how to fix yellow hair

There isn't just one answer to this problem because first, we need to evaluate why your hair has those yellowish tones. And once we know why, then we can focus on the solution, which, of course, won't involve using toner. So:

If your hair turned yellow because you bleached it, the best way to fix it is to use an ash blonde dye.
If your hair ended up yellow because you used a dye on it, you could get rid of the yellow using a purple shampoo.
And, if your hair is yellow because your dye has faded, you can touch it up by using a blonde dye with a pearl tone.

Other than the why behind your hair turning yellow, all of these situations do have a common denominator, which is exactly that yellow color that you're not happy with in your hair.

But, cheer up! Because thanks to the color wheel and Mother Nature's wonderful ways, all colors have an opposite color that cancels it out.

In this case, purple neutralizes yellow.

You'll be able to get rid of that yellow in your hair without using a toner with any of these methods. So, you're fed up with that ugly yellow in your hair?

Well, declare war on it!

Let's start with the first situation. You bleached your hair, and the result was a color disaster.

How to get rid of yellow tones in bleached hair without using toner

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It's very common for orange and yellow to appear in hair after bleaching it since during the chemical process of bleaching it, your hair fiber fades each time you use the bleach mix.

That's why you have to be very careful each time you bleach your hair and never use a developer stronger than 30 volumes.

If you've bleached your hair and the result is yellow, you'll need to use an ash dye to neutralize it.

Dye with an ash tone is any dye that has a 1 as its secondary number.

For example:

If your hair is a medium to light color, you can use a dark ash blonde 1.
If your hair is light to very light, you can use a light ash blonde 1 or a very light ash blonde 9.1.
And, if your hair is very light to the lightest colors out there, then you can use an extra light ash blonde 1, or you can use extra light ash 11.1.

As you can see, the number after the decimal – the number 1 – indicates that it's an ash-toned color.

If you don't want to use an ash-toned color, you can choose one that has a pearl tone, which is identified by the number 2.

I always recommend that if unwanted tones appear after bleaching your hair, you use a more purple tone, which would be the number 2.

Why?

For two primary reasons:

If your hair turns really yellow after bleaching it and then use an ash tone on it (1), you run the risk of your color ending up green. If you mix yellow and blue, the result is green.
Chicken yellow isn't the same as orangey yellow. In this case, the pearl tone (2) will perfectly neutralize either variation of yellow.

So, if you bleached your hair and turned out yellow, all you need to do is use an ash-toned dye (1) or a pearl-toned dye (2).

Use the dye as you normally would, and the yellow will disappear from your hair.

Now, what happens if you dyed your hair and it ended up chicken yellow? I'm about to tell you how to fix that.

How to fix yellow from dye without using toner

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Many women love golden tones because they're warm colors that go perfectly with any kind of hair and skin. But sometimes, a tone can turn out too yellow once the dye settles.

What do you think? Should you go ahead and re-dye your hair?

No! You don't have to put your hair through that again.

All you have to do is use a purple shampoo because that's the color that will tone yellow.

You need to replace your normal shampoo with purple shampoo each time you wash your hair.

If you wash your hair every day, you'll need to use purple shampoo every day.
If you wash your hair every two days, you should use the purple shampoo every two days.

You'll see that after just two or three washes, the yellow will have disappeared.

How exactly you should use the shampoo can vary depending on the brand.

The procedure is generally the same from brand to brand, except how long you're supposed to leave the shampoo in your hair. So, in general, all you'll need to do is:

Wash your hair with purple shampoo.
Leave it in for 5-10 minutes.
Rinse with plenty of water, and then use your normal conditioner.

Did you dye your hair blonde, and you've noticed that after a little while, it has started to look yellow? That happens because dye fades. But, there's a solution to this, too, that doesn't include toner.

How to fix yellow that appears when blonde dye fades

Don't worry because, in this case, you won't have to resort to toner to get rid of those yellow tones, either.

All permanent dyes last a certain amount of time, which is usually about 4-5 weeks. It will all depend on how often you wash your hair, how much it's exposed to the sun and your hair care routine.

After that time goes by, you'll start to notice the color fading, leaving the dominant pigment exposed.

I'll give you an example:

If you used a light golden blonde 8.3, the dominant color or pigment is yellow.

When you first use the dye, your hair will look blonde with a gold-tone, but washing it, the products you use on it, and the sun, among other factors, degrade the dye and leave that predominate yellow tone.

In this case, the solution is to dye your hair again. But, if you use the same dye with the same tone as before, that unwanted yellow will appear again.

What you need to do is choose the same color dye, but with a pearl tone.

For example:

If you always use a 9.3, then you can use a 9.1 or 9.2.
If you always use an 8.3, then you can use an 8.1 or 8.2.

That way, you'll neutralize the yellow, and your hair will look perfect, with a harmonious tone, no unpleasant yellow ones to be seen.

Again, I personally recommend using a pearl-toned dye since it doesn't contain too much blue pigment, so you won't run the risk of your hair turning green.

Conclusions

Now you know that it's possible to get rid of yellow tones in your hair without using a toner.

It's important that you first identify why your hair turned yellow so you can find the best solution.

If your hair turned yellow because you bleached it or because your dye faded, you could use a blonde dye with an ash tone.
If you used a dye and some yellow appeared soon after, you can neutralize it with a purple shampoo.

And all of that without ever having to touch a toner.

Which of these solutions is best for you?