How To Fix Your Brassy Hair Problems?

Is your hair reflecting unwanted shades of orange, yellow or red since the time you have coloured it blonde? It’s probably because you are developing brassy hair.

The good news is preventing brassiness and getting it out of your hair is easy with chemical treatments or home remedies. Ayurvedic remedies too can fix your hair colour and texture, without any side effects.

Let’s take a closer look at what brassy hair is and how you can prevent it effectively with Ayurveda.

Highlights:

• What Is Brassy/Orange Hair?
• Why Does Hair Turn Orange?
• How To Fix Your Orange Or Brassy Hair At Home?
• How To Prevent Orange Hair?
• What Color Cancels Out Brassy/Orange Hair?

What Is Brassy/Orange Hair?

When undesired warm tones appear on your hair, especially a few days after dying it, it is referred to as brassy or orange hair. It can appear in highlighted manes, however, at times it has got nothing to do with hair coloring but occurs due to protein loss in your hair shaft caused by malnourishment [1].

Why Does Hair Turn Orange?

In the process of lightening your natural dark hair color to blonde, your hair gets bleached with a chemical formulation that contains ammonia and peroxide at salons [2]. This in turn results in oxidation of melanin, a natural pigment that gives dark brown to black color to your hair. Melanin gets diluted in the process.

Right after bleaching, the dye or color is applied to your hair. These dyes replace the diluted and lost melanin by depositing artificial blonde pigment onto your locks. But, when the melanin pigment is not lifted properly through bleaching, the underlying dark pigment combines with the artificial blonde pigment and shows up as a warm tone on your hair.

Also, among the red, yellow, and blue color molecules present in your hair lightening colors, the blue molecules are smaller and fade off quickly with every wash. This leaves your hair with remaining red and yellow pigments, resulting in brassy hair.

In other scenarios, a prolonged protein deficiency can result in rusty red hair due to reduced melanin production in your follicles. “As per Ayurveda, brassy hair as a result of protein deficiency can be the result of vitiation in Vata and Pitta doshas,” says Dr. Zeel Gandhi, Chief Ayurvedic Doctor at Vedix.

How To Fix Your Orange Or Brassy Hair At Home?

1. Ayurvedic Treatments

In Ayurveda, the process of restoring the natural color of your hair is called 'Kesha Ranjana' and the herbs which are used for this are termed as 'Kesha ranjaka herbs'.

“The Kesha ranjaka herbs have Ranjaka and Bhrajaka Pitta dosha promoting properties, which are responsible for the pigment production in your hair follicle,” says Dr. Zeel.

You can either choose Ayurvedic hair care products containing Kesha ranjaka herbs based on your current dosha levels or incorporate these herbs in your hair care regimen as follows:

Kesha Ranjaka Herbs

A. Bhringaraj(Eclipta Alba)

Bhringraj balances the vitiated Vata, Pitta, and Kapha doshas. Bhringraj or the 'Kesha raja' herb is rich in protein, iron, vitamins, and antioxidants. Besides, resolving your hair pigmentation problems, it promotes stronger hair growth and prevents hair loss.

You can use bhringraj in the form of either hair oil or hair mask regularly. To prepare a hair mask, add a spoon of bhringraj powder to 2-3 spoons of water. Apply this paste to your hair and wash it off after half an hour.

B. Neeli(Indigofera Tinctoria)

Neeli balances vitiated Vata and Kapha doshas. It has got natural blue pigments [3] which can help you reverse your brassy hair problem. Also, it has got rich protein content to restore the protein loss in your hair shaft.

Prepare a fine paste by adding warm water to 100-200 gms of dry indigo powder as required for your hair length. Apply this paste as a natural hair dye and wash it off thoroughly after an hour.

C. Amalaki(Emblica Officinalis)

Amla or Indian gooseberry balances all the three doshas. Amla, when used with neutral or blonde hair dyes, acts as natural hair toner and prevents brassy hair. Also, amla contains all the essential nutrients and proteins to promote thicker and healthy hair growth.

Prepare a thin paste by adding adequate water into 2-3 spoons of dry amla powder. Apply the mask and leave it for 45-60 minutes before washing. You can repeat this twice a week.

D. Madayantika(Henna or Lawsonia inermis)

Henna balances vitiated Pitta and Kapha doshas. Besides acting as a natural hair dye and conditioner, Henna can also be useful as a natural protein treatment for your hair.

Mix water into 3-4 spoons of henna powder and apply it to your hair thoroughly. Leave it for an hour and wash it off using a mild Ayurvedic shampoo.

Vedix Tip: Massage your scalp and hair at least twice a week with chemparuthyadi taila, manjishtadi taila, neelibhringadi taila, or neelyadi taila. You need to apply the oil, leave it overnight, and shampoo your hair the next morning.

2. Natural Home Remedies

A. Apple Cider Vinegar + Coconut Oil

Massage your hair with coconut oil before you sleep at night. The next morning, prepare a solution by mixing 2 spoons of apple cider vinegar into a cup of water. Add 2-3 drops of purple or blue food color to the solution. Give your hair a final rinse with the apple cider vinegar solution after washing your scalp and hair with a mild shampoo.

B. Apple Cider Vinegar + Hollyhock

Add 2 spoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 spoons of dried hollyhock herb to a cup of water. Now, boil the mixture on a low flame until it turns thick. Then, set the mixture aside for cooling and apply it to your hair thoroughly. Leave it for about 20 minutes and then wash it off using an Ayurvedic or mild shampoo.

3. Chemical Treatments At Home

A. Box Dye

At times, brassy hair can be the result of using insufficient bleach or dye on your hair at salons. You can fix this instantly by recoloring your hair with a box dye of your favorite shade at home.

B. Toner

A toner is nothing but a transparent dye that contains the required pigment to change the color of your hair. You need to mix the toner with peroxide and apply it to your hair after the bleaching process. This gives your hair the desired color.

It is recommended to go for a purple toner if you have yellowish brassy hair. Similarly, you need to opt for a blue toner if you have orange brassy hair.

C. Purple Shampoo

Using a purple shampoo can help in replacing the lost violet pigment from your hair color. A purple shampoo neutralizes the warm tones of your hair quickly.

How To Prevent Orange Hair?

• Ensure to use hair care products that are free of silicons, sulfates, and parabens.
• Do not use hard water to wash your hair. You can use water softeners if you only have hard water supply in your area.
• Do not expose your hair to UV radiation [4]. Always, wear a cap or scarf when you step out in the sun.
• Limit your hair coloring frequency. The more you treat your hair with chemicals, the more damage they do to your hair.
• Start using mild shampoos and conditioners which do not take a toll on your hair colors.
• Ensure your hair does not come in contact with salt water when you get into the sea.

What Color Cancels Out Brassy/Orange Hair?

If you look into the color wheel [5], you can notice that color shades ranging from blue to purple complements the shades ranging from orange to yellow. Thus, a blue or purple color shade can cancel the warm tones in your hair, while restoring the blonde look.

Important Note:

Please seek your doctor’s or Ayurvedic consultant’s advice before following any of the Ayurvedic and chemical treatments mentioned in this article to treat your brassy hair problem.

The Last Word

Dying your hair blonde demands regular maintenance and frequent salon trips. Also, treating your hair with chemicals may damage your hair in the long run. Give it a thought about the struggle involved before deciding to change your hair's natural color. While Ayurveda can help you restore your natural hair color loss, maintaining the balance of tridoshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are equally important to protect your hair health and promote growth. At Vedix, we formulate a customized Ayurvedic hair care regimen by evaluating your doshas.