How to bleach red hair

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This article was co-written by Kelsey Morey. Kesley Morey is a professional makeup artist and hairstylist, model, owner, and founder of Haus of Pretty in Westport, Connecticut. With over 10 years of experience, she specializes in balayage dyeing, hair care, dyed hair care and photo styling. Kelsey studied at the Brio Institute of Cosmetology and the John Casablancas Modeling and Vocational Center. She also apprenticed at the upscale salon Warren Tricomi.

There are 10 references cited in this article that you can view at the bottom of the page.

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Red hair is super eye-catching, but maybe you’re looking to change up your look a bit. If you want to bleach your natural red or dyed hair, or just want to accentuate blonde or brown hair, we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll tell you if purple, green or blue shampoos are right for you and show you how to remove red tones from your hair.

Table of Contents

Which color neutralizes red?

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Green is definitely the most effective for neutralizing red hair. Green will help reduce red because it is a contrasting color to red. In addition, green is also a cold color, so when overlaid on red it helps to reduce or reduce the warm tone of red. ^{[1] X Research Source}

How do I get rid of the red undertone in my hair?

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Use a decolorizing shampoo with cool colors. Greens, green-blues, and purples all help reduce warm tones in your hair, but each color is used for a different red undertone. Green shampoo is used to reduce red tones in dark brown or medium brown hair. Turquoise or smoky shampoos are best suited for reducing red-orange tones on chestnut or naturally red hair. Purple shampoo helps reduce red-orange tones in blonde hair. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Chestnut brown hair dyed or not dyed will gradually warm up, eventually will have a reddish tint. The green color in decolorizing shampoos and conditioners will deal with this unwanted redness.
Blonde hair can turn red-orange due to the effects of heat or an excessive accumulation of warm pigments. You can use purple shampoo to neutralize the warm tones of red-orange.
Natural red hair is usually a combination of orange and red. The turquoise in smoky shampoo can handle both of these colors and help cool its warm tones.

What should I do to reduce the brassy color in my hair?

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Use purple shampoo and avoid heat as much as possible, Brass is actually a warm orange-red tone in your hair, and you can tone it down with a cool undertone of purple. Too much sun exposure, blow-drying, or dyeing your hair in warm colors can all cause your hair to turn red-orange. You will get the maximum benefit of purple shampoo if you can avoid exposing your hair to heat. If you recently bleached your hair, wait 2 weeks before decolorizing your hair. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Bleached hair is quite weak, so you should be very careful with heat. Since decolorizing shampoos often contain ammonia, they can break bleached hairs. .

Can I tone down my natural red hair tone?

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You can cool down red-orange tones with turquoise shampoo. Smoky shampoo will neutralize many warm tones in the hair. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Turquoise is sometimes referred to as a “soft” color because it cools many of the red pigments.

How often do I need to use decolorizing shampoo?

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Use a decolorizing shampoo 1-2 times a week. Consistently using the right decolorizing shampoo will help you cool down red or orange tones. Leave the decolorizing shampoo on your hair for 2-3 minutes before rinsing, then use a decolorizing conditioner in the same tone as the shampoo to moisturize your hair. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

You can also use a green hair mask. This method allows the red reduction mixture to stay on the hair for a long time and increases the color neutralization effect.
If you regularly color correct your hair, you will avoid having to go to the hairdresser as often.

Can I make my own decolorizing shampoo?

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You can make your own decolorizing shampoo using food coloring. If you want to save money or have a shampoo and conditioner set you really like, you can add 2 drops of food coloring to your conditioner. Green has the effect of reducing red or orange tones in dark hair. Purple cools the red-orange tones on blondes. Blue helps to tone down the red-orange tones for medium hair colors like brown or sepia. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Wear gloves to prevent food coloring from getting on your hands.
The shampoo doesn’t need to be mixed with the green color – just wash as you normally would. Leave the decolorizing conditioner on your hair for about 10-12 minutes, then rinse with cold water.
If you have naturally red hair and turquoise food coloring isn’t enough to decolorize it, try a homemade blend of vinegar mixed with a few powdered vitamin C tablets. Apply the mixture to your hair, cover with a shower cap and leave it on for 10 minutes. Natural acidity will reduce the warm tones of red-orange pigments. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

How to remove red dye from hair?

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The best way is to re-dye your hair in a contrasting color. Since dyes are stronger than reds or red tones, you’ll need another dye that’s strong enough to make up for the color you don’t like anymore. Green or cold smoky colors will help neutralize red dyed hair. If dyed hair is warm orange, you should use blue hair dye. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

If the hair dye is pure red, then green will work best.
Orange-red brass tones can be darkened with a chestnut brown dye or lightened with a yellow dye.
Smoke color will eliminate any warm tones in the hair. You can use this color if the hair dyed red also has a lot of yellow or orange tones.

Do I need to use bleach to get rid of the red in my hair?

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You should balance the color of your hair first to avoid damage. Bleach certainly can bleach color, but it can also damage hair. Usually, red pigments can be color corrected by leaving the water on for half an hour. This way, the reducing color can soak into the hair and cool down the warm tones with visible results. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Why does my hair keep turning red?

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Usually, it’s because the hair absorbs too much heat. Styling hair with heat, even just going in the sun a lot, leads to red undertones in the hair. It’s also possible that your hair has a natural red undertone, and it’s more visible during different times of the year. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Hard water can also make hair red. You can soak your shower head in white vinegar overnight, then scrub, rinse, and reattach.

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