How to Maintain Ash Brown Hair

Ash brown is a beautiful, cool-brown color. Like all hair dye, it can fade, especially if you don't take good care of it. It also has a tendency to turn brassy. If you have very light ash brown hair, you may be able to tone it with purple shampoo. In most cases, however, you will need to apply a toner to remove any brassy or yellowish tints. Take proper care of your hair to ensure that it stays healthy and your color lasts as long as possible.

EditSteps

EditUsing the Right Products

1. Use products made for color-treated hair. Using the wrong product is a leading factor behind fading hair dye. Because regular shampoos and conditioners contain ingredients that may cause hair dye to fade, you should use shampoos and conditioners made for color-treated hair instead.^[1]
   
   • Avoid clarifying shampoos, as they tend to wash out hair dye.
   • Avoid anything that contains sulfates, as they can also remove hair dye.
2. Limit washing your hair to once or twice each week. Every time you wash your hair, a little bit of hair dye comes out in the wash. This means that the more often you wash your hair, the faster the color will fade. In order to preserve your hair color, you should only wash your hair once or twice per week.^[2]
   
   • If your hair starts to feel greasy, use some dry shampoo to absorb the excess oils from your hair.
3. Use hair treatment products with care. Unless it is a deep conditioner or a product specifically-formulated for color-treated hair, you need to be careful when it comes to using hair treatments, such as strengthening masks or keratin masks, and so forth. The reason for this is because the ingredients in these treatments may discolor your hair.^[3]
   
   • Look for natural or organic products. They are less likely to discolor your hair. Products labeled for color-treated hair are also a safe bet.
4. Tone your hair if you have medium or dark ash brown hair. Ash brown hair tends to turn brassy overtime, be it natural or dyed. While purple shampoo may be enough for lighter shades, you'll need something stronger if you have medium or dark ash brown hair.
   
5. Try a purple toning shampoo if you have light ash brown hair. Light ash brown hair is close to blonde, which means that it will turn yellow or brassy overtime. Because of how light it is, a simple wash with purple shampoo may do the trick. Since purple and yellow are complementary colors, the purple tones in the shampoo will neutralize the yellow in your hair.^[4]
   
   • Each brand of purple shampoo is a little different, so follow the instructions on the bottle.
   • Most purple shampoos will need to sit on your hair for anywhere from 2-10 minutes in order to be effective.
   • Purple shampoo works the best on blonde or silver hair, but it may work on very light ash brown hair.

EditTaking Care of Your Hair

1. Use a lower temperature when you wash or style your hair. Heat can not only damage your hair, but cause the color to fade. This goes for any type of heat, be it water temperature, blow dryers, or heat styling tools.^[5]
   
   • Use cool to lukewarm water when washing your hair.
   • Lower the heat on your blow dryer, flat iron, and curling iron. Never go beyond .
2. Limit the heat styling and embrace your natural texture. Even if you do use a lower temperature, using heat styling tools too often can not only damage your hair, but fade the color as well. When possible, allow your hair to air dry, and use no-heat styling methods.^[6]
   
   • Never straighten or curl your hair while it is wet. Let it dry completely first.
   • If you must blow dry or heat style your hair, apply a good heat protectant first.
3. Cover your hair when you step outside into the sunlight. Sunlight is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to fading hair color. If you want to make your color last longer, you must cover your hair before you leave the building. A hat, scarf, or hood are all great options for this, but you can also use a UV protection spray.^[7]
   
   • Sunlight can damage your hair, so if you cover it up, you may find your hair growing softer and healthier!
4. Avoid getting your hair wet in the pool. Chlorine can not only cause hair dye to fade, but it can also cause it to change color! If you are going swimming, pull your hair up into a bun so that it doesn't get wet. If you plan on going under the water, wear a swim cap!^[8]
   
   • Salt water may also cause hair color to fade. When going out to the beach, be sure to cover and protect your hair as well!

EditToning Ash Brown Hair

1. Wash and brush your hair, then dry it with a towel. Unless your bottle of toner says otherwise, you should apply it to damp hair. Get your hair wet, then comb out any knots or tangles. Pat your hair with a towel to remove any excess moisture.^[9]
   
   • You don't need to step into the shower and wash your hair with shampoo. Simply dampening it in the sink or with a spray bottle will be enough.
2. Protect your skin, clothing, and work surface. Toner acts like dye, so it can stain. Put on a shirt you won't mind ruining, or drape an old towel around your shoulders. Apply some petroleum jelly around your ears, nape, and hairline. Cover your counter with newspaper, then pull on a pair of plastic dyeing gloves.
   
3. Mix 1 part toner with 2 parts 20 volume developer. How much you use does not matter, as long as you use the right proportions. The key is to use twice as much developer as toner. For example, 1 bottle of toner may be enough for medium-length hair, but if you have longer hair, you'll need 2 bottles.^[10]
   
   • Stir the 2 products together in a non-metal bowl with a plastic spoon until the color is consistent.
   • Some toners may have different instructions. In this case, follow the instructions on your toner.
   • You can use a tinted toner. If you do this, choose an ash brown shade.
4. Apply the mixture to your hair with a tinting brush. Focus on the areas that need toning. For example, if you just need to tone the ends of your hair, apply it to just the ends. If it's the roots, then apply it to the roots.^[11]
   
   • Start at the top of your hair and work your way down. Use the handle of your brush to create horizontal parts and lift your hair out of the way to reveal the lower layers.
5. Work the mixture into the rest of your hair. Even though you focused on the areas that need toning, you should still blend the mixture into the rest of your hair. The toner that's already in your hair is already processing, so you need to cover the rest of your hair to blend things out.^[12]
   
   • Use your fingers to comb the mixture through your hair.
   • Do the lighter areas last.
6. Pull your hair into a bun and wait for the recommended processing time. How long this takes depends on the toner that you are using, so read the instructions. In most cases, this will only take about 10 to 15 minutes.^[13]
   
   • Don't worry about being too fancy with the bun. Simply pull your hair up into a ponytail, twist it into a bun, and secure it with a plastic clip.
7. Rinse the toner out, then follow up with conditioner. Toner acts similar to dye, so you don't want to use any shampoo. If you use shampoo, you risk washing the toner out. Simply rinse your hair with cool water, then apply conditioner. Let the conditioner sit in your hair for about 2 to 3 minutes, then rinse it out with cool water.
   

EditTips

• Even if you take care of your new hair color, the dye will eventually fade. Plan on retouching it every 6 to 8 weeks.
• The times listed on bleach, dye, and toner are mostly recommendations. Your own hair may process faster than what is recommended.
• Never let bleach, toner, or dye sit in your hair longer than the recommended time.

EditThings You'll Need

• Toner
• Developer
• Plastic dyeing gloves
• Old shirt or towel
• Non-metal bowl
• Plastic spoon
• Tinting brush
• Petroleum jelly

EditSources and Citations

Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found

from How to of the Day https://ift.tt/2Kh8DC0
via IFTTT