Blue Shampoo: The Secret Every Brunette with Highlights Needs to Hear
Settle in for a mini lesson in the mechanics of hair coloring and find out if a blue shampoo is best for you.
We’re calling on all of you balayage queens, ombré aficionados and any brunettes who are the keepers of beautiful glimmering highlights. Anyone who has chosen to lighten up their darker strands with some strategic highlights knows the fear of ending up with brassy color, and they know this setback well: What starts out as an added touch of cool blonde color can easily turn into a head of orange hair without the right maintenance. While many women will often pick up a bottle of purple shampoo to balance out brassiness, that might not always be the best move. Depending on your color and your particular undertones, a blue shampoo might be a great fit as well. Dive into the mechanics of hair coloring with us and find out if a blue shampoo is best for your color maintenance needs:
Blue Shampoo: Your New Secret Weapon
Everyone has his or her base color that’s visible to the naked eye and categorizes her as a brunette, blonde or any other hair color category. What most people don’t know is that the undertones of their particular color are equally important.
We spoke to certified hair colorist and stylist Jazzi Ziegler about how to work with your specific undertones to make your color work for you. “Orange color will be neutralized with blue shampoo,” Ziegler says, “Brunettes that are on the darker end of the hair color spectrum often end up with brassy strands. A brassy caramel, orange or red tone is often exposed when you highlight brown hair. It’s important to note that purple shampoo neutralizes yellow, while blue shampoo neutralizes orange. Purple shampoo can make brassy hair look even more red, so consider balancing that brassy color out with a blue shampoo instead.”
Zeigler also explains that the color wheel plays into this equation. Orange and blue sit opposite each other on the color wheel while yellow and purple do the same. It makes sense then that each half of each combination balance the other one out and neutralize the color.
If your brand new balayage has been taking a turn for the brassy then you know what to do: Pick up a bottle of blue shampoo and incorporate it into your wash and care routine to neutralize those orange tones.
Looking for more ways to care for your highlights? Check out 8 things you can do to avoid brassiness.