The Ultimate Guide to Getting Ash Blonde Hair

Introduction

Are you trying to get your hair ash blonde? 

In this comprehensive blog post, we'll cover the following topics:

What exactly is ash blonde hair?
Who does an ash blonde suit?
How do you achieve light ash blonde hair?
What are some of your recommended toners for light ash blonde hair?
How do you achieve a medium or dark ash blonde? 
Which are some of your recommended toners for medium ash blonde hair?
Will ash blonde cover orange and yellow hair?
How do you maintain ash blonde hair?
How do you achieve ash blonde hair with dark roots
How do you achieve ash blonde hair on highlights
How long does ash blonde hair last and how do you refresh it?

What exactly is ash blonde hair?

Ash blonde hair is a color that is medium blonde with cold undertones.

So there are 2 aspects going on here.

First, you need to get the hair to be blonde. That means anywhere between a level 6 (dark blonde) and a level 10 (extra light blonde).

Second, the reflect needs to be cold and ashy - not yellow, not warm, and not golden.

You can absolutely achieve both of these objectives - level and reflect - whatever your current hair color.

But you do need to use the right products and the right technique.

We will explain that to you now.

Who does an ash blonde suit?

Ash blonde is actually a rather versatile look.

It looks good on fair women who are naturally blonde.

But it can also work extremely well on African, Asian and Hispanic women.

Typically, we often see women with fairer skin and lighter natural hair (Northern Europe heritage for examples) opting for a level 9 or level 10 ash blonde.

Whereas women with darker skin and darker hair - such as Asian girls or black girls go for a level 7 or a level 8 ash blonde.

But whether you have fair, medium, or darker skin tones, there is an ash blonde shade and a technique that can get your hair the right ash blonde color.

It's all about finding the right undertones and intensity that harmonize with your complexion.

How do you achieve light ash blonde hair? 

Hair which has been bleached correctly using Brilliant Blondexx prior to toning.

A mix of Brilliant Blondexx and developer

To get really good light ash blonde results, you will need to first bleach and then tone.

This is what stylists call "double blonding".

Do you see the picture above? It's hair which has been bleached very well and consistently to a nice level 9-10.

Too many stylists are sloppy about this part. They think they can just put on toner and it will be OK.

Not true.

So how do we bleach? Very simply, we do as follows.

We first choose a good quality bleach. We would recommend Brilliant Blondexx.

It contains Bond Protect and it can lift as much as 7 levels, meaning that you don’t have to use an excessively strong developer strength.

Next, choose the appropriate developer strength or strengths,

We suggest you use 20 Vol on any parts of the hair which are orange or yellow and 30 Vol on any parts which are darker than that.

For women with naturally dark hair this could be the regrowth area, as you see in the picture below.

So in other words, you need to be prepared to stock 2 strengths of developer and to make separate mixes according to the part of the hair that you are dealing with.

When applying the bleach, apply onto dry, unwashed hair, and really saturate the hair so that the mixture works fast.

Always check, re-apply fresh mixture if necessary, and make sure you get the hair up to a consistent level 10.

Which means a very very pale yellow, as  you see in the picture below.

Then rinse and towel dry. Now you are ready to tone.

Recommended toners for light ash blonde hair

There are 3 toners that we would recommend for a level 10 ash blonde toning:

Blondify Natural Ash Blonde 010A

This toner has been designed to give you a classic sandy ash blonde result.

It's one of our most popular ash blonde looks.

Blondify Natural Violet Blonde 010V

Hair bleached and toned with Blondify Natural Ash Blonde 010V

This toner is violet based and is excellent if your hair has been bleached to a nice level 10 pale yellow.

You can produce stunning ash blonde results with this toner.

Extra Light Cold Ash Blonde 10.1b

This toner is a blue based level 10 ash blonde.

It will get you a really pure white blonde, just like in the picture above.

How do you achieve a medium or dark ash blonde hair? 

So what about those stylists and women who don't want to bleach?

Can they still expect to get ash blonde results?

And can they still cover up yellow and orange in the hair?

The answer is yes. But you won't get a light ash blonde result.

You can, however, expect to get a medium blonde or a dark blonde result.

And you will be able to cover yellow and orange.

We will show you some toners you can use for that now.

