Why Your Hair Turned Orange (And Why I'm Not Even Surprised)

So you tried to go blonde at home. Or maybe you went to a cheap salon. Or maybe you went to an expensive salon and they still screwed it up. And now you're sitting in my chair, nearly in tears, showing me a photo of the beautiful cool blonde you wanted, and then pointing at your head, which is currently the color of a traffic cone.

"Why is it orange? What happened?"

I'll tell you exactly what happened. And I promise, once you understand it, you'll never make the same mistake again.

I'm Danielle, I've been doing hair at Rock Paper Scissors in Chino for years, and I see orange hair at least twice a week. It's not bad luck. It's not defective hair dye. It's science, and nobody bothered to explain it to you.

Let me fix that.

Your Hair Has a Secret Recipe (And It's Probably Not What You Think)

Here's what most people don't realize: your hair isn't just "brown" or "dark blonde." It has layers of pigment underneath that you can't see until you start messing with it.

Think of it like this – you know those old walls that have been painted over like ten times? You peel back one layer and there's a whole other color under there? That's your hair.

Every natural hair color has underlying pigment. The darker your hair, the more red and orange is hiding in there. When you lighten your hair, you're stripping away the top layer of color, and boom – there's all that warm, brassy tone you didn't know existed.

This is why two people with the exact same "medium brown" hair can try to go blonde and get completely different results. One person might have golden undertones that lift pretty easily to a pale yellow. The other person – probably you, if you're reading this – has stubborn red or orange undertones that just sit there, screaming at you.

I had a client a few months ago, Jessica, who came in with orange hair after using a box dye that said "Cool Ash Blonde" on it. She was so confused. "It said ASH. It said COOL. Why is my hair ORANGE?"

Because the box dye doesn't know what's underneath your hair. It's just guessing. And it guessed wrong.

The Level System (Or: Why "Light Brown" Means Nothing)

Stylists use a numbering system from 1 to 10 to describe how dark or light hair is. Level 1 is black. Level 10 is the palest, iciest blonde. Most people are somewhere in the 4-7 range.

This matters because if you're a Level 4 (dark brown) and you want to be a Level 9 (very light blonde), that's a huge jump. You have to lift through five levels of pigment. You have to go through red, then orange, then yellow, before you can even think about getting to blonde.

Box dye doesn't care about this. It'll try to do it all at once, and that's how you end up with a patchy, orange, damaged mess.

Last week I had someone come in – I think her name was Amanda – who'd been trying to go blonde on her own for six months. She kept buying lighter and lighter box dye, and her hair kept getting more and more orange. By the time she came to me, her hair was fried and it was like three different shades of orange and yellow.

I told her, "We need to stop trying to lift this. Your hair can't take any more. Let me tone what we have and then we'll do a slow, gradual lift over the next few months."

She cried a little, but she agreed. Her hair looks so much better now.

The Color Wheel Thing That Actually Makes Sense

Okay, remember the color wheel from elementary school art class? Turns out it's not just for making pretty paintings. It's how we fix brassy hair.

Colors that are opposite each other on the wheel cancel each other out. So:

• Purple cancels yellow. This is why purple shampoo exists. If your blonde hair is looking too yellow or brassy, purple toner will neutralize it and make it cooler.
• Blue cancels orange. If your brunette color is looking too warm and orangey, we use blue based toners to cool it down.
• Green cancels red. This one doesn't come up as often, but if you have unwanted red tones, green toner will neutralize them.

This is what a toner is. It's not magic. It doesn't lighten your hair. It just deposits a cool tone to cancel out the warm tone you don't want.

I cannot tell you how many people think toner is going to take them from orange to platinum. It won't. If your hair is orange, you're not light enough yet. Toner only works once you've lifted to pale yellow. Then the toner cancels the yellow and gives you that perfect cool blonde.

Jessica – the one with the box dye disaster – thought I could just tone her orange hair and she'd be blonde. I had to explain that we needed to lift her more first, but her hair was too damaged. So we did a strawberry blonde gloss instead, which actually looked amazing on her. She was skeptical at first, but when she saw it, she was like, "Oh. Okay. I actually love this."

Sometimes the hair you can have is better than the hair you think you want.

