How to Correct Poorly Dyed Blonde Hair

Co-authored by Janet Miranda

Last Updated: February 26, 2023 References

Hair dyeing mishaps can happen to nearly anyone, regardless of experience. Blonde hair dye can be notoriously difficult, and there are numerous things that can go wrong when attempting to dye your tresses that perfect shade of blonde. While consulting a professional stylist will usually be your best option, there are things you can do at home that may help correct some common problems.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Correcting Brassy Blonde

1
Use cool-toned brightening shampoo. ^{[1]
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Research source} Brightening shampoos formulated specifically for blonde dye will usually work best, but those meant to correct silver tones can also work in many cases. Either way, look for a brightening shampoo with a cool blue or purple hue to help balance out the warm brassy tones in your blonde. ^{[2]
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- In a pinch, blue or purple anti-dandruff shampoo may also help balance out some of the brassiness, but a brightening shampoo intended specifically for this purpose will probably be more effective.
- Apply the shampoo according to label instructions. Usually, you’ll need to apply it like you would apply any normal shampoo: massage a dime-sized or nickel-sized amount into your scalp and hair, then rinse with warm water.
2
Moisturize with a brightening conditioner. While following your shampooing with a normal conditioner will protect your hair from damage, following up with a brightening conditioner will both nourish your hair and further your color-correcting efforts. When possible, try to use a conditioner that matches the brand and product line of your brightening shampoo.
- Like your shampoo, your conditioner should also be a cool-hued blue or purple to help balance out the warm brassy shades in your hair. ^{[3]
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- Label instructions may vary, but typically, you’ll need to apply the conditioner after shampooing and leave it in for about three minutes prior to rinsing. Most brightening conditioners should not be left in the hair without rinsing.
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Before drying your hair, mist a heat protecting spray or work a heat protecting serum into your locks. Heat damage can worsen the brassiness of blonde hair, but a heat protecting product can help shield your hair from the additional damage. ^{[4]
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4
Dry using lower temperatures. This is another important way to protect your brassy-blonde hair from heat. When using your hair dryer, make sure that it’s set on the “low” setting instead of “high.” It’s also a good idea to leave it partially damp instead of drying it completely. ^{[5]
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- You should also avoid the use of flat irons and curling irons as much as possible, at least until your hair returns to the proper shade. If you notice brassiness returning after using heat styling tools, it might be better to omit them from your routine completely.
5
Consider enriching your hair with a neutralizing gloss. A neutralizing gloss is a hair treatment that revitalizes dyed hair, giving it a glossy sheen. Selecting a neutralizing gloss will tint your hair with a color that balances out brassy tones, leaving you with “pure” blonde hair. ^{[6]
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- You can apply a brass-breaking foaming gloss at home. It's important to select a formula designed to remove yellow/orange tones from your hair, however, since basic formulas only add shine without correcting color. Apply the gloss to your hair after washing and rinse it out after three to five minutes; repeat one to three times a week until the problem is fixed. ^{[7]
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- Check the label instructions when using a home gloss treatment. Some should be applied after shampooing but before conditioning, while others should be applied after both shampooing and conditioning.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Brightening Dull Blonde

1
Use clarifying shampoo. Blonde dyed hair is usually the result of product buildup. If your hair color looks dull, try washing it with an anti-residue shampoo to remove that buildup. ^{[8]
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- Alternatively, you might consider an apple cider vinegar rinse instead of a clarifying shampoo. Mix one part apple cider vinegar with five parts water. Spray this solution directly onto your scalp, then lather it in with your fingertips until it feels fizzy. Rinse it out with cool water and skip the shampoo afterward. ^{[9]
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- Regardless of whether you use clarifying shampoo or apple cider vinegar, you should follow the wash with a light conditioner to maintain a healthy amount of moisture.
2
Rinse with cool water. Exposure to the elements can also make your hair color look dull. One way to combat this effect is by doing a final rinse with cool to cold water after washing and conditioning your hair like normal. ^{[10]
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- The cool water closes the hair follicle, which forces it to lie flat. As a result, your hair should look glossier and more uniform.
3
Pat your hair dry. After washing your hair, gently pat it dry using a soft towel. Never rub or pull the strands since doing so could cause damage, making your hair color look dull and lifeless. ^{[11]
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- Try to let your hair air dry as much as possible, then touch it up using the cool heat setting of your hair dryer. Avoid high heats that may damage your hair and make the color dull. For this reason, it's also best to avoid heat styling tools like flat irons and curling irons.
Boar-bristle brushes are great at distributing natural, healthy oils through your hair. Hydrating your hair with your scalp's natural oils should keep the follicles and strands plump, making the color look brighter and shinier as a result. ^{[12]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Balancing Green Tinted Blonde

