What Color Neutralizes Red Tones in Hair? How to Cancel Out Red Hair Dye

Co-authored by Kelsey Morey and Madeleine Flamiano

Last Updated: April 30, 2024 Fact Checked

Red hair is super eye-catching, but maybe you’re going for a different look. If you want to cancel out natural or dyed red hair, or you just want blond or brown hair to pop, we’ll help you out. In this article, we'll tell you whether green, violet, or blue shampoo is right for you and walk you through how to cancel out red tones in your hair.

Question 1 of 9:

What color cancels out red?

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Kelsey Morey
Professional Hair and Makeup Artist

Expert Interview. 11 January 2022.} Because it’s the opposite of red, green neutralizes it. Green is also a cooling shade, so applying it on top of red tones will either tone down or completely get rid of their warmth.^{[2]
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Question 2 of 9:

How do I get rid of red undertones in my hair?

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Use a toning shampoo with cool colors. Green, blue-green, and violet all tone down the warmth in your hair, but they’re each used for different kinds of red undertones. Green shampoos are used for red tones in medium or dark brown hair.^{[3]
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Kelsey Morey
Professional Hair and Makeup Artist

Expert Interview. 11 January 2022.} Blue-green, or ash, shampoos are best to tone down red-orange tones in brunette or natural red hair. Violet shampoos reduce red-orange tones in blond hair.
- Dyed or undyed brunette hair warms up over time, ending up with plenty of red tones. The green in toning shampoo and conditioner will target the unwanted red.
- Blond hair can get red-orange from too much heat or from adding too many warm pigments to it. You can use violet toning shampoo to tone down all the red-orange warmth.
- Natural red hair is usually a combination of red and orange. The blue-green color in ash toning shampoos targets both of these shades and helps cool down its warmth.

Question 3 of 9:

How do I tone down the brassiness in my hair?

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Apply violet-toned shampoo and avoid heat as much as you can. Brassiness is just warm orange-red tones in your hair, and you can cancel them out with the coolness of violet. Too much sun, blow drying, or warm colors from a dye can all add red-orange to your hair. You’ll get the best results from violet toning shampoos if you can also cut down on any heat exposure. If you bleached your hair, wait 2 weeks before toning it.^{[4]
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- Bleached hair is fragile, so you should be extra careful around heat. Since toning shampoos usually have ammonia, they can break newly bleached locks.
Diane C. Bailey, Hair Expert

To neutralize red hair dye, use a green-based toner. Green counters red tones on the color wheel. Pre-lighten hair to pale yellow so green pigment shows. Apply toner evenly and leave on 5-15 minutes based on desired intensity. Green balances red molecules, muting vibrancy for a natural, softened look.

Question 4 of 9:

Can I tone down natural red hair?

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You can cool its red-orange tones with blue-green toning shampoo. Ash toning shampoos will neutralize the different kinds of warmth in your hair.^{[5]
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- Blue-green is sometimes called a “calm” color because it cools down a wide range of red pigments.

Question 5 of 9:

How often do I need to use toning shampoo?

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Use toning shampoo once or twice a week. Maintaining a routine with the right toning shampoo will make sure you keep cooling down hints of red or orange. Leave your toning shampoo on for around 2-3 minutes with each treatment. Then, use a matching toning conditioner so you can moisturize your hair. ^{[6]
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- You can also use a green hair mask. This technique lets the red canceling blend sit on your hair for a long time, boosting its neutralizing effects.
- Regularly color-correcting your hair will save you from frequently going to the salon.

Question 6 of 9:

Can I make my own toning shampoo?

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You can create your own toning shampoo with food dye. If you want to save some money or have a set of shampoo and conditioner you really like, put 2 drops of food dye into the conditioner. Green food dye works for toning down red or orange in dark hair. Purple food dye cools red-orange in blond hair. Blue-green food dye reduces hints of red-orange in medium hair colors like brown or auburn.^{[7]
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- Wear gloves to keep from staining your hands with food dye.
- Your shampoo doesn’t need any green food dye, and you can just use it like you normally do. Keep the doctored conditioner on for 10-12 minutes, then rinse with cool water.
- If you’re a natural redhead and blue-green food dye isn’t toning your hair enough, try a home remedy of vinegar and crushed vitamin C tablets. Apply it to your hair, put on a shower cap, and let it sit for 10 minutes. The natural acids will tone down warm red-orange pigments.^{[8]
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Question 7 of 9:

How do I get red dye out of my hair?

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Your best bet is to dye it an opposite color. Because dyes are stronger than red tints or tones, you’ll need another dye that’s just as powerful to offset the one you don’t want anymore. Green or cool ash dye will cancel out hair that’s dyed red. If your dyed hair is on the warm orange side, use a completely blue hair dye.^{[9]
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- If your hair dye is a true red, then a green dye will be the most effective.
- Warm orange-red brassy tones can be darkened with brunette dye or lightened with blonde dye.
- An ash dye will cancel out any kind of warmth in your hair. You can use it if your red dye also has too many yellow or orange tones in it.

Question 8 of 9:

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

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Bleach is definitely known for getting rid of color, but it can also really damage your hair. Usually, red pigments can be color corrected by letting a toner stay on your hair for up to half an hour. That way, the canceling shade can soak into your hair and cool the warmth down with way more dramatic results. ^{[10]
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Question 9 of 9:

Why do I keep getting red tones in my hair?

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Usually, it’s because your hair is absorbing a lot of heat. Heat styling your hair or even just walking in the sun a lot can both lead to red undertones. Your hair might also just naturally have red undertones, and during different times of the year and it lightens, these will be more obvious.^{[11]
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- Hard water can also redden your hair. If you’re worried about this, you can soak your shower head in white vinegar overnight, scrub it, rinse it, and put it back.

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Question

How can I get brown hair without red tones?

Kelsey Morey
Professional Hair and Makeup Artist
Kelsey Morey is a Professional Hair and Makeup Artist, Model and the Owner and Founder of Haus of Pretty based in Westport, Connecticut. With more than ten years of experience, she specializes in balayage, hair care, color care, and photoshoot styling. Kelsey received her training from Brio Academy of Cosmetology and John Casablancas Modeling and Career Center. She also completed her apprenticeship with Warren Tricomi luxury salons.

Kelsey Morey

Professional Hair and Makeup Artist

Expert Answer

If you're looking for a true neutral brown, you'll need equal parts of red and green, along with a balance of gold and blue in the strand to make that tone.

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