Remove Blue Shades With This Pre-Tone Trick!

Remove Stubborn Blue Shades With This Pre-Tone Trick!

Have client that wants to transition from a blue hue to a more natural shade, but removing the blue is problematic? We hear you! Lucky for all of us, BTC #ONESHOT Winner and Rebel Femme Salon Owner Mirella Manelli (@mirellamanelli) put a quick vid on her YouTube channel explaining her “Browning-Out” pre-tone process. Her what? Don’t worry fam, scroll down for everything you need to know, including Mirella’s favorite products for the process!

Products Used

Hair Color

Kenra Color® Creative

Kenra Professional

Demi-Permanent Color

Kenra Color Demi-Permanent

Kenra Professional

Demi-Permanent Color

Demi-Permanent Coloring Creme Activator

Kenra Professional

Hair Color

Transparent Lightener System

Kenra Professional

Why Are Blue and Teal Shades to Tricky to Remove?

For her YouTube video, Mirella mainly focuses on removing blue and teal shades from Kenra Professional Color Creative direct dye. Blue and teal direct dyes have a smaller molecule, Mirella explains, meaning, they penetrate the hair deeper than other fashion colors which makes them more difficult to remove or color over directly.

Why Doesn’t Lightener Only Do the Trick?

First instinct may be to just bleach that blue out, but Mirella explains that using a lightener to lift might not get the results you or your client are looking for. When using a lightener first, Mirella explains, the end result is just going to be a lighter, brighter blue. If the client wants to go for a darker, natural shade then this process could work, depending on how dark the client wants to go.

So, What IS “Browning-Out”

In order to give your client a better chance at a natural end result, you first have to neutralize the blue shade, making it easier to color over. Mirella used her Kenra Professional Color Book, opened to the color wheel page and found the complementary color for blue and teal. Complementary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel, so, to brown out blue use a copper shade and for teal, red.

Determine the Level and Apply

Once the complementary shades are picked, determine what level of the complementary shade is needed to match the level of blue. Then, go ahead and apply the shade directly over the blue color. Since the goal is maximum deposit with little lift, Mirella suggests using demi-permanent shades instead of permanent dye. Mirella used the Kenra Color Demi-Permanent color in the shades 5C for Blue and 6R for the Teal with a 9-volume developer. Let process for a full 25 minutes to ensure maximum saturation.

Lift & Tone

After allowing the demi-permanent color to process, wash and towel dry the hair and follow with lightener. “You want to lift the pre-toned hair to a natural shade versus a light blue,” Mirella explains, “so after lifting, you can tone with a natural shade.” Mirella likes the Kenra Color Simply Blonde Transparent Lightener and Activator because when mixed, it is a creamy white. But when mixed, it applied clear on the hair so you can see the lifting happen during processing. Then apply a natural toner to get the client to their desired shade and style!

Check Out Mirella’s YouTube Video Here 51k Viewers Already Have!