Pink can be such a fun hair color. However, after some time, you may become bored or tired of having pink hair. Or, perhaps you need to remove the ‘fun’ color to get your hair back to a more normal color for work, school, or something else. If so, you’re probably looking to find the answer to, “what color cancels out pink hair?” Good news! We’re here to share the answer to this question and give you all the other information you’ll need to remove the pink hair color.
Table of Contents
- What Color Cancels Out Pink Hair?
- How to Cancel Out Pink Tones in Hair
- How to Tone Pastel Pink Hair
- FAQs
- Canceling Out Pink Hair Dye
What Color Cancels Out Pink Hair?
If you have pink hair from the pandemic or any other reason, and you’re ready to get rid of it, your first question is probably “what color cancels out pink hair?”
To understand what color cancels out pink, you must think about the color wheel. Colors that are opposite one another on the wheel can neutralize each other. Pink has red tones, so to determine what color will cancel out pink, you need to look for what is opposite red. You may remember from high school art classes, that green is across from red. So, green is the color you’ll need to cancel out pink hair.
What happens when you use green on pink hair? Well, like we just said, the green tones should neutralize the pink/red tones since the two colors are opposite one another on the color wheel.
Green Toner for Pink Hair
Can you use green to cancel out pink hair? Yes, using a green toner or green toning shampoo is the best way to neutralize pink tones from your hair. Toners are designed to neutralize different tones in hair.
Finding the right toner color is essential based on the color you have dyed your hair. Green is opposite red/pink on the color wheel. So, to neutralize pink hair color, you must use a green toner, green toning shampoo, and/or green toning conditioner
Using Purple Toner on Pink Hair
Bored with the pink hair and ready for a change? Curious whether purple toner will be effective at canceling out the pink tones? Before you reach for that purple toner or purple shampoo, think again.
Using purple toner on pink hair will not neutralize the pink tones. Purple shampoo works to neutralize warm and brassy tones in bleached or blonde hair. It will not work for pink hair.
Using Blue Shampoo on Pink Hair
What happens when you use blue shampoo on pink hair? Will it help neutralize or fade the pink color? No, blue shampoos and toners are also not a good choice when trying to cancel out pink hair. Blue is opposite orange on the color wheel, making it a good choice to cancel out orange hair color, but not pink.
How to Cancel Out Pink Tones in Hair
As we shared above, you will need to use green to cancel out pink tones in your hair. In the next few sections, I’ll share three different approaches you can try to remove the pink dye.
Green Shampoo
Using green shampoo to cancel out pink tones in hairs is one of the easiest and less risky options. Like we shared above, green works to neutralize pink tones because it is opposite red on the color wheel.
While using green hair dye is another option to consider (and we’ll share more about it below), it is much riskier. When using green dye, you run the risk of choosing the wrong shade of green and ending up with green hair.
With green shampoo, on the other hand, you can neutralize the pink pigments more gradually. Every time you wash your hair, you’ll be depositing a small amount of green into it. You can then check the results, and decide whether you want to continue using the green shampoo for future washes, or decide that you’ve achieved your goal and successfully neutralized the pink tones.
You can purchase green shampoo online, but you can also make your own green shampoo. Making your own green shampoo gives you greater control over the exact shade of green you choose.
The first step in making your own green shampoo is to start with a moisturizing shampoo. This will offer greater protection to your hair. Next, you must choose a semi-permanent green hair dye. It is essential to select the right shade of green based on the shade of pink that is in your hair.
- Light pink hair needs light green hair dye.
- Medium pink hair needs medium green hair dye.
- Dark pink hair needs dark pink hair dye.
If the shade of green you select is too strong compared to the pink color in your hair, it may turn your hair green.
Steps to Make and Use Green Shampoo
- Mix equal parts moisturizing shampoo and the green semi-permanent hair dye in an empty bottle.
- Apply the shampoo to wet hair and massage it into your hair.
- Let the shampoo sit for 4 to 6 minutes.
- Rinse your hair with lukewarm water
- Dry your hair
- Assess your hair color and repeat the steps above as necessary.
Green Hair Dye
You can also use green semi-permanent hair dye to neutralize the pink tones in your hair. However, as we shared above, this can be more risky than using a green shampoo. Unless you choose exactly the right green color to use, you may accidentally end up dying your hair green.
The benefit of using green semi-permanent hair dye instead of green shampoo is that you won’t need to go through multiple steps. Like we shared above, green shampoo works more gradually. So, it may take several washes to get rid of all the pink tones.
Before using a green semi-permanent hair dye on your pink hair, take care to choose the right shade of green. Remember, light pink hair will need light green dye, while darker pink hair will require darker green dye.
Steps to Use Semi-Permanent Green Hair Dye
- Section your hair into four parts.
- Let out one section at a time and apply the green semi-permanent hair dye. Start at the root and work your way to the ends.
- Let out the other sections, one at a time, and apply the green semi-permanent hair dye from the roots to the ends of each strand.
- Allow the color to sit for about 20 minutes.
- Rinse using lukewarm water until there is not more green coming off of your hair.
- Dry your hair
Clarifying Shampoo/Bleach
If you have blonde/bleached blonde hair, the methods above may not be the most effective choice for you. Here is something else you can try:
- Use a clarifying shampoo. Clarifying shampoos can remove traces of hair dye, and may be effective at removing the pink tones from your hair.
- Try bleach. Bleaching pink hair is another option to try if the clarifying shampoo doesn’t provide you with the results you want.
- Use a green toner. Applying a green toner after bleaching your hair will help to cancel out any pink tones that may still remain.
How to Tone Pastel Pink Hair
If you have pastel pink hair that you want to tone, try using one of the methods shared above. These include using green shampoo, using green hair dye, or using a clarifying shampoo, bleach, and a green toner. These will help you neutralize the pink tones in your hair and allow you to return your hair to a color you’ll be more happy with.
FAQs
What hair color cancels out red tones?
If you want to cancel out red tones in your hair, you’ll want to use green hair dye. Since green and red are opposite from each other on the color wheel, they can work to neutralize each other. However, using green hair dye can be risky, as the wrong shade of green may turn your hair green. As a safe alternative, consider using a green shampoo instead.
How to fade pink hair?
If you got caught up in the pandemic pink hair trend or dyed your hair pink for any other reason, you may be ready for a change. Using a green shampoo can help to fade your pink hair dye. Red and green are opposite of one another on the color wheel. Since pink is made with red pigments, using a green shampoo can help to neutralize the color, causing it to fade.
Canceling Out Pink Hair Dye
Do you feel like you can breathe a sigh of relief now? If you’re ready to move on past the pink hair color you chose, hopefully you feel prepared and understand what you’ll need to do. What new hair color do you see in your future? Please come back and share what worked to cancel out the pink in your hair!
Check out these related posts on our blog:
Green’s not for everyone since it’s quite a brave color to change natural hair into, but you never know what looks good until you try, right?
This was such an informative read! Using the color wheel makes sense- but I would be super scared to put green dye in my hair, haha.
Hope you’ll swing by my new post
-Ashley