I’m one of those neurotic people who grew up with blonde hair as a small child and has tried to maintain that angelic hue every day since (even though I am now, without a doubt, a natural brunette). As they say, great hair is wasted on children and even though it’s near on impossible to replicate fully, there are plenty of ways you can fake it.
The truth is, maintaining bleach-blonde hair is a lifestyle, not simply a hair colour. The dyeing process is expensive, you need a range of products that maintain the structural integrity of your strands between salon visits, and avoiding brassiness can feel like an uphill battle. Don’t get me wrong — it’s a job that I feel is wholeheartedly worth it to maintain my preferred creamy hue.
And after more than 15 years of colouring my hair to various shades of blonde, I have my routine down to a fine art. My first golden rule is that you certainly don’t need to use the most expensive toning products on the shelves to get a good result, and I always head straight for the chemist when I need to restock my purple shampoo stash.
With all that in mind, here are my tips on busting brassiness, even if you’re lazy like me.
Day-To-Day Maintenance
To avoid needing to visit the salon for a toning service every couple of months, between dyeing sessions, my biggest recommendation is to build toning products into your daily routine. Choose a purple shampoo and conditioner that gets the job done but isn’t so intense that it leaves you grey or purple (if that’s not your desired look). At my lightest, I had a full scalp bleach that needed topping up every six to eight weeks, and if you think the regularity of my salon visits negated the need for toning shampoo and conditioner, you’d be wrong.
My preferred routine was to use purple products on every third wash, and my usual, deeply hydrating products on every other wash. My products of choice must boost shine (which can be tricky to achieve in blonde hair) and include hydrating ingredients, like the HASK Blonde Care Purple Toning Shampoo ($16) and Conditioner, which are enriched with elderberry and vitamin C.
Now that my hair is predominantly an ashy brown with face framing highlights and a soft balayage, I don’t require weekly toning — I just use it when I feel like my hair needs a little lift.
The Low-Fuss Top-Up
One toning product I always keep in my arsenal is a leave-in product that’ll do the heavy lifting after I’ve been in the shower. The reason for this is two-fold: first, it’s not uncommon for me to forget about using my toning products when I’m in the shower and, second, it’s the perfect lazy-person option if you just want a subtly top-up your cool tones without the effort of washing your hair.
There are plenty of options when it comes to leave-in blonde toning products, but I find a spray is easiest (because then it doesn’t get purple all over your hands). The HASK Blonde Care 5-in-1 Leave-In Spray is a multi-tasking product that busts brassiness, protects your strands from heat styling, and also moisturises and detangles the hair (this means it will also add shine and help control frizz).
When You’ve Left It Too Long Between Treatments
In case you haven’t gathered this yet, maintaining brass-free blonde hair is an ongoing process, and sometimes, that routine can fall away. Maybe you’ve been travelling, busy, or remember every time you hop out of the shower that you were supposed to use your purple shampoo and conditioner that day. Whatever the reason, sometimes blonde management can get away from us and that’s where heavy-duty treatments come in.
When I had my beloved scalp bleach, it didn’t matter how on top of toning I was, there were still times when my hair looked dry and a bit yellow. It was moments like this that I turned to deeply nourishing treatments that also deposited colour. Enter: the HASK Blonde Care Purple Toning Deep Conditioner ($4.99).
This treatment comes in handy 50mL packs (perfect for stashing in your bag when travelling) and works double-time, adding purple tones that cancel out yellow and packing my strands with moisture. Because that’s the thing about blonde hair, too — it needs as much moisture as possible since blond hair tends to get dryer, quicker. treatments will be your best friend.
If you’re looking for a full range of hair products that are specially designed to keep your blonde hair in great shape, try the HASK Blonde Care range. Your hair will thank you for it.
