Removing orange pigment from your hair

Dear Hair Doctor,

I have been dying my hair with light blonde box colour for years, until three years ago when I decided I should go to a hair salon for something different.

I had a lot of my length chopped off and my hair colour changed from medium blonde with lowlights (which was nice when I look back at it but at the time I didn’t really like it, so I went to a different hair salon and had highlights put in). Well, this has been ongoing for some time now; trying to get the right colour and the biggest problem is my hair keeps looking orange! All I want is to find a nice colour that will suit me and to keep it, but every salon I go to I get told the same thing.

Hair: Royston Blythe Artistic Team, Wolverhampton. Photography: David Goldman

How can I rectify this problem and get rid of this orange tinge in my hair and find a colour that suits me? Please, please help me as this is making me miserable and costing me a lot of money.

Thanks,

Sarah Mertakkas, Essex

Hi Sarah,

Sounds like your hair is becoming over coloured!

Every head of hair contains underlying natural warmth which, not obvious to the naked eye, becomes apparent when lightening the hair. In your case there is probably a lot of gold as well as orange pigments. This can be neutralised by using colours that contain blue pigment.

Best advice would be to lay off any hilighting for a while and stick to a semi-permanent. These colours are not only kinder to your hair but can also be quite cost effective.

Ideally you need to find a good reputable salon in your area and have a consultation with a specialist in colouring who will be able to advise and recommend whats best for your hair.

Hope that helps,

Crombie, Browns

Hello Sarah,

If you're not getting the colour that you're looking for, I think you need to talk to a competent colourist and have an in-depth consultation on what you like and what you dislike. Some colourists don’t like people bringing images with them but I think it would benefit you to do some research and find colours that you love. Orange can sometimes show in the hair when your natural undercoat has not been subdued or neutralised properly. This should not be a problem for a colour specialist to rectify as it is just about choosing the correct shade.

John Clark, Brooks+Brooks 

Hi Sarah,

Without looking at your natural colour pigment and the existing artificial colour, it is difficult to say. You need a colour that contains blue ash tones to counteract the orange. Visit a good and reputable salon and ask for an experienced colourist to give you a proper consultation.

Michelle Lawley, Royston Blythe