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12.23.2025
Brassy Brunettes? Here's How to Tone Down Red Hair Color
By: Zara Kenyon
There are the kinds of reds your client dreams of – think cowboy copper, rich mahogany and strawberry blonde. Then there are the reds they don't want: the brassy, rusty tinges that leave their hair looking in need of a refresh. The latter is common in brunette manes that are fading overly warm, and knocking those red tones out is a task best left to professionals – meaning you.
So, we're here to show you how to tone down red hair color for brunettes and restore much-needed balance. Keep scrolling for the formula-mixing tips that will make brassy brown hair a thing of the past...
But, First – What Causes Unwanted Red Tones?
There are a number of reasons red tones might be dulling your client's brunette shine. Here are some of the common culprits behind a brown color that's leaning too warm:
Sun damage – Just as the sun can alter the color of skin, it also affects the hair. UV exposure may lift your client's shade, exposing overly warm, red undertones in the process.
Hair lightening – As hair is lightened, your client's natural yellow, red or orange undertones are exposed. If hair isn't lightened or toned properly, stubborn red tinges may be more visible.
Fading hair color – If hair color isn't well maintained with a shade-protecting shampoo and conditioner, the color can start to fade and brassy red hues may begin to shine through.
Excess heat styling – Without the right heat protectant – we love ULTIMATE REPAIR Protective Leave-In – hot tools can speed up the fading of your client's hair color, exposing red warmth in the process.
Image Credit: @dereqc
How Can You Neutralize Red and Orange Tones?
1. Decide if the Hair Needs Lightening
If you think your client's hair needs lightening to lift out the rusty hues, turn to a high-precision hair lightener that lets you go to any level. Wella Professionals BlondorPlex is perfect, as it not only gives you up to nine levels of lift, but it also gives your client up to 97% less breakage¹. It's also infused with an anti-brass complex to help neutralize excess warmth. Use it to lift your client's hair to the correct underlying tone, and their base will be ready for a fresh, balanced coat of color.
2. Choose a Color with Hints of Blue or Green
The most essential step when toning down red hues is a color correction. That means applying the rules of color theory to neutralize the unwanted warmth. First, let's look at the color wheel...
Colors that sit opposite each other on this wheel have a neutralizing effect, which is why purple shampoo is so often used to cool down yellowish blondes – the two hues are opposites. So, when it's red tones you're correcting, you want a color formula that contains a hint of green, and if there are orangey-red tinges you need to tone down, a little blue will also help.
In the Wella Professionals portfolio, decoding shades with green or blue undertones is simple. The number one salon color brand in the world² uses the same numbering system across all of its products, from Illumina to Color Touch. This number is divided by a stroke, with the depth level represented by the number before the stroke and the tonal direction represented by the number(s) after it.
It's the numbers after the stroke you need to pay attention to. The first is the major tone and, if there's a second, it denotes the minor tone. You want at least one of these numbers to be a /1 (for ashy green/blue) or a /2 (for matt green). The /1 will subdue red tones while /2 will neutralize. Whether these colors are the major or minor tone depends on the intensity of correction that's needed. Choose the corrective color number that matches up with your client’s dream shade, and you'll be on track to reducing redness.
3. Pick the Right Color Product for Your Client's Hair Goals
It's not just about the shade you choose; the color product matters, too. Choose a formula that gives your client the coverage, finish and maintenance they're hoping for...
If they want stunning intensity: Koleston Perfect's pure-pigment, permanent formula will lock in the most flawless color. It harnesses Ultra Precision Color Technology to give you beautifully balanced results with natural-looking depth and shine. Available in more than 140 shades, it also offers up to 100% grey coverage. So, when clients crave a full-coverage shade that's stunningly rich, this iconic color delivers.
If they want vibrancy and shine: Color Touch is their go-to. It has a similarly rich finish to Koleston Perfect, but with the low-maintenance benefits of a demi-permanent color. It's also packed with Metal Purifier for true-to-tone vibrancy and shine, no matter the hair's condition. This means, even if your client's hair is dry or porous, you can achieve reliable results. Plus, it fades beautifully over 28 washes, so they don't need to worry about harsh regrowth lines.
If they want lit-from-within luminosity: Illumina Color will set their hair color aglow, with a permanent formula that mimics the natural highs and lows in their hair. It's packed with MicroLight Technology, which protects the clarity of the hair cuticle, allowing light to enter each strand and illuminate the color from the inside out.
If they want a zero-damage glaze: a SHINEFINITY Color Glaze will bestow hair with a translucent veil of color – perfect for lighter color corrections and the glossiest, healthiest finish. The zero-lift, zero-damage, demi-permanent formula also leaves hair up to 250% shinier³. So, if your client's biggest goal is dealing with dullness, damage-free, this glaze will give them that radiant sheen.
What About Clients Who Want Red – But Not That Red?
We've covered what happens when your brunette client's hair starts to reflect hints of red. But what do you do when your client is supposed to have red hair, and they just want to make it softer? As the seasons change, they might be ready to switch from a copper red to a deep auburn, and you might find layering a darker shade over the top is enough to refine their hue.
However, if they feel they'd prefer an earthier red, the color wheel approach above is going to help you subtly tone their shade. Again, you want hints of ash or blue to cool things down, as they're opposite red and orange on the color wheel. Make sure these ash or blue hues are the minor tone in your color formula – not the major tone. That balance ensures you refine the red without removing its richness completely.
Image Credit: @hairbylizzielane
How to Make Sure Brassy Red Tones Don't Reappear
Prevention is in the hands of your clients, but you can help them avoid red brassy tones in the future by recommending a care routine that keeps their rich brunette intact. Suggest these steps...
1. Use a Color-Safe Shampoo and Conditioner
All colored hair needs a shampoo and conditioner that protects against fading, so help your client choose formulas that lock in their shade while catering to their hair type. We recommend Wella Professionals ULTIMATE SMOOTH Shampoo for frizz-defying shine, ULTIMATE SMOOTH Shampoo for deep, inside-out repair, Sebastian Professional Twisted Elastic Curls Shampoo for healthy curls and coils, and System Professional Color Save Shampoo for all hair types prone to fading.
2. Refine Brunettes with a Color-Depositing Mask
In between salon visits, your client can refine their tone with a color-depositing mask. Recommend Wella Professionals Color Fresh Mask in Chocolate Touch to enrich brunettes, while glossing over any red brassiness. All they have to do is wash their hair as usual, squeeze out excess water, and apply the mask from root to tip. After 10 minutes, they'll rinse it out to reveal a radiant chocolate brown hair color that gleams with health.
3. Apply a Heat and UV Protectant
We know that heat and UV rays can speed up color fade, so your client needs a hard-working protectant to keep both at bay. Wella Professionals ULTIMATE REPAIR Protective Leave-In is a multi-tasking delicate cream, with the power to protect damaged hair from 5 key concerns: breakage, UV, heat, mechanical damage and excess frizz. If they want shielding and shine in one, they could also try ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum, a luxurious elixir that protects against heat and sun exposure, while locking in smoothness that lasts up to 3 days⁴.
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¹ When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex, versus Blondorplex alone.
² Based on Wella Master Brand USD sales on the 2023 Salon Hair Care Study for the hair coloring products category published by Kline.
³ Versus untreated bleached hair.
⁴ If unwashed for 3 days, vs. untreated
