Why does my hair go brassy & how do I prevent or fix it?
First, a little bit of biology about your hair;
The colour of your hair comes from naturally occurring pigments called melanins, in fact melanins make up between 1-3% of the hairs weight.
Eumelanin and pheomelanin play key roles in eye, hair, and skin colour. Euomelanin is responsible for brown/black pigments in the hair and Pheomelanin is responsible for Red Brown/Red Yellow pigments. The natural colour of hair is different from person to person and depends on the ratio and density of these melanins.
- Brunettes have a lot of Euomelanin
- Redheads have the most pheomelanin
- Blondes have a mixture of both but pigments are low in distribution
The potential for hair to turn brassy depends on the hair type, the concentration and ratio of melanins (people with higher concentrations of Pheomelanin are likely to have more brassy tones when melanin breaks down in the hair) and how much the hair is exposed to chemical, thermal and environmental factors.
UV, heat styling and colouring the hair can break down and change the ratio of melanins within the structure of the hair.
The important part, what can you do to get rid of brassiness in the hair?
Prevention
- Apply a sunscreen for the hair when UV levels are high
- Avoid shampoos containing sulphates
- Use a thermal/heat protection spray on the hair before styling
- Wet hair in the shower before swimming in chlorinated water
- Keep hair in good condition with regular conditioning treatments
Cure
Ask a professional to advise you on the best journey for you. If you have coloured hair, there could be a better product out there that will reduce or neutralise brassy tones but it requires someone who knows the science to properly advise you!