1
Use a chlorine removal shampoo. Chlorine in either pool or bath water can cause blonde dye to turn green, so using a chlorine removal shampoo should restore your hair back to the intended blonde hue. ^{[13]
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- Look for chlorine removal shampoos containing thiosulfate. ^{[14]
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  Research source} Apply the shampoo as you would apply any other shampoo when washing your hair.
- If you don't have chlorine removal shampoo, try rinsing your hair with club soda, tomato juice, or lemon juice after exposing it to chlorine-heavy water. These natural remedies may remove most of the green tint. ^{[15]
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2
Alternatively, wash with ketchup. If you don't have access to a chlorine removal shampoo, or if your blonde hair turned green due to sun exposure rather than chlorine exposure, try applying ketchup to your hair. The red in the tomatoes can actually neutralize the green tint. ^{[16]
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- Additionally, the acid in the tomatoes can strip away minerals responsible for the adverse reaction.
- When working with ketchup, massage 2 to 4 Tbsp (30 to 60 ml) into your hair using your fingertips, then rinse it out with cool water after 20 or 30 minutes. ^{[17]
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  Research source} You should then be able to shampoo your hair like usual.
3
Follow up with conditioner. Regardless of whether you use chlorine removal shampoo or ketchup, you need to follow your shampoo ritual with a moisturizing conditioner. Hair dye, clarifying shampoos, and acidic tomatoes can all strip your hair of its natural, necessary oils. Applying a conditioner can help restore the moisture that would otherwise be lost.
- The exact conditioner needed may vary by hair type and damage. If your hair is otherwise healthy, any standard conditioner should probably be fine. If it feels dry or brittle, however, a leave-in conditioner would be better.
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Fixing Damaged Bleached Hair

