How to Remove Red Tones From Brown Hair

Is your brown hair reflecting hints of coppery-orange or fiery scarlet hues? To neutralise unwanted red tones in brown hair, your salon colourist will neutralise the warmth by adding ash or green hues to your toner. Meanwhile, if you’re seeing yellow or golden brassiness, a purple shampoo can be a suitable at-home option, helping you cool your colour down without dramatically altering your brunette shade.

But before you do anything, know this: red tinges are stubborn, and it takes extra special care to remove them and restore a rich brunette result. So, let’s explore what causes red tones in brown hair, which at-home products can help refine your colour, and when it’s time to book a salon appointment…

Can Brunette Hair Turn Brassy?

Yes, brunette hair can turn brassy because it’s prone to the same unwanted warmth that many blondes experience. The warmth can appear as golden, orange or red tones, depending on the depth of the brunette.

Light brown hair or dark hair with highlights may reflect golden brassy tones, while deeper brunette shades can reveal orange or red tinges as they fade.

What Causes Red Tones in Brown Hair?

If you’re seeing unwanted red tones through brown hair, you’re looking at natural underlying warmth, which can become more visible when your hair is lightened or hair colour pigments start to fade. You probably won’t see post-lightening brassiness for long; your colourist will usually tone the warmth in the same salon visit. But if fading colour is the culprit, here’s why it happens, and what might be speeding it up:

• Gradual, expected fading: If your hair colour was achieved with a temporary, semi-permanent or demi-permanent toner, fading is to be expected and can easily be fixed with an in-salon refresh.
• Excessive heat styling: Heat can break down and fade colour molecules, stripping away some of the cooler pigments in your toner, and allowing red warmth to become more visible.
• Environmental aggressors: Metals, pollution and even the weather can contribute to colour fading and make warm tones appear more noticeable over time. Hard water, in particular, can leave mineral deposits on the hair that affect how your colour looks and feels.
• Sun exposure: UV exposure can gradually fade salon colour, while also lightening the hair itself and revealing some of the warmer pigments underneath.
• Frequent washing: Every time you wash your hair, a little colour can be lost – especially if your colour was achieved with a semi-permanent or demi-permanent colour.

The verdict? Ultimately, red undertones become more noticeable as your brunette colour fades, especially with frequent washing, heat styling and sun exposure.

Red vs Orange vs Yellow Brassiness: What Should You Use?

While neutralizing red tones is best left to the pros, other types of brassiness – think yellow or golden – can be tackled at home with the right products. Try these solutions to refresh your brunette, enhance shine and keep unwanted warmth at bay…

How to Reduce Brassiness at Home

1. Use Purple Shampoo to Neutralise Yellow or Golden Warmth

If your brown hair has red tones, an ash or green toner can help to neutralise them. But if brassiness appears more yellow or golden, a purple shampoo may cool your brunette hair back down. Try ULTIMATE COLOR BLONDE Onyx Shampoo, which combines violet neutralizing pigments with activated charcoal to remove yellowy tones that can occur in light brown hair and brunette hair with highlights. Massage it into wet hair when brassy tones appear, let the lather sit for 3-5 minutes (depending on the level of toning needed), then rinse thoroughly. Follow with ULTIMATE COLOR BLONDE Conditioner for extra cooling and rich moisture.

2. Refresh the Tone with a Colour-Depositing Mask

When you want to give your brunette a refresh and gently cool down brassy tones, try a colour-depositing mask in a shade that closely matches your desired brunette. Color Fresh Mask in Chocolate Touch is ideal for enriching medium brown hair colours, like mocha or caramel brown, while Cool Espresso is made for deep brunettes who want a smoky, sophisticated sheen. It’s simple to use at home – all you have to do is:

1. Wash hair with a colour-safe shampoo, like ULTIMATE COLOR Sulfate-Free Shampoo.
2. Squeeze out excess water, then apply your chosen shade of Color Fresh Mask evenly through your hair.
3. Let it develop for up to 10 minutes (depending on how intense you want the shade to be), then rinse thoroughly.

Once you’re done, you can style your hair as usual, with your brunette looking glossy and salon-fresh.

For yellow or golden brassiness, the right at-home products can help refresh your brunette, while stubborn red or orange tones need a more targeted approach in the salon.

"THE COLOR FRESH MASKS ARE SO FUN AND EASY TO USE! THEY HELP KEEP MY CLIENTS' HAIR LOOKING JUST LIKE THEY'VE LEFT THE SALON. THEY ARE ALSO GREAT TO HAVE IN MY KIT FOR AN ON-THE-GO REFRESH OR QUICK COLOUR CHANGE-UP."

– Briana Cisneros (@brianacisneros), Wella Professionals Global Ambassador

Does Clarifying Shampoo Remove Brassiness?

Clarifying shampoo won’t neutralise those unwanted red or orange tinges in your hair, but if your hair looks brassy due to product buildup, these deep cleansers can remove that dull, coated look. When you have low porosity hair, oils from care and styling products can accumulate on the surface, and while they don’t actually make your tone brassy, the resulting dull, matte finish can make your brunette look warmer.

