Does this technique work on previously coloured or damaged hair?

Yes, but we need to assess your hair first. Depending on the condition, we may use a pre-treatment to avoid compromising your hair further. If your hair is significantly damaged, you may need to purchase a hair-strengthening product to use at home and return in a few weeks for colour — we will give you the exact method and Davines products for this.

Can you use lift-and-deposit colour on the scalp?

Yes. Our lift-and-deposit system can be applied on the scalp. In our experience, clients find it more comfortable than traditional bleach powder, but it's still a lightening service, and sensitivity varies from person to person. If you have a sensitive scalp or have ever reacted to a colour or lightener, tell us when you book, and we'll do a patch test before your appointment.

Can hard water or pool water make blonde hair go brassy?

Yes. Metals and minerals from hard water, pools and, in older buildings, copper pipes build up inside the hair shaft and pull colour toward warm, brassy, sometimes greenish tones, regardless of how good the colour service was. A chelating treatment in the salon removes the build-up, and a shower water filter and chelating shampoo at home help keep it in check.

Why Does Blonde Hair Go Brassy?

If your blonde looks perfect the day you leave the salon and starts turning yellow or brassy within a few weeks, you're not imagining it — and it's not really your fault. It's how most blonde colour is done.

What Actually Causes Brassiness

Bleach works by breaking down the natural pigment in your hair. As it does, dark hair moves through red, orange, and yellow, and even at its lightest, it still leaves a pale yellow. That warmth comes from the hair's own pigment, not from a mistake in the application. To neutralise it, most salons apply a toner afterwards: a demi- or semi-permanent colour with violet or blue pigment that cancels out the yellow or orange.

The catch is that toner isn't permanent. Bleached hair is porous and doesn't hold pigment well, so toner typically fades within a few weeks (often 4 to 6, sooner with heat, sun, hard water and frequent washing). When it does, the underlying warmth comes back, which is why regular toner appointments help keep blonde looking fresh.

The Second Cause Most People Miss: Metal Build-Up

Even a well-done blonde can turn warm, brassy or sometimes greenish for a reason that has nothing to do with the colour itself: metal build-up in the hair. Metals and minerals from hard water, pools and mineral deposits sit inside the hair shaft and oxidise over time, pulling colour toward warm tones. In older buildings, copper from ageing pipes can cause the same problem. People often blame it on "bad colour" when it's really a maintenance issue between visits.

In the salon, a chelating treatment removes metal deposits during the colour process. At home, three things help manage it:

A shower water filter: helps reduce the metals and minerals reaching your hair, especially important in older buildings with copper pipes or in hard-water areas
Heart of Glass Silkening Chelating Shampoo: a chelating shampoo formulated for blonde and lightened hair, removes metal and mineral build-up
Beautiful Things Restoring Leave-In Mask: protects against ongoing metal particle exposure between washes, extends colour life

Sun, Salt and Chlorine: Protect Before, Repair After

Lightened hair is more porous, so sun, salt water and chlorine affect it faster. UV exposure dries hair and fades toner, letting the warm tones underneath show through sooner. Summer, holidays and beach or pool days are when we see blonde change fastest.

Before the sun: use a protective product with UV filters. We recommend Davines SU/ Hair Milk, a hydrating milk that helps stop the sun from drying out and damaging your hair. Apply it before you go out, not after.

After the sun: rinse and rehydrate. Wash with SU/ Hair & Body Wash, a hydrating shampoo made for hair and skin after time outdoors, and follow with SU/ Hair Milk for extra conditioning. If the sun, chlorine or salt has left your hair dry or damaged, use SU/ Hair Mask as a restorative treatment.

The SU/ range is enriched with bitter orange extract from Regenerative Organic Certified™ farms, and Davines states that, on average, 93% of its ingredients are naturally derived.

A Different Approach: Lift-and-Deposit Colour

We use a lift-and-deposit system, where the lightening and toning pigment go on together in a single step rather than lightening first and toning after. Because the tone is built in while the hair lightens, the warmth is neutralised as it appears, so there's no separate toning stage. After ten years of using this system, we find it's gentler on the hair than a traditional bleach-and-tone service, and the formula includes conditioning ingredients such as wheat protein and oleic acid.

The practical difference: all colour still fades, and regrowth still shows. But in our experience, the result settles into a soft, clean blonde rather than turning brassy, and clients need fewer toner visits between appointments.

How We Approach It at Janos Kiss Hair

This technique is central to how we approach Balayage, Foilayage, and Airtouch — Lived-In Blonde is built around exactly this lift-and-deposit process, drawing on 25+ years of international training, including Alfaparf educator work across Hungary and Australia.

If your blonde has already gone brassy from a previous colour service, this is also exactly what colour correction addresses — see our Lived-In Blonde FAQ for more.

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Frequently Asked Questions

In our experience, no. After ten years of using this system, we find hair comes out in better condition than with traditional bleach powder, and the formula includes conditioning ingredients such as wheat protein and oleic acid. It's still a lightening service, though, so how your hair responds depends on its starting level, history and condition. We'll assess that with you at your consultation.
Yes — this is exactly what colour correction addresses. See our Lived-In Blonde FAQ for more.
Yes, but we need to assess your hair first. Depending on the condition, we may use a pre-treatment to avoid compromising your hair further. If your hair is significantly damaged, you may need to purchase a hair-strengthening product to use at home and return in a few weeks for colour — we will give you the exact method and Davines products for this.
Yes. Our lift-and-deposit system can be applied on the scalp. In our experience, clients find it more comfortable than traditional bleach powder, but it's still a lightening service, and sensitivity varies from person to person. If you have a sensitive scalp or have ever reacted to a colour or lightener, tell us when you book, and we'll do a patch test before your appointment.
Yes. Metals and minerals from hard water, pools and, in older buildings, copper pipes build up inside the hair shaft and pull colour toward warm, brassy, sometimes greenish tones, regardless of how good the colour service was. A chelating treatment in the salon removes the build-up, and a shower water filter and chelating shampoo at home help keep it in check.
It can contribute. UV exposure dries lightened hair and fades toner, so warm tones show through sooner, and salt and chlorine add to the strain. Before the sun, use a protective product with UV filters, such as Davines SU/ Hair Milk. Afterwards, rinse with a hydrating shampoo such as SU/ Hair & Body Wash, and use SU/ Hair Mask if your hair feels damaged.