1
Go to the salon to treat major damage. Hair that feels severely dry and brittle should be handled by a professional, since treating it at home can often cause even more damage. Bleach strips the hair of natural pigment, and when too much pigment is lost, professional treatments are required to restore it back to health. ^{[18]
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- If you do get a professional treatment, you'll need to follow up at home by applying hydrating conditioners during each wash and deep conditioning masks at least once a week. You should also avoid dyeing your hair again for several weeks or months, depending on the severity of the damage. ^{[19]
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- If you're satisfied with the color of your bleached blonde hair but just need to add a little moisture back in, you might consider home treatment. Going to a salon will still minimize the risk of further damage, but as long as your hair isn't breaking apart every time you handle it, you can probably restore it to health without altering the color at home.
2
Skip the shampoo for one week. If you choose to fix brittle bleached hair at home, you need to stay away from shampoo for at least one week. You can still shower every two or three days during that week, but only apply conditioner during this initial period.
- Bleach strips away pigment and oil, leaving your hair raw and weakened. Shampoos also strip away oil, but does so to a lesser degree. While the amount of oil stripped away by shampoo is usually healthy for your hair, hair weakened by bleach needs time to recover and restore a healthy balance of natural oils, and constantly removing those oils with shampoo will prevent that from happening.
- If your scalp feels too oily during this first week, switch to a cleansing conditioner but still skip the shampoo. A cleansing conditioner will be a much gentler way to clean the skin of your scalp without removing healthy oils from your hair.
3
Opt for gentle shampoos afterward. After the first week passes, you can probably return to shampooing your hair. Select a gentle moisturizing or color-preserving formula, though, and stay away from harsher clarifying shampoos. You should also skip one or two days in between washings to avoid stripping away too much.
- It’s also a good idea to use warm water instead of hot water when shampooing. Hot water will dry your hair out faster, worsening the damage caused by bleach. Try to make your showers shorter, too, to limit the amount of time your hair is exposed to the water.
4
Use leave-in conditioner. When you begin shampooing again, put away the clarifying conditioner and switch to an ultra-hydrating leave-in conditioner. Your hair is still dry and damaged at this point, so you need to use a product that will add moisture back into your hair to restore it to health.
- After washing your hair with shampoo and rinsing it out, apply the leave-in conditioner according to label instructions. This may mean massaging a dime-sized amount of conditioner into your hair or spritzing your entire head of hair with conditioner in spray form. Either way, it’s important to leave the conditioner in your hair without rinsing it out.
5
Apply an olive oil or coconut oil mask once a week. A natural oil mask can be a great way to restore additional moisture to your hair. Apply the oil mask before shampooing your hair, leave it in for 30 to 60 minutes, then wash your hair with a gentle shampoo and skip the leave-in conditioner. Do this about once a week until your hair feels and looks healthy again.
- You'll need anywhere from 2 to 4 Tbsp (30 to 60 ml) of oil, depending on the length of your hair. Stick with either olive oil or coconut oil since other oils may not hydrate your hair quite as well.
- Focus on applying the oil to your hair while avoiding the scalp. Your scalp should already be producing oil at this point, and applying additional oil to the scalp can make your roots feel grimy even though the rest of your hair could still be dry.
- If you're not interested in natural hair masks, you should still consider a commercial hair mask once per week for correcting bleach damage. Apply the commercial mask according to label instructions.
6
Skip the heat. If possible, allow your hair to air dry instead of using a hair dryer. Heat will dry your hair out further, making the damage worse. If you cannot skip the hair dryer completely, let your hair air dry mostly, then touch it up by drying the remaining moisture with the cool heat setting of your dryer.
- Consider misting your hair with a heat protecting spray before drying it.
- Even if you blow dry your hair, it's vital that you completely skip the flat iron and curling iron while restoring the health of bleached hair.
- You can get sponge rollers to curl your hair without heat. They are long and thin. You can roll up your hair with them.
- They are bendable. You can clamp and leave them overnight to make your hair more curly or do it in the morning.
- Otherwise, you can do the velcro rollers. Blow dry your hair and roll the velcro roller. When you remove them, the hair will have a wave.
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Community Q&A

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Question

How can I fix my hair when the blonde dye came out looking blue?

Community Answer

You should go to a professional hair dresser, and have an expert fix the dye job. It could have been bad dye, or just the wrong color for you. A hair dresser should be able to rectify this.

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Things You’ll Need

Correcting Brassy Blonde

Cool-toned brightening shampoo
Brightening conditioner
Heat protecting product
Neutralizing foaming gloss

Brightening Dull Blonde

Clarifying shampoo or apple cider vinegar
Soft towel
Boar-bristle brush

Balancing Green Tinted Blonde

Chlorine removal shampoo
Ketchup
Conditioner

Fixing Damaged Bleached Hair

Clarifying conditioner
Moisturizing shampoo
Leave-in conditioner
Olive oil, coconut oil, or deep conditioning mask
Heat protecting spray (optional)

Warnings

For best results, you should begin color correcting treatments within 72 hours, before the dye fully settles into your hair.

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If you had your hair dyed at a salon, it's actually better to contact your stylist or colorist to fix the mistake than trying to do so yourself. Contacting the stylist who dyed the hair is best unless you suspect negligence to be at work—in that case, consulting a color correcting specialist might be better.

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If you dyed your hair at home, check the box for instructions on fixing unsatisfactory results before trying your own fix or one mentioned in this article.

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How to Correct Poorly Dyed Blonde Hair

Steps

Correcting Brassy Blonde

Brightening Dull Blonde

Balancing Green Tinted Blonde

Fixing Damaged Bleached Hair

Community Q&A

Things You’ll Need

Correcting Brassy Blonde

Brightening Dull Blonde

Balancing Green Tinted Blonde

Fixing Damaged Bleached Hair

Warnings

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References

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