the orange nightmare, but there are ways to reverse the effects. Here are some tips that work wonders in removing the hints of orange from your hair for good.

Use A Purple/Blue Shampoo

This is where the color wheel theory will be helpful. But don’t worry, you’re not here for a color class. Purple and blue neutralize yellow and orange tones respectively. Yellow and orange are both warm colors and they can be canceled out by using purple and blue. There are purple and blue shampoos available almost everywhere that can help you out in combating the orange tinge issue.

It’s something that you can use every day and it will take effect almost immediately and your hair color will get better and better each day.

Semi-Permanent Colors To The Rescue

Semi-permanent hair dyes are all the rage right now and even though your initial goal might be to go lighter than before, you may have to make a sacrifice for the sake of your hair health. It’s not smart to pass your hair through the tortures of bleach again, so you should opt for a semi-permanent hair dye that’s closer to a dark brown shade.

What’s great about a semi-permanent hair dye is that the color can be washed away after 6 to 8 washes. So, there’s no commitment involved.

Hair Gloss For That Oomph

Hair glosses are a blend of a semi-permanent hair dye and a hair treatment. It’s a wonderful way to alter the orange tones in your hair while reconditioning it from the inside out. Hair gloss also adds that beautiful and healthy sheen to your hair. So, it won’t even look like you’ve got your hair bleached just a few days ago.

Moreover, with the pigments present in a hair gloss, you can kiss the orange tones goodbye and say hello to beautiful and even-looking hair. Hair glosses are a great and genius invention that has forever redefined the entire hair dye game.

Inspect The Water

Sometimes, the shower water can also react with your hair and cause it to turn even more orange. If hard and chlorinated water is a problem in your house, then you need to invest in a shower filter that’s going to remove all of the hardness-causing and oxidizing ions from the water. It will also regulate the water’s pH so the water doesn’t alter your hair color.

Oxidation is a very common process that can fade the hair dye out and it can cause the orange tones to be more prominent. So, if you don’t want minerals in water to ruin your perfectly good hair, then a shower filter is going to be your best friend.

Use Products For Color-Treated Hair

This is also something that a lot of women don’t take into account. Once you color your hair, it’s not the same as your virgin hair so you need to change your hair care products altogether. Invest in products that work for color-treated hair.

These specialized products are formulated to make your hair more vibrant, prevent fading of the color, and also diminish the orange tinge in your hair. They will make a world of difference in your hair and the way it looks.

Dye The Hair

If you’ve tried everything and still can’t get rid of the orange tones in your hair, then it’s time to pull out the ultimate weapon: Hair dye, which will conceal the orange tones for good. But the only downside to this is that you’ll need to revert to the darker hair color.

This is the best option for your hair given its health, and if you don’t want to further damage the mane with more chemicals, then you should pump the brakes on experimenting with chemicals and darken your tresses again.

Conclusion

Orange tinge in the hair not only looks weird, but it comes in the way of flaunting beautifully dyed hair. So, say goodbye to orange hair with these tried and tested tips. Head to a hair color correction hair salon Rockville for perfect results.