Ash Blonde Hair at home | How to get the cool blonde look.

Ahhh Ash Blonde hair, the happy marriage of the latest silver trend and an icy platinum blonde.

If you want to colour your hair a cool hue that will always be on trend, this is it.

But how do you know if it’s the right shade of blonde for you? And how can you get the look at home?

Sit back, relax, and let us tell you everything you need to know about becoming a gorgeous cool blonde goddess at home.

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Ash blonde hair: 6 top tips!

  1. Find an ashy blonde colour that matches your skin tone.
  2. Use bleach, ash blonde hair dye or hair lightener to create the desired look.
  3. Apply a blonde hair toner to get rid of yellow tones and make it a cooler, platinum-looking shade.
  4. Make sure you condition your hair after bleaching, as this will prevent breakage and dryness from all the chemicals used in the process.
  5. Keep using moisturising products after colouring, to keep your blonde locks hydrated and healthy!
  6. Stay away from heat styling tools – they can fry your hair! If you must use them, be careful not to overheat them or leave them on too long.

What is ash blonde hair color colour? 

Ash is a cool hue with notes of blue, purple and silver. 

Ash blonde hair color refers to a very light and almost white shade of cool blonde with distinct grey undertones.

It’s not as bright and icy as platinum, it’s a more of a naturally blonde colour. Dirty blonde is another cool blonde shade which is slightly darker, more tonal and blended.

The smokey tone of blonde is incredibly versatile as can hold its own from one season to the next. It looks great on both short and long hair. It doesn’t have to be super light, dark ash blonde looks incredible too. But either way, your hair will need to have a light base colour to achieve it.

Although it’s a cool colour, it can be warmed up with super hot styles like balayage, ash blonde highlights and ombre which all look look awesome with ash. Blended with light brown shades, grown-out and darker roots, it’s to dye for!

Plus it will take other colours really well, so you can add temporary touches of pink, blue, and purple highlights if your heart desires.

Check out the latest looks for ideas and inspiration.

ash blonde hair color collection board pinterest

Can ash blonde colour look grey?

Ash colours tend to look darker but how grey your hair will look depends how light your hair is to begin with.

If you’re interested in the silver hair trend but don’t want to fully commit for fear of looking grey, then this hue is the way to go for you. It will give you a warmer grey-blonde tone than it’s sister silver.

Pearl blonde is a creamier blonde tone that’s also a slighter warmer and whiter shade that’s not as grey tonally too.

ashy blonde instagram pic

Will ash blonde suit me?

This is a cool colour that’s really versatile but will suit most people with cool tones.

You can warm it up with lowlights, add streaks or dipped ends to add some colour.

It’s important to know and understand your own colours to help you decide whether ashy tones would suit you.

And when we say your colours we mean things like your skin tone, eye colour and even the clothes you wear – these determine the right shades for you.

Do I have warm or cool undertones?

You can take a look at our check list to help you find out if your undertones are warm or cool!

If you have warm undertones:

  • You have red or golden undertones in your hair.
  • Your skin tone will be golden, tan or olive.
  • You have green veins in your wrist.
  • You suit bright or rich shades.
  • You probably have freckles.
  • Gold jewellery looks awesome on you.

If you have cool undertones:

  • Your skin tone is pink or pale.
  • You prefer wearing jewel and pastel colours.
  • The colour yellow does not look good on you.
  • You have blue veins in your wrist.
  • Pearls and silver jewellery look awesome on you.
cool or warm undertones infographic

Which hair colours suit me?

We’ve also developed a quick quiz that will tell you which hair colours will most suit you!

From dark ash blonde, to ash blonde balayage and highlights. Answer a few quick questions and find out. Take the quiz!

which hair colors suit me quiz

What hair color suits me?

You can also try on some virtual hair colours with the Best app to change your hair color!

Will ash blonde dye damage my hair?

Of course, any hair colouring process will dry out your hair and can turn it into a haystack, particularly if you have to lighten it first with bleach.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t repair it and lovingly bring it back to it’s best again.

Smother your hair in a good deep conditioning treatment once a week to restore your hair with moisture and replenish your locks.

We’d also recommend waiting a couple of weeks and doing an at-home keratin treatment to really smooth and put the goodness back into your locks.

These powerful treatments are particularly good for blondes who bleach their hair as it restores the bonds that give your hair its strength.

Doing this in between colourings will really make a difference to the condition of your hair.

How can I get the ash blonde look at home?

This can be a tricky colour to get yourself at home. This is where you’ll need to exercise caution. If you want to get this look at home, listen carefully to us, your coloured hair expert friends. 

If your current hair colour is any shade that’s darker blonde– your hair will first need to be lightened with bleach before you can dye it this color. That’s if you have light brown hair, medium and dark brunettes and blacks.

This also includes other on-trend colours like violets and blues as you’ll need to remove all colour before you can go for this ashy shade.

