If you want your blonde hair to stay ashy, cool, and free of yellow or golden tones, the key is controlling warmth without over-toning the hair. Ashy blonde naturally tends to become warmer as toner fades and the underlying yellow or orange pigments become more visible.
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1. Use purple shampoo, but don’t overdo it
Purple shampoo is probably the most useful at-home product for maintaining an ashy blonde. Violet pigments counteract yellow tones, making the blonde look cooler. (Sally Beauty)
A good starting routine is:
- Use your regular color-safe shampoo for most washes.
- Use purple shampoo about once or twice a week when you notice yellowing.
- Follow the product’s directions for how long to leave it on. Many formulas work within a few minutes.
- Always condition afterward, particularly if your hair has been bleached.
You don’t necessarily want to use purple shampoo every time you wash. Overuse can cause excessive pigment buildup and leave very light or porous hair looking dull, grayish, or lavender rather than naturally ashy. (Wella)
2. Make sure you actually need purple—not blue
This is an important distinction.
Purple = yellow
Blue = orange
If your blonde looks yellow or buttery, purple shampoo is generally the appropriate choice. If your hair has a distinctly orange or coppery cast, blue-based toning may be more appropriate. (L’Oreal Paris)
For a very pale platinum or light ash blonde, purple is usually the first thing to try.
3. Don’t try to make an orange blonde ash with purple shampoo
If your hair was lifted from dark hair but wasn’t lightened enough, you may be dealing with significant orange or gold underneath. Purple shampoo isn’t going to transform that into a true ash blonde.
That’s because toning can neutralize unwanted warmth, but it doesn’t lighten the hair. A professional toner or, in some cases, additional lightening may be necessary to achieve the actual shade you want. (L’Oreal Paris)
4. Get your blonde professionally toned periodically
If your blonde starts looking noticeably warmer despite using purple shampoo, you may simply need another toner.
A salon toner can restore a cooler blonde more effectively than repeatedly piling toning shampoo onto the hair. This is particularly useful if you want a very specific shade such as ash blonde, icy blonde, beige-ash blonde, or platinum.
5. Protect the blonde from heat
Bleached and lightened hair is more vulnerable to damage, so excessive heat styling can make maintaining beautiful blonde hair harder.
Use a heat protectant before blow-drying, straightening or curling. Keeping the hair in good condition also helps it look shinier and prevents the dry, dull appearance that can make an ashy blonde look less attractive. (Marie Claire)
6. Be careful with sun, chlorine and hard water
Blonde hair can pick up unwanted warmth from environmental exposure and from the gradual fading of its toner. Sun, swimming and frequent washing can all contribute to changes in the appearance of blonde color. (Sally Beauty)
If you swim, protecting your hair and rinsing it thoroughly afterward is particularly helpful.
If your local water is hard or contains a lot of minerals, a chelating or clarifying treatment formulated for color-treated hair can occasionally be useful. Don’t use harsh clarifying products excessively because they can be drying and may accelerate color fading.
7. Keep the hair moisturized
This is easy to overlook. Bleaching can leave hair porous and dry, and porous blonde hair can grab toning pigments unevenly.
Photo credits: Neäl Wølf