For the past month, I’ve diligently taken to the shower twice weekly with a blue rinse. I know how that sounds - my husband’s face when I declared that I’d need an extra five minutes in the shower for my rinse reminded me that some of my beauty experiments may be ever so slightly out there. But this, I’m convinced, is a worthy step if you, like me, have dyed portions of blonde that are prone to brassiness.
I was first alerted to the benefits of a blue rinse when having balayage a couple of months ago with Jack Howard. ‘Blondes need maintenance,’ he told me. When I asked if the odd moisturise mask was enough, he corrected me: ‘no - the colour blonde can turn thanks to oxidisation as a result of pollution and heat damage. That’s why they get brassy. I always recommend colour correctors to be used once or twice a week - not more, or you may end up dulling your blonde.’
Armed with his advice - and with a bottle of Oribe Bright Blonde Radiance and Repair Treatment - I stuck to the regime of washing with shampoo, adding my rinse, and then conditioning afterwards twice weekly. I reasoned that as the extra step took all of two minutes, I could also managed to squeeze in some exfoliation while I was waiting for it to do it’s thing. Win, win.
The results of this one aren’t immediately apparent - they're are designed to preserve, not to colour your hair. That said, it’s now been two months since my colour job and I’m now a blue rinse devotee; I’d usually have to go to have a tint put on or by now be beginning to turn a little too copper for my liking, but my blonde, balayaged ends are still cool-toned and don’t need a top up. If only I could say the same about my greying roots, but that’s a whole other beauty dilemma…
Three to try:
L’Oreal Professional Serie Expert Colour Corrector Blondes. This is a weekly treatment cream that really goes to work on eliminating excess yellowness.
Rita Hazan True Colour Ultimate Shine Gloss in Breaking Brass. Put this lightweight mousse on after shampoo to reduce brassiness while also upping shine.
Oribe Bright Blonde Radiance and Repair Treatment. My top pick, this one keeps blonde hair on the cool side and helps to seal split ends.