Colour cannot lighten colour so unless you already have a super light base, trying to use hair dye is likely to make your hair even darker than it already is.

Check out our advice in How to bleach your hair at home, DIY style for top tips and products you can use to do this.

If the thought of lightening your own hair at home makes you nervous, see a professional. You don’t want to get it wrong!

If your current colour is any shade lighter than blonde – perfecto. You need a super light base to achieve this hue.

Light-haired peeps are safe to dye your hair yourself. AS LONG AS you read the advice on the box you choose carefully to match it with the colour your hair is now.

Some blonde dyes will lighten your hair a level or two but don’t expect miracles.

If you need to go up more than two levels, it’s best to use hair bleach that’s specially made for the job to avoid ending up orange!

dark ash color highlights instagram

Which is the best ash blonde hair dye?

All hair colouring products are not created equal.

Some don’t have as great of staying power as others. Others aren’t as easy to apply yourself at home.

The danger with blonde of course is that you may even end up orange!

So once your hair is the right base colour, these are the best ashy blonde box dyes to get gorgeous ashy blonde hues!

Read more about each hair dye in our in-depth Best ash blonde hair dye reviews.

Always remember to do a strand test first!

Best Ash Blonde Hair Dye at a glance

Hair DyeLooks likeBest forBuy now
Garnier Olia Ash Blondeq? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B013BKRU1C&Format= SL160 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=colouredhairc 21&language=en GBbest ash blonde hair dye garnier oliaSubtle hues. This isn’t one for a dramatic colour change.
John Frieda Precision Foam Light Ash Blondeq? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01L96IETC&Format= SL160 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=colouredhairc 21&language=en GBbest ash blonde hair dye john friedaIt’s great for thick hair as the foam really penetrates. Long lasting colour.
Clairol Nice n Easy Medium Ash Blondeq? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B07QYG97K5&Format= SL160 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=colouredhairc 21&language=en GBbest ash blonde hair dye nice n easyIt has slightly warmer tones. Best for medium blondes.
Revlon Colorsilk Ultra Light Ash Blondeq? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0039404TG&Format= SL160 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=colouredhairc 21&language=en GBbest ash blonde hair dye revlonIt’s not as bright as platinum blonde but it’s not far off. Best for brighter blondes.
L'Oreal Preference Infinia, Viking Light Ash Blonde Hair Dye.q? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01BNCXINY&Format= SL160 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=colouredhairc 21&language=en GBbest ash blonde hair dye lorealTrue cool ash colour.
Clairol Age Defy Permanent Hair Dye, Medium Ash Blondeq? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0781VSQ5W&Format= SL160 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=colouredhairc 21&language=en GBbest ash blonde hair dye clairolGreat grey coverage.

TOP PICK!

L’Oreal Preference Infinia, Viking Light Ash Blonde.

q? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01BNCXINY&Format= SL250 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=colouredhairc 21&language=en GB

They say:

  • Luminous colour full of reflects.
    A translucent gel formula.
  • The new precious oil drop intensifies natural tones of your hair colour.
  • Up to 100% grey coverage.
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Reviewers say:

“I bought this ages ago & apprehensive but pleasantly surprised by result. No warm tones & thankfully didn’t turn green! Overall good result :-)”

“I have always used this colour, it smells absolutely beautiful! The only downfall I have with it is that’s it’s so runny, it gets absolutely everywhere! But other then that it’s fantastic.”

“Amazing hair colour. Very vibrant. Simple to apply. If a shampoo for coloured hair is used then the colour is pretty long lasting and does not fade easily.”

We say:

This is the coolest, creamiest blonde out there. Lots of the reviews said it cooled down warm tones so we tried it on light blonde balayaged hair that was starting to show brassiness.

It is a little runny to apply but the colour results are well worth it. It gave us an even, cool light, ashy blonde hair colour without a hint of brass!

Best for: True cool ash colour

How can I care for my hair at home?

Blonde hair can be high maintenance. But the great thing about this color is that it that grows out fantastically.

Dark root styles like root blends and melts are so on-trend and all about the grown-out look.

So, if your roots are darker, you’ll probably find yourself going longer than usual in between colourings.

After you’ve achieved the look you love, you’ll want to deep condition your hair regularly and avoid a lot of heat styling if you can.  Particularly if you’ve bleached your hair first.

Your hair will be fragile and more prone to breakage and split ends for a couple of weeks.

When you do heat style, use a heat protectant every time like the ones in Best hair heat protection sprays your coloured hair can’t live without. 

This can fade and can start drawing red if you have naturally warm tones, so you’ll need to use specially formulated silver and purple shampoos and conditioners to keep the colour tip top and prevent any brassiness.


Parting words.

It’s easy to get the shade that you really want, but it takes much more than just a box of hair dye.

Beautiful and healthy ash blonde locks take time and care.

We hope this article helped answer some of the questions that were keeping you from achieving this cool blonde at home.

If you’re ready, go for it! You’ll never look back.