Can You Go From Black to Platinum in One Day?

No.

I mean, technically yes, but your hair will disintegrate. So, no.

I see this all the time. Someone with dark brown or black hair comes in with a photo of platinum blonde hair and says, "Can we do this today?"

If I like you and want you to have hair tomorrow, I'm going to say no.

Going from very dark to very light takes time. You have to lift through all those underlying pigments slowly, and you have to let your hair rest between sessions. If you try to do it all at once, your hair will turn into mush. Literal mush. I've seen it happen.

I had a girl come in two years ago – she'd gone to some cheap salon and they tried to take her from black to platinum in one session. Her hair was breaking off in my hands when I touched it. There was nothing I could do except cut off the damaged parts and start over.

Most of the time, a dramatic color change like that takes 2-3 sessions spread out over a few months. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. Your hair will look better and last longer if we do it right.

I always tell people: if you're going to make a big change, plan ahead. Don't come in two weeks before your wedding and expect to go from brunette to platinum. It's not happening.

Why Your Color Fades (And Why It's Worse Here)

You finally got the perfect color. You leave the salon, your hair looks amazing, and then two weeks later it's dull and brassy again. What gives?

Living in Southern California is rough on hair color. The sun here is intense, and UV rays break down color molecules in your hair the same way they fade a poster hanging in a window. Heat styling also damages color. Chlorine from pools strips it. Even hard water from your shower can mess it up.

And some colors just fade faster than others. Red is the worst. Red color molecules are bigger, so they can't penetrate the hair shaft as deeply, which means they wash out faster. This is why people who dye their hair red are always complaining that it fades.

Blonde toners also fade quickly because they're designed to sit on the surface of the hair to neutralize brassiness. They're not meant to be permanent.

If you want your color to last, you have to take care of it. That means:

• Use sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfates strip color. I don't care if your regular shampoo is cheaper. It's making your color fade.
• Wash your hair in cool or lukewarm water, not hot. Hot water opens up the hair cuticle and lets color escape.
• Use a UV protectant spray if you're going to be outside. Yes, they make sunscreen for hair. Yes, it works.
• Don't wash your hair every day. The more you wash, the faster your color fades. Dry shampoo is your friend.

I had a client who got a beautiful balayage and then came back three weeks later complaining it had faded. I asked what shampoo she was using. She said the cheap stuff from Walmart. I said, "That's why."

She switched to a sulfate free shampoo and her next color lasted twice as long.

What to Actually Ask Your Stylist

If you're going to get your hair colored, don't just sit down and say, "Make me blonde." We need to have a real conversation.

Here's what you should ask:

"What's my natural level and what are my undertones?"

This tells you what you're working with. If you're a Level 4 with red undertones and you want to be an icy platinum Level 10, your stylist can give you a realistic timeline.

"How many sessions will this take?"

If they say one session and you're going from dark to very light, they're either lying or they're going to destroy your hair. A good stylist will be honest about how long it'll take.

"What kind of maintenance does this color need?"

Some colors need toning every 6 weeks. Some need root touch-ups every 4 weeks. Some are low maintenance and can go months. Know what you're signing up for.

"What products should I use at home?"

If your stylist doesn't recommend specific products, that's a red flag. We should be telling you exactly what to use to make your color last.

And honestly, if your stylist seems annoyed by questions, find a new stylist. A good one will be happy to explain what they're doing and why.

The Actual Truth About Color

Here's what I want you to take away from this:

Hair color is chemistry. It's predictable. If your hair turned orange, there's a reason. If your color faded in two weeks, there's a reason. If your stylist tells you something will take three sessions, believe them.

Stop expecting magic. Start expecting science.

And for the love of God, stop using box dye. Just stop. I know it's cheaper. I know it's convenient. But I've fixed more box dye disasters than I can count, and it always ends up costing you more in the long run.

If you're in the Chino area and you're tired of dealing with bad color, come see us. We'll do a consultation, figure out what's actually going on with your hair, and make a realistic plan to get you where you want to be.

We're at Rock Paper Scissors Hair Studio, 5222 D St. in Chino. Call us at (909) 707-9553 or book online.

Let's fix your hair.

– Danielle