How to Fix Yellow Hair: Causes, Solutions and Product Picks That Work

Yellow, brassy hair is a common, unwanted visitor for many of us with blonde, grey and white hair. When hair is first coloured or highlighted the blonde is the perfect honey or ash shade. A few weeks later, you start to notice yellow tones.

Maintaining salon-perfect blonde can be a challenge, but there are ways to banish yellow hints. Here, we show you how to fix yellow hair and explain its causes, solutions and share product picks that work from some of the best professional brands available online in South Africa.

What causes hair to turn yellow?

Understanding the causes of yellow hair can help you avoid getting brassy tones in the first place and direct you towards the best solutions for your hair if they do appear.

Bleached or naturally blonde, grey or white hair contains less melanin, the pigment that determines colour, than darker shades. Melanin has a protective factor, and its absence makes hair more susceptible to absorbing substances that cause yellow tones.

Unfortunately, the actual process of bleaching and dyeing hair can cause yellow hues. Bleaching disrupts the melanin, removing the natural pigment, and if the hair is not lightened to the desired shade of blonde, it can reveal warm tones that look yellow or brassy.

Anyone with light hair is at risk of yellow tones caused by environmental and lifestyle factors. In South Africa where we experience prolonged sun exposure, ultraviolet (UV) rays are a yellow peril. UV rays damage the hair’s structure and turn it yellow through a process of oxidation.

Environmental pollutants, such as grime particles in the air and tar in cigarette smoke, get deposited on our hair, giving it a yellow tinge.

The hair products we use, especially those containing oils, waxes and sulphates, can build up over time, contributing to yellow undertones, especially when heat is applied.

Swimming in chlorinated pools can cause a chemical reaction between chlorine and metals in water, mainly copper, which bind to hair proteins, creating a yellow tint. And minerals, like calcium and magnesium, in hard tap water get deposited on our hair, building up a yellow tinge over time.

How to help prevent yellowing of hair

The best way to prevent hair from turning yellow is to treat your hair gently and to use the correct products. These are formulated to prevent discolouration and to neutralise yellow, brassy tones if they appear.

If you have naturally blonde, white or grey hair, or have had your hair bleached or dyed, start with the following protective actions to maintain cool tones and avoid warm, yellow hints.

1. Always wear a sunhat to avoid UV rays.
2. Minimise hair exposure to smoke and environmental pollutants.
3. Wear a swimming cap in pools.
4. Consider a shower filter to remove minerals from water.
5. Reduce the number of times you wash your hair.
6. Use sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner.
7. Choose colour-protective hair products.
8. Keep hair nourished and hydrated.
9. Avoid harsh hair products and limit clarifying shampoos that strip hair.
10. Apply a treatment that protects hair from heat, damaging UV rays and environmental pollutants.

Top products for neutralising yellow tones

The top hair products for neutralising yellow tones should be incorporated into a regular three-step routine – shampoo, condition, mask – that fights fade, eliminates yellow and restores amazing white, blonde and silver tones.

Here is our selection of the best picks from top professional brands available online in South Africa.

We have the best purple shampoos for blondes, as well as no-yellow, silverising and blue-violet shampoos for all shades of grey, white and silver hair. They work by depositing coloured pigments that counteract and neutralise yellow, brassy tones.

Here are eight of our top product picks that cleanse and brighten, revive and whiten, instantly creating brighter, cleaner blonde tones.

We recommend:

The best no-yellow moisturising conditioners hydrate strands, flatten cuticles and reduce porosity to help prevent the discolouration process.

Here are six of our top no-yellow conditioners that also create a shield for protection from the environmental stressors that cause yellowing, such as UV rays, pollution and smoke.

We recommend:

The third step for the prevention and treatment of yellow tones is a toning mask. They can intensify the tone of blonde, silver and white-blonde hair and nourish the hair.

We recommend:

Other products that can counter yellow include toning drops, heat-shielding serums and violet treatment sprays.

We recommend:

Home vs. salon solutions: what works best?

It may seem like your hair never looks or feels as good as when you walk out of a salon. In reality, achieving salon-quality blonde hair at home is less about the setting and more about using the correct, professional-grade products.

To maintain salon-quality blonde hair at home, follow the steps above and invest in the top products and treatments to suit your hair colour and type.

If your hair has suffered significant damage from bleach or dyeing, or you feel you don’t know where to start, visit a stylist for a great cut and treatment. A professional will guide you on the products that will work on your hair and how to use them at home.

Extra tips for maintaining bright, cool-toned hair

The key to maintaining bright, cool-toned hair is consistency. Ideally, incorporate purple shampoos and no-yellow hair treatments into your weekly maintenance routine.

Often, the best option is to alternate purple shampoo with a regular shampoo. Overusing pigmented hair products can dehydrate hair and leave a mauve, grey tint.

Weekly nourishment is essential. Blonde, white and grey hair are more porous than dark shades, so they’re prone to dryness. Deep conditioning maintains moisture and shine.

And remember, to stay icy blonde keep your head and hair cool – that includes water temperatures, dryer settings and a hat on your head in the sun. Heat damages the hair structure and makes it more susceptible to yellowing.

The best no-yellow hair products at Hairhouse Warehouse

To see more of the best products to fix yellow hair, visit Hairhouse Warehouse.

Hairhouse Warehouse offers South Africa’s largest selection of hair, beauty, skin, spa and men’s care products online to the public.