When it comes to hair woes, spotting a brassy patch or strand is nearly as bad as finding your first grey. Thankfully, this one is fixable without heading back to the salon for an immediate colour treatment. Utilising what we learned in primary school art classes (well, those of us that weren't busy painting their hands in glue), treating brassy tones is all about colour neutralisation. As you'll remember, yellow and purple are contrasting colours, meaning they're opposite each other on the colour wheel. Therefore the purple is used to even out the warm brassy yellows to get you back to the cool blonde shade you had when you walked out of the hairdressers.
Use an anti-brass Shampoo and Conditioner
Regular maintenance and TLC is the key to keeping the brassiness at bay, as well as a few key products that’ll stove off the unwanted warm tinge. The L'Oreal Elvive Colour Protect Anti-Brassiness Shampoo and Conditioner are the ultimate shower artillery to keep hair bright and revitalised. The colour correcting purple formula works by neutralising any underlying yellow tones without any need for professional treatment. Simply massage the shampoo into wet hair as you would usually but then leave it on to work its magic for 2-3 minutes. Follow up with the purple conditioner, again leaving the product on for 2-3 minutes before rinsing out.
Top it up with a Mask
Show your locks some serious TLC, by following up on your Purple procedure once a week with the L'Oreal Elvive Colour Protect Anti-Brassiness Purple Mask. Post shampoo, apply a thick layer of the mask onto damp hair and leave on for 5 minutes before rinsing well. Formulated with an ultra rich luxurious texture that allows for deeper nourishment and effective colour neutralisation, your tresses will be super soft, bright and hydrated.
Now we’ve got you covered on the products you'll need to treat brassy tones, here’s a few of our favourite tips to help keep your hair beautifully blonde and avoid the dreaded colour fade.
Wear SPF
We’ve all been there, the old dousing your hair in lemon juice trick to naturally lighten your locks in the sun, but it goes without saying that direct exposure to sunlight not only dries hair out drastically, it also speeds up the oxidation process. When coloured hair is exposed to UV rays, the natural warmth in your tresses is revealed, causing brassiness in abundance. We’re not saying don’t go out in the sun, but like you wear SPF to protect your skin, it’s important to do the same for your hair. Apply the L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Hair Oil for coloured hair before you settle down on your sunbed. Enriched with 6 flower extracts and UV filters, the Oil will help to protect and illuminate your locks so that you can keep your hair light whilst you work on your tan.
Wash hair with cold water
Arguably not the easiest one to do, especially when it’s Winter, but this one’s a game changer in terms of colour maintenance. Washing with cold water closes the cuticle on each strand of hair therefore preventing colour from fading. It also helps to lock in moisture, keeping hair glossy and nourished (just make sure you have a warm towel waiting for you when you get out!).
Take a break from the tongs
Whilst we all want that fresh out the salon blow-dry, excessive heat is one of the prime suspects for causing brassiness in coloured hair. Try to limit your use of curlers, straighteners, hairdryers when possible, and when you do use them, apply a heat protection spray beforehand. The L'Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Heat Protect Spray helps protect the hair from extreme temperatures, preventing damage and dryness. Spray onto damp hair, comb through and then style away.
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