Recommended toners for medium and dark ash blonde hair

If you are not going to use bleach, we would suggest you use one of the following ash toners.

They will help you tone down the hair a shade darker.

And that way you will be covering up your yellow and your orange.

Which one you use will depend on how brassy your hair is and what level you are looking to tone to: Level 9, level 8 or level 7.

Blondify 090B

Hair toned with Blondify 090B

This toner can be considered your go-to toner to tone over most light cases of excessive yellow and orange.

It is a level 9 based toner and it will get the hair to a consistent medium blonde color.

The toner is easy to use, gives consistent result and processes in just 10 minutes with 20 Vol developer.

It will cover over most cases of yellow and orange - provided that they are not too strong!

8.1b mixed with Ash Blue Additive

Light Cold Ash Blonde mixed with Ash Blue Additive

If you have really a lot of orange, you will need to go for a stronger toner.

In which case use Light Cold Ash Blonde, combined with some Ash Blue Additive.

The additive is essentially a blue based ash concentrate, and it is an excellent "fixing toner" for more serious cases of hair which is too orange.

7.1b mixed with Ash Grey Additive

Cold Ash Blonde 7.1b mixed with Ash Grey Additive

If the hair is even more orange rather than yellow, then you need to go a level darker.

In which case Cold Ash Blonde, which is a level 7 toner, would be more appropriate.

In this case, rather than mix with Ash Blue Additive, we would suggest you mix with Ash Grey Additive.

This additive contains ash in a very concentrated format.

It will darken the hair but it will also tone it very effectively.

Will ash blonde cover orange and yellow hair?

The answer is yes, yes it will cover yellow and orange, provide you do it right.

If you used the double process blonding technique described above, you would have lifted out all the yellow and the orange out of the hair. From there taking it to a light level ash blonde hair result is not hard.

Level 10 ash blonde toners will tone that away and very easily.

If on the other hand, you decided to just use a toner in order to get to a medium or dark blonde, you should still be able to get rid of the yellow and orange.

Only this way you will essentially be covering over it

How do you go about maintaining your ash blonde hair?

Congratulations on achieving your desired ash blonde hair!

Now that you have your stunning new color, it's important to understand how to properly maintain it to keep your locks looking vibrant and beautiful.

In this section, we will cover some essential tips for maintaining your ash blonde hair, the best hair products for ash blonde hair, and tips for preventing brassiness and how to maintain and refresh your ash blonde hair.

Best Hair Products for Ash Blonde Hair

Using the right hair products specifically formulated for ash blonde hair is crucial for maintaining its color and overall health. 

Specifically, hair which has been bleached and toned tends to be thin and lacking in volume.

For that reason we would recommend that you use Brilliant Blondexx shampoo and mask.

These products contain Bond Protect (like our Brilliant Blondexx bleach).

They will help keep your hair strong and voluminous.

You will notice the difference when it comes to styling the hair as well.

Tips for Preventing Brassiness

One common concern with ash blonde hair is the potential for brassiness, as the hair starts to develop warm or orange tones over time.

To keep your ash blonde hair looking cool and vibrant, we recommend that you use Brilliant Blonde Purple Shampoo and Mask.

These products contain purple pigments, and this helps you keep your ash blonde hair...ash blonde.

Even when exposed to sunlight and repeated washing and blowdrying.

How do you achieve ash blonde hair with dark roots?

To achieve a dark roots look, simply use a color like 6.1b (cold dark ash blonde) or 6N Dark Natural Blonde if there is a lot of white hair on the root area.

And apply your ash blonde color on the rest.

It will look great.

How do you achieve ash blonde hair on highlights?

All Blondify toners are non-lifting toners.

This means if you have highlights which are brassy, you can tone them using level 10 or level 9 Blondify liquid toners.

And you will be able to tone the highlights without lifting or touching the darker hair underneath.

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing this comprehensive guide to getting - and keeping - ash blonde hair! We hope we have covered everything you need to know, from understanding the appeal of ash blonde hair to achieving and maintaining this stunning hair color. Hopefully you can now go ahead and start achieving these looks, whether you work in a salon or from home.

Above all, enjoy and embrace the new looks that you create.

Hair coloring is a journey, never forget.

The better you get at bleaching and toning and playing with color, the more you will enjoy it.

So go ahead and have fun with your newly created ash blonde hair!