When hair with red and golden undertones is chemically lightened, it can turn an unflattering brassy shade if you or the stylist did not lift the hair tone enough or if your natural hair color is a deep shade and you were trying to lighten it substantially in one process. Many people are more successful in avoiding brassy tones if they lift their hair color in stages, using a highlighting process instead of an overall color lift. When you end up with brassy hair, there are some techniques to reduce the orange appearance.
Call your stylist if you had your hair professionally done and ask for a free fix. Most salons will apply a neutralizing toner if you are unhappy with the color.
Purchase a blue-tone shampoo and conditioner to counter the harsh yellow and rust tones in your hair. This is the safest way to tone down the brassy color, and if your hair is not in great shape, it may be the only way to correct it without further damaging the hair shaft. Find these shampoos and conditioners in the color-care section of the shampoo aisle; they may state that they remove yellow tints from white, silver or platinum hair. You may also purchase them online (see Resources)
Apply an ash toner to your hair. A toner is a deposit-only hair color treatment that does not lift your color. Choose a shade that is the same color or slightly lighter than your hair. The package will specify toner and should contain the word "ash" in the color. For example, if your hair is now a light brown with brassy tones, apply a light ash brown toner.
Lift your hair color or highlights further the next time you lighten your hair. Wait at least 1 month to keep from overprocessing your hair, then highlight it or bleach it again. This time check the hair strands and leave the bleach on a little longer if the strand has a rust tone. Brassy color is a result of not allowing the hair to lift past the rust color to a lighter shade of blonde.