Best Toner for Orange Hair: Top 7 Choices for Neutralizing Brassy Tones (2024)

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If you’re dealing with unwanted brassy, orange tones, finding the best toner for orange hair is essential.

Pravana’s Chromasilk Color Corrector and Pureology’s Color Fanatic Top Coat are top-rated for neutralizing warmth.

For blonde hair, Manic Panic’s Virgin Snow or a blue shampoo like Fanola’s No Orange can help cancel out brassiness.

Don’t stress – brassy hair happens to the best of us due to hard water, product buildup, or sun exposure.

With the right cool-toned toner, you can kiss those orange hues goodbye and embrace your desired ashy shade.

But to really master taming orange tones, let’s explore some pro tips.

7 Best Toners for Orange Hair

Regarding neutralizing brassy tones, you’ll find that suitable toners include options like Pravana Chromasilk Hair Color Corrector and Pureology Color Fanatic Top Coat Toner. These products, alongside others such as Manic Panic Virgin Snow Blonde Toner and Fanola No Orange Shampoo, effectively counteract orange hues, giving your hair a more balanced color.

1. Pravana Chromasilk Hair Color Corrector

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The Pravana Chromasilk Hair Color Corrector is a fantastic choice for neutralizing unwelcome brassy tones in orange hair.

Its low-level ammonia formula guarantees your hair’s integrity while providing unmatched shine and silkiness .

Ideal for professional use, it delivers vibrant, long-lasting color and superior gray coverage .

This corrector contains silk amino acids to carry color and keratin amino acids to strengthen your hair, making it smoother and more resilient during the color correction process (Source).

Best For: Neutralizing brassy tones in orange hair.

2. Pureology Color Fanatic Top Coat Toner

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Pureology Color Fanatic Top Coat Toner stands out for adding shine and softness to dull hair while neutralizing unwanted orange and brassy tones. Trusted by salons, it’s paraben-free, vegan, and ideal for color-treated hair.

Infused with Oat Milk and Camellia Oil, it nourishes and conditions, leaving hair smoother. Simply apply to damp hair, focus on midlengths to ends, and leave for five minutes before rinsing.

Experience a luxurious scent with notes of rose, floral ginger, and cedarwood .

Best For: Those seeking to neutralize brassy tones, enhance shine, and improve manageability of dull, color-treated hair.

3. Manic Panic Virgin Snow Blonde Toner

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The Manic Panic Virgin Snow Blonde Toner is a standout for neutralizing brassy tones. This vegan, cruelty-free purple toner excels at removing yellow and coppery hues, transforming your hair into a brilliant, icy blonde (Source).

Ideal for hair pre-lightened to levels nine or ten, it doubles as a deep conditioning mask, ensuring your strands stay healthy while maintaining color vibrancy .

Plus, it’s free of harsh chemicals, making it a safe choice for regular use (Source).

Best For: Blondes with brassy or yellow tones who want to achieve an icy blonde color.

4. Fanola No Orange Shampoo

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Fanola No Orange Shampoo uses blue pigments to neutralize orange and copper tones in dark hair. It’s highly effective after color treatments, providing vibrancy and shine.

This shampoo is gentle enough for regular use, ensuring brassy tones don’t come back.

It’s perfect for balayage or highlighted hair, tackling stubborn orange hues.

With a floral citrus scent, this shampoo leaves your hair smelling fresh.

Best For: Brunettes or those with dark-toned hair looking to neutralize unwanted orange or copper highlights.

5. Brass Off Blue Shampoo

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Brass Off Blue Shampoo is a pro-grade solution crafted to tackle orange undertones in dark blondes and brunettes.

Enriched with blue-violet pigments, it excels at neutralizing brassiness while nurturing your hair.

For best results, lather it on and leave it for 2-3 minutes before rinsing.

Follow with Brass Off conditioner for enhanced cool tones and nourished strands.

This multi-tasking shampoo fits seamlessly into your hair care routine, promising cleaner, more vibrant color every other day .

Best For: Dark blondes and brunettes with orange undertones

6. Color Balance Shampoo Conditioner

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You crave brassy-hair freedom? Color Balance Shampoo Conditioner delivers! This blue-violet tinted duo coats strands with tone-correcting pigments that cancel out unruly oranges. Packed with antioxidants, it fights fading while boosting shine and moisture. Don’t let brassiness harsh your mellow – let Color Balance be your orange-banishing ally!

Best For: Lightened brown hair with brassy or orange tones.

7. Oligo Blacklight Blue Shampoo Conditioner Bundle

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To neutralize stubborn orange tones, you can’t go wrong with the Oligo Blacklight Blue Shampoo Conditioner Bundle. This powerhouse duo combats brassiness while adding moisture and shine. The blue pigments in the sulfate-free formula banish unwanted warmth, revealing your desired cool, ashy hues. With consistent use, you’ll bid farewell to brassy locks and hello to fresh, vibrant color.

Best For: Those looking to neutralize orange tones and enhance the vibrancy of cool hair colors.

Why Has My Hair Turned Brassy Orange?

You may have noticed your hair taking on an undesirable brassy, orange hue. Don’t fret – it’s a common issue with various causes.

Bleaching mistakes can strip too much pigment, revealing underlying warm tones. Hard water and high hair porosity allow these brassy undertones to shine through. Even the mighty sun and product buildup can contribute to this unwanted warmth.

The good news? Using a blue-based toner can neutralize that brassiness and restore your hair’s cooler hue. These toners counteract orange tones, leaving your locks bright and radiant once more.

With the right toner and some simple preventative measures, you’ll be rocking gorgeous, brass-free hair in no time.

