COLOUR RESTORE Cool Ash

This question is derived from the fact as to whether the hair (prior to use) was orange or in fact red. Colour Restore Cool Ash is designed to neutralise gingery tones in brunette hair, or orangey tones in blonde hair. So, the kind of tone I refer to in ‘blonde’ cases is peach. If your hair is traffic light amber, Cool Ash will not be able to neutralise, because that shade is too dark and intense for a neutraliser to do anything. If someone has got bright orange hair before use, the question really is: where did you want to be? Were you looking to be blonde or brunette? Bright orange hair near enough always indicates the hair is not lightened enough, so if you apply Cool Ash to very orange hair, and no neutralisation is seen – it simply means this described ‘orange’ tone is actually red based and a) has too much depth and b) cannot be neutralised by an anti-orange product. This last factor is important to understand in hair colouring principles. Many bright oranges are derived from red pigments. Cool Ash contains pigments that neutralise orange but not red. To neutralise red, you need a green pigment and the result would only ever be brunette as both red and green are depth colours.

If you have the correct depth and warm hue in the hair to tone (so gingery, orange, warm hue, rusty tone, a peachy-blonde orange), as we recommend the product be used on, and you still see no result, this is nearly always attributable to the barrier factor. Barriers are on the hair will prevent Cool Ash from entering. Remember, if you have just coloured or lightened the hair (prior to use of Cool Ash), did the product used to lighten feature an after-treatment conditioner? If so, this would have created a barrier on the hair.

For good neutralisation and effectiveness of Cool Ash, use Precolour Clarifier several times to clear these barriers and then use Cool Ash again at a 20-minute development.

You may feel you are seeing no result, when the product has in fact worked and neutralised warmth – but is not displaying the desired ash shade. Ash tone is a more intricate hue to display on hair that previously had warmth, simply because the ash tone infused will attempt to cancel out the warmth. When it does this, both the ash tone and the warm tone vanish, and the hair appears neutral. Therefore, to display Cool Ash as a tone (in such bases) the consumer must apply two to three intensive applications of the product to load the ash pigment in their hair. Once they have done this, they should only use a blue shampoo and Cool Ash as their two-minute conditioner. These aspects will ensure the cool ash tone is retained in the hair.

Remember one application of Cool Ash will counteract warmth and create a ‘neutral’ shade. But two to three applications would be needed to overload the hair with cool tone to create that ash shade.

After creating the colour with intensive treatments, I recommend Cool Ash be used as a two-minute conditioner after each shampoo. I also recommend such consumers only use blue toned shampoos to cleanse their hair moving forward. As explained above, Cool Ash must work as a neutraliser to any underlying orange tone. Therefore, by continually introducing the ash pigments to the hair, it will retain an overall cool-ash shade.

If you feel your hair looks blue after using one treatment of Cool Ash, this will be because you have a white or light blonde base with no orange tone present. In some instances, you may have perceived yellow to be orange and in fact should have used Iced Platinum. However, when this incident occurs it usually means you liked the box shade colour and were attempting to achieve this ash result more so than neutralisation. But remember, Colour Restore Cool Ash is not a ‘colourant shade’ but ash neutralisation pigments.

To remove the unwanted blue/ash simply clarify the hair, and then start using coconut oil treatments. Coconut oil is good at pulling direct dye out of the hair. You will find this blue-ash tone will go very quickly if the above approach is taken.

Lastly, use Colour Restore Chrome in the future. Chrome can be deposited onto white hair and will display a silver (slightly ash) result.

Cool Ash is a great product to use on lightened colour effects and particularly balayage, because balayage (on natural darker bases) tends to have a rusty or raw edge if it is not toned regularly. Therefore, Cool Ash is particularly good for keeping balayage effects refined and neutral. These same principles apply for the use of the product with traditional highlights and Ombre. Just remember, if these lightened effects are pale blonde, the effects from Cool Ash will cause such lightened areas to have a high ash or metallic tone. This might be preferable for a lot of consumers today (particularly brunettes), but if you like a crisp light clear blonde, you should (instead) be using Colour Restore Iced Platinum.