More commenter color crises this week, friends! I can't let a color emergency go unaddressed, can I? Commenter Emily writes:

Hi Jason,

I really enjoy your blog and how much fun you have with hair! I have a question for you, if you have time with your busy life! :)

I have such a hard time getting my hair color to be and stay what I want it to be- some sort of dark ash blond/light ash brown. I've been dyeing my hair for about eight years now, and in the last two years my hair goes extremely brassy no matter what I do to it. (My natural color is a light/medium ash brown--cool hair and skin tones).

I've colored it myself, had it done in various salons, asked numerous people's opinions, read up on tips online; you name it I've done it. Occasionally I can get roughly the right shade going on, but within a few weeks it's brassy as ever. I feel so bad for my poor hair, and take good care of it otherwise, but I'm so tired of fighting it! Do you have any suggestions or tips for me? Any ideas will be MUCH appreciated. :) Thanks!

-Emily

Emily - this is a great question that so many people ask about AND yes!!! I have some tips for you that may help in your quest for the perfect ash shade.

When you have your hair colored and achieve that gorgeous ashy tone, the key is maintenance, maintenance, maintenance! It is not uncommon for an ashy shade of blonde or brunette to fade and become golden, or even brassy.

You want to make sure you are using a color preserving shampoo and conditioner like Ted Gibson Clarity Color (it has a color protecting complex to help lock color in and resist fading) and you should be shampooing as little as possible because the more you shampoo, the faster your color will fade. Try shampooing every other day or every third day. You can also look for a violet based shampoo and conditioner. If you remember the color wheel, from grade school, you will remember violet and yellow are opposites so they will neutralize one another.

The most important part is to nip brassiness in the bud as soon as you see those unwanted tones. By going into the salon and having a gloss applied as soon as you seeing the gold appear (I recommend after two weeks) you will stay ahead of the curve and avoid a hair color you less than love. Book it for a Friday night so you have a great blow-out for the weekend! If you want to emulate a salon gloss at home, try an ash shade of a demi-permanent (Natural Instincts actually has a line called Brass Free) applied to wet hair. You leave it on for three to five minutes and then rinse it off. After that if you are still brassy, re-apply for another three to five minutes. Your hair will look fantastic.

Emily - I hope these tips worked...LMK!!

Any product I mention in HUEman Behavior is one that I've tested out myself and is in accordance with Daily Makeover's Editorial Ethics Pledge.