Does a Balyage / Highlights almost always turn Brassy?

[Againstthegrainn]

Hi there

It has been 5 years since I last had any colour on my hair. I have very dark brown hair, went for highlights which eventually turned brassy after a short while.

This happened before that also about 7 years ago. I wasn't taking care of it as I should, but then someone I know said they had the same problem even though they used the right shampoo/conditioner and tried everything the hairdresser advised. She also has naturally dark brown hair

Is this unavoidable if you have dark brown hair? I don't want to spend lots of money on something that will only look good for a couple of weeks

Attached a pic of what I wanted done but really worried that it will only stay like that for 2 weeks before turning brassy

That's not balayage. I have dark brown / grey hair and a dye allergy so can only have balayage. It's never been brassy

@boulevardofbrokendreamss that's reassuring! What is your routine to keep the colour looking good? Do you use a specific shampoo?

It's inevitable that bleached hair, which is then toned to give it a certain colour, turns brassy.

I don't have brown hair but have a full head of highlights and I use a strong purple shampoo (brands like Olaplex and Fenola) every few weeks to keep it ashy, which is how I like it.

For brown hair a good blue shampoo every few weeks should keep it in good colour condition, Fenola make a good one. Brown hair I think goes more orange than yellow so blue counters that better.

You'll also want to make sure you use a good shampoo/conditioner routine to keep your hair healthy, so again Olaplex. Or Kerastase/Redken colour specific ranges. No point spending so much money at the hairdresser to then go and use a high street shampoo on it and strip all the colour out!

I have full head of highlights done frequently. It’s only been the last 2 years though I’ve invested in proper hair care products for inbetween (kerastase) and it’s made a world of difference. Good products and keep hair washing to a minimum within reason and it lasts so much longer. You can also go in for a toner inbetween to freshen it up.