How to tone blonde and grey hair at home

I recently went from blonde to denim and I am absolutely in love with my hair! You can read more about it HERE.

I posted the pic above on Instagram after I had the denim (dark grey with a blue tone) done for a second time. I don’t like to post (or even take) selfies, but I was too chuffed with my hair not to share.

Thing is though, because my hair is so porous (after years and years of bleach on bleach), it takes colour very quickly, but it also seems to wash out faster than I would like. There are a few yellowish tones creeping back here and there and I hate it.

My hairdresser gave me a tip on how to keep those yellow tones at bay for as long as possible. At home. And at a very good price ;)

Silver/purple shampoo.

Okay, okay. You already know this. But I have a trick! Keep reading.

In case you don’t know, purple/silver shampoo (or conditioner) contains a violet pigment that tones down and neutralises yellow tones or brassiness in blonde and grey hair. It does not lighten or colour your hair, but the purple counteracts any yellowness leaving your blonde, platinum or grey hair looking more vibrant and restoring the colour to its former glory. Or close to it at least.

It is recommended that you use these type of products once or twice a week. But what do you do when these tones are just too damn stubborn? Here’s my winning tip.

How to tone blonde and grey hair at home

Apply silver or purple shampoo onto dry hair.

Yip. As easy and simple as that. Work it through your hair and then leave it to work its magic.  I leave it on for at least 30 minutes. Because the product is not diluted with water, the toning effect is a lot more intense. And it works like a charm!

Note that you will use quite a bit of product and you have to make 100% sure that it is distributed evenly. You don’t want to cause any patchiness.

I have to warn you… using this method may lead to a temporary purple tint in your hair. It all depends on the strength of the product that you use and the length of time you leave it on. And of course the condition of your hair.

My current stash of silver shampoos:

The first silver shampoo that I tried was the Natur Vital Silver Shampoo. It was a couple of days before payday so I was looking for the most budget friendly product. I bought it at Dis-Chem and it was about R65. This shampoo is not very concentrated and I didn’t see a major difference. Note that the brassiness I experienced was quite stubborn. Another negative was the fact that I found the shampoo very drying. I still feel that if you have never used a silver shampoo before, that this may be a good one to try in order to get a feel for what a silver shampoo can do for you.

Joico Color Endure Violet is an awesome shampoo. It is concentrated enough to give you a very good result, plus it leaves your hair looking and feeling amazing. I bought mine at Style Bar and I think it was R215. Not too bad.

INOAR Absolute Speed Blond is the shit. It is the most concentrated purple shampoo that I have tried. I reviewed it HERE when I was still a blonde. This stuff is potent. And gorgeous. It leaves my hair feeling and looking amazing and it gets rid of all traces of yellow. I also have the INOAR Absolute Speed Blond Conditioner and it is just as freakin’ amazing. There is also a Speed Blond Mask in the range and I can’t wait to get my hands on that. Once again, a little warning: because Speed Blond is so concentrated, it can turn a golden blonde into a platinum babe and a silver fox into Kelly Osbourne very easily. Not that it’s a bad thing though. Who doesn’t want awesome hair?

If you have any tips or tricks for me, I’d love to hear them.

xoxo