Do you have red hair, and you want to turn it an ashy brown?
Here, I’ll tell you everything that you need to know to make that change.
If you feel like changing your look and your hair is a red tone, then brown can be an excellent option.
Brown or terracotta are medium tones that look great with any skin, haircut, or hairstyle.
You can choose an ashy brown if your hair is darker or a golden brown if your hair 28is lighter.
Whether it’s straight or wavy, short or long, brown always will be a great frame for your face.
Now, if the tone you are going from is red, you have to bleach it first, but don’t worry. I’m going to teach you everything step by step so that you can do it without problems.
We are going to divide the process into two parts.
- First, I will tell you how to bleach the hair to get rid of the red color you have now.
- And then, I’m going to tell you how to choose the ashy brown dye and how to apply it to your hair.
Let’s not waste any more time, and let’s get started!
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Step 1: get rid of the red dye from the hair
Reddish tones are vibrant and full of color.
But if we want to go to ashy brown, we have to get rid of that tone.
The red-colored dye contains a lot of pigmentation which makes the hair fiber absorb the color quickly.
Many clients tell me that it’s been a while since they’ve used the red dye, and it still comes out when they wash. That’s why.
To bleach our hair, we need 30-volume peroxide, which is the recommended amount to avoid major damage to the hair’s health. I recommend that the peroxide be a cream. It’s less aggressive and doesn’t dry out the hair as much in the chemical process.
Bleaching powder. Here, you can also choose blue or white. I always work with blue because it is easier to see if you’ve rinsed it out completely or not.
- To apply the bleach, I recommend that you don’t start at the roots. Since it’s the part of the hair without dye, it loses the pigmentation much quicker.
Start at the lengths and move to the roots; always leave 1 cm like I previously explained.
- Bleaching is a chemical process that works with heat. I recommend that you use a thermal cap so that everything bleaches evenly.
- Let it sit for 30 to 40 minutes.
Every 10 minutes, check the color. If you can’t see it well, rinse a small piece.
When you see that the red tone has turned orange or yellow, you can rinse.
DON’T LET THE PEROXIDE SIT FOR MORE THAN 40 MINUTES.
- Rinse with abundant water. Remember that none of the mixture that you applied before should remain.
- Dry your hair with a hair dryer.
It's normal to feel that your hair is dryer or “straw-like” at this point. We can’t do anything until after we apply the dye.
Step 2: apply the new ashy brown color
Once you’ve bleached the hair, all that’s left is to apply the new color.
Ashy Brown or ashy chestnut is a 4.1 tone.
Always remember that the whole number is the tone (4 chestnut/brown) and the secondary number is the highlight (.1 ashy).
Whenever you want ashy highlights, you should buy .1.
In pharmacies or hair salon stores, you can find the dyes, and they are presented in 2 ways.
- The complete kit, the peroxide, dye, and post-coloring cream, comes together in the box.
- The dye in a tube, if you choose. Remember to buy the 30-volume peroxide separately and gloves.
Once we have all the elements … time to get to work!
- In a plastic bowl, mix the entire dye tube with peroxide until you get a homogenous mixture.
- Separate the hair in sections and apply the color with a brush. Be very careful to apply the product all over your hair correctly.
- In this case, we can also use a thermal cap so that the color processes evenly.
- Let it sit for 40 to 60 minutes according to what the product indicates.
- Once the time has passed, rinse with abundant, warm water.
If your kit comes with a post-coloring cream, apply it. These treatments are good to seal the cuticles of your hair and give it shine.
Otherwise, you can rinse with your normal shampoo or your rinse cream letting it sit for 3 to 5 minutes so that your hair becomes silkier.
Dry and ready! Now we have our ashy brown hair.
How to maintain Brown hair
Ashy brown is simple to maintain. Being that it is an even tone, we can renew the color every two months depending on hair growth.
- Did you know that shampoo contains sulfates?
Sulfate is a chemical that dulls our tone quickly, meaning having to dye it again in less than a month. I recommend that you don’t wash your hair every day. It doesn’t just affect the growth but also how fast the dye fades.
- In a salon store or pharmacy, you can find toning shampoos.
Revlon 45 days is one of them. It has a wide range of colors and can be adapted to your needs.
- Use keratin baths, JUST ONCE A WEEK. They are excellent tools to reconstruct the hair.
- Always remember the dye you used, the number, the brand, and the date. I recommend that you write a note to keep those records.
If you chose to go to a salon, your stylist would love to help you.
I recommend that you take a picture of the look that you want. Often, we have an idea in our heads, and it isn’t easy to express it. Remember to ask your stylist the number of dye they use and the number volume of peroxide (no more than 30).
Changes are always good. Each one of us women are unique in our style.
Brunettes are universal and look beautiful at any time of year and with any style.
Bring yourself to make the change!
And now I would like you to tell me something about you.
Do you have red hair and are thinking of joining the brunette gang?
Are you still not convinced of the brown tone you chose for your new look?
I want to help you with these or any other doubts you may have.
Leave me your comments or doubts here below, and I will respond as soon as possible.
See you next time!