So, if you think you're dealing with buildup – not brassiness – try a clarifying shampoo or apple cider vinegar rinse. Do it on an as-needed basis, then use a gentle, non-stripping shampoo the rest of the time. For brunettes, we love ULTIMATE COLOR Sulfate-Free Shampoo, which harnesses Glycine to offer protection against external aggressors, Metal Purifier to neutralise dulling metals, and B5 to lock in moisture from roots to ends.

When to See a Professional Colourist for a Colour Correction

You can correct yellow and golden brassy tones with a purple shampoo, but if you’re seeing more stubborn orange or red tones, we recommend heading to your nearest Wella salon. Red undertones are notoriously tricky to treat at home, and it takes the skill and knowledge of a pro to cool things down with ash or green tones – without making brown hair look flat or matte.

The magic is in the mixing of your colour formula, which is bespoke to you, tailored to your base colour, the intensity of brassy tones, and the dream shade you want to reach. But choosing the right colour product is also key to a flawless shade correction, and while your colourist is best placed to make that call, it doesn’t hurt to have some up-front knowledge about the types of colour available.

So, before you sit back and let your colourist tackle unwanted warmth, here’s what you need to know about the professional colour formulas they may use…

• Koleston Perfect – for intensive colour corrections. This is our purest permanent colour, delivering rich pigment and ultra-precise results with up to 100% grey coverage. The shade palette is vast, to say the least, so no matter what brunette you want, it’s achievable, with ash or green tones added to neutralise unwanted red hues.
• SHINEFINITY – for zero-damage toning and hydration. If, as well as dealing with brassy tones, you have dry-feeling, dull-looking hair, a SHINEFINITY Hyaluronic Acid Color Gloss could be ideal for your colour correction. It leaves stressed strands up to 60% smoother¹, so your hair reflects light for a glass-like shine, while locking in moisture with 2% Hyaluronic Acid Complex.

"SHINEFINITY HAS ELEVATED MY COLOUR WORK IN WAYS I DIDN'T KNOW WERE POSSIBLE. THE TONE, THE SHINE, IT'S JUST MAGICAL."

– Nikki Lee (@nikkilee901), Wella Professionals Global Ambassador

• Color Touch – for vibrant, true-to-tone colour and shine. Damaged hair can be more susceptible to tonal changes – cue brassiness – so if red tinges are a repeat problem, your colourist may recommend Color Touch. The demi-permanent colour fades beautifully true-to-tone over 28 washes, while the palette of 90+ shades makes any brunette possible.
• Pure Perfection – to reduce visible signs of damage². When you want a gentler way to enjoy the high-coverage, long-lasting benefits of permanent colour, this breakthrough formula offers another option. It improves shine (+55%) and smoothness (+45%), while leaving hair looking more nourished (+42%). Goodbye brassiness, hello pure brunette perfection.

When red or orange warmth won’t budge, a professional colourist can assess your starting shade and choose the right correction to bring your brunette back into balance.

Removing Red Tones From Brown Hair: FAQs

Why Does My Brown Hair Have Red Tones?

Those red tones can come from the warm underlying pigments naturally present in brown hair. As cooler pigments in your hair colour fade, these warmer red and orange tones become more visible.

What Colour Cancels Out Red Tones in Brown Hair?

Green sits opposite red on the colour wheel, which means it’s able to cancel out unwanted red tones in your hair. Ash – which has undertones of grey, green and blue – also helps to neutralise red warmth.

What is the Best Toner to Remove Red Tones From Brown Hair?

The best toner to remove red tones will not only feature ash or green undertones to neutralise the warmth, but will also boost shine and vibrancy, so your hair colour doesn’t appear flat. Our favourite in-salon choices include Koleston Perfect for long-lasting intensity, Color Touch for vibrancy and shine, and SHINEFINITY for a hydrating gloss that leaves hair up to 60% smoother¹.

Can I Remove Red Tones From Brown Hair Without Bleach?

Yes, you can. In fact, bleach isn’t the recommended fix for red tones in brown hair – your colourist will usually try corrective toning first with a hint of ash or green in your toner. Your hair would only need bleaching if your colourist needs to lighten your base before creating your desired brunette shade. For example, if your hair is currently a deep espresso brown but you want light chocolate, you’ll need lightener to reach that lighter shade.

When Should I See a Colourist to Fix Red Tones in Brown Hair?

Red tones are notoriously tricky to neutralise, so when they appear, we recommend seeing a professional for corrective toning. Your colourist can assess the warmth in your hair and choose the right formula to cool things down without leaving your brunette looking too ashy or flat.

Keep Your Brunette Cool With Wella Professionals

Are you dealing with unwanted red tones right now? Then find your nearest Wella salon, and reveal your most beautiful brunette with professional corrective toning.

¹ Vs. untreated hair, based on expert grading clinical study.

² +55% shine, +45% smoothness, +42% nourished look; vs. untreated hair, based on expert panel clinical study.