How to Identify Brassy Tones in Your Hair

Identifying brassy tones in your hair can be tricky, but here’s how to spot them:

1. Look for warm, orange-y hues when your hair is dry and in natural light.
2. Separate a small section of hair and check the underside near your roots.
3. Run your fingers through your hair to see if the color looks inconsistent or patchy.
4. Pay extra attention to the ends, as brassiness often shows up there first.

If your once-cool blonde or brown hair now has an unmistakable reddish-orange cast, you’ve got the dreaded brass. The warm tones can sneak up on you, so check regularly. Don’t stress, though – brassy hair happens to the best of us. With the right toner or color-depositing products, those unruly warm hues will be a thing of the past.

How to Prevent Brassy, Orange Hair

To prevent brassy, orange hair tones, you’ll want to use a cleansing system formulated for color-treated hair that deposits toning pigments to neutralize unwanted brassiness. Additionally, minimize heat styling with hot tools like flat irons and blow dryers, which can cause color fading and enhance orange undertones.

Use the Right Cleansing System

To prevent brassiness, use a sulfate-free, color-safe shampoo and conditioner. Sulfates strip color, leading to brassiness. A blue-based, toning shampoo also neutralizes unwanted warmth in colored hair.

Product	Benefits
Sulfate-Free Shampoo	Preserves color vibrancy, prevents fading
Clarifying Shampoo	Removes buildup, refreshes hair
UV/Heat Protectant	Shields hair from damaging rays and heat

Incorporating UV and heat protectants into your haircare routine also minimizes brassiness.

Skip the Hot Tools

You should skip hot tools if you want to prevent orange, brassy hair.

Heat from blow dryers, flat irons, and curling wands can cause your color to oxidize and turn brassy faster.

Opt for air-drying or heat-free styling methods like braids or buns to keep your color fresh.

If you must use heat tools, always use a heat protectant and keep the temperature on the lower side.

Avoiding intense heat is key for preserving your vibrant, true hue.

How to Fix Orange Hair

If you’ve noticed your hair turning a brassy orange shade, don’t worry – there are ways to fix it! First, identify the cause:

1. Over-bleaching can strip too much pigment, revealing underlying warmth.
2. Hard water minerals and sun exposure can also cause brassiness over time.
3. Using the wrong toning products only exacerbates the issue.

Once you’ve pinpointed the culprit, counteract those unwanted tones with a blue-based toner. These products use blue pigments to cancel out orange and yellow brassiness. For light hair, try an extra light or very light ash blonde toner. Medium to dark blondes should reach for a light ash blonde formula. With the right toner and a little patience, you’ll have those luscious cool-toned locks back in no time!

How to Use Toner for Orange Hair

For an in-salon toner, a professional colorist will apply a blue or violet-based semi-permanent toner to neutralize orange tones and achieve your desired cool-toned look. If you prefer an at-home option, you can use a blue or purple-tinted hair gloss or shampoo once or twice a week to cancel out unwanted brassiness.

In-salon Toner

For a major color correction, visit a salon for expert toning. Stylists apply in-salon toners containing cool blue pigments to neutralize orange and deposit an ashy or pearl tone. Through professional consultation and custom toner application, they’ll get your brassy hair back to a flawless cool shade. However, regular toning maintenance will be required.

At-home Hair Gloss

At-home glosses allow for DIY toning while keeping color fresh. Use a blue or purple pigmented gloss to cancel orange brassies affordably. These have a shorter lifespan than salon toners but offer easy, temporary solutions for brassy strands between colorings.

Purple Shampoo

For a temporary and cost-effective solution, try using purple shampoo at home. It deposits purple pigments that neutralize orange tones in blonde hair. Simply lather it up and let it process before rinsing. Purple shampoo gives quick orange-banishing results without damaging your locks.

What is Blue Hair Toner?

So, what exactly is a blue hair toner? It’s a color-depositing product designed to neutralize brassy, orange tones in your hair. Blue is the complementary color to orange on the color wheel, meaning it cancels out those unwanted hues. Blue toners contain blue pigments that deposit onto your strands, counteracting the orange and leaving you with cool, ash-toned results.

Many blue toners, like the Wella Color Charm toners, are formulated without ammonia for gentle, non-damaging color correction. You’ll find options ranging from subtle blue-violet glosses to intense blue-based hair colors, so you can tackle everything from mild brassiness to full-on orange hair. Some even contain an Ash Blue Additive for extra blue pigmentation to knock out stubborn orange tones. Best of all, many top blue toners are proudly not tested on animals.

How to Use Blue Toner on Orange Hair

Before applying blue toner to orange hair, dampen or towel-dry your locks to prepare them for color absorption. After saturating your hair with the blue toning product and letting it process according to the instructions, you’ll need to rinse it out with a moisturizing shampoo and deep conditioner to restore your strands’ softness and shine.

Dampen or Towel Dry Hair Before Applying

For ideal toner application, dampen or towel-dry your hair before applying. This allows even product distribution and development time. Prepare your hair properly to maximize results and enhance your hair’s shine.

Let the Toner Process Before Washing

After applying the toner to your damp hair, let it process for:

1. 10-15 minutes for subtle tones
2. 15-20 minutes for moderate brassiness
3. 20-30 minutes for intense orange tones

Allowing proper processing time ensures optimal neutralization of brassy, orange hair before rinsing.

Wash With Moisturizing Shampoo and Deep Conditioner

After rinsing out the toner, you’ll want to wash with a moisturizing shampoo and deep condition. Brassy tones can be drying, so replenishing moisture keeps your hair healthy while preventing future brassiness.

Matrix Total Results Brass Off

If your hair still looks brassy after using blue toner, try Matrix Total Results Brass Off. This effective system:

1. Deposits cool violet pigments
2. Neutralizes orange tones
3. Leaves hair silky and shiny

Formulated for bleached, highlighted hair, it blocks UV rays that cause brassiness.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)