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Blue and orange sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel, which is why a blue-based toner — not the purple toner most blonde guides push — is the actual fix for genuine orange or brassy tones, most common on darker, lightened brunette hair. This is a smaller market than purple toning shampoo (purple targets pale yellow on blondes, which is a far bigger category), so the real, verifiable options are fewer but well-regarded.
| # | Product | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joico Color Balance Blue Shampoo | $16-$24 | Amazon · eBay |
| 2 | Joico Color Balance Blue Conditioner | $16-$24 | Amazon · eBay |
| 3 | Fanola No Orange Shampoo | $14-$22 | Amazon · eBay |
| 4 | Redken Brownlights Blue Toning Shampoo | $20-$30 | Amazon · eBay |
| 5 | Redken Brownlights Blue Toning Conditioner | $20-$30 | Amazon · eBay |
| 6 | Fanola No Orange Mask | $16-$26 | Amazon · eBay |
| 7 | Matrix Total Results Brass Off Shampoo | $18-$28 | Amazon · eBay |
| 8 | Schwarzkopf Professional Goodbye Orange Shampoo | $18-$30 | Amazon · eBay |
The picks, in detail
Joico Color Balance Blue Shampoo
The most consistently recommended blue shampoo for brunette hair, built to cleanse and neutralize orange/brassy tones while boosting shine.
- Blue color-depositing pigments
- Rosehip oil and green tea extract
- For brown/brunette hair specifically
- Purpose-built for brunette brass, not adapted from a blonde-focused purple line
- Also functions as a regular cleansing shampoo, not just an occasional treatment
- Needs consistent use — it’s a gradual toning effect, not a one-wash fix
Joico Color Balance Blue Conditioner
The companion conditioner to the Blue Shampoo, for keeping the toning effect going through the rinse-out step too.
- Blue color-depositing pigments
- Conditioning formula
- Pairs with the Blue Shampoo
- Extends the toning effect beyond just the shampoo step
- Same brunette-targeted pigment system as the shampoo
- Best used alongside the matching shampoo rather than alone
Fanola No Orange Shampoo
Fanola’s dedicated anti-orange shampoo, widely compared head-to-head with Joico’s Blue line in brassy-brunette reviews.
- Blue-based anti-orange pigments
- For lightened brunette/dark hair
- Frequently cited as a direct, effective alternative to Joico’s Blue line
- Popular in the salon-brand tier without a full salon price
- Less widely stocked in mainstream drugstores than Joico
Redken Brownlights Blue Toning Shampoo
Redken’s brunette-specific toning shampoo, formulated specifically to combat brassiness in dark and lightened brown hair.
- Blue toning pigments
- Formulated for brunette/dark hair
- Redken salon-line formulation
- From an established salon-professional brand
- Specifically engineered for brunette brass, not repurposed from a blonde product
- Salon-brand pricing sits above the drugstore tier
Redken Brownlights Blue Toning Conditioner
The matching conditioner to Redken’s Brownlights shampoo, for finishing the same toning routine.
- Blue toning pigments
- Conditioning formula
- Pairs with the Brownlights shampoo
- Completes the Brownlights toning system rather than leaving it half-done
- Same brunette-targeted formulation as the shampoo
- Priced at the same salon tier as the shampoo
Fanola No Orange Mask
The mask from the same line – more pigment and more conditioning than the shampoo, for hair that needs both.
- Blue pigment toning mask
- Same No Orange line as the shampoo
- Deposits more pigment per use than the shampoo
- Conditions bleached hair at the same time
- Easy to over-tone with if left on too long
- Slower routine than a shampoo alone
Matrix Total Results Brass Off Shampoo
A blue shampoo aimed squarely at lifted brunettes, and the one most often described as the fastest-acting.
- Blue pigment
- Formulated for lightened brown hair
- Highly pigmented – visible change within a few washes
- Widely available at drugstores and salons alike
- Strong pigment can go ashy fast on porous hair
- Best paired with the matching conditioner
Schwarzkopf Professional Goodbye Orange Shampoo
A highly pigmented professional wash that targets orange and red undertones specifically.
- Blue-violet pigment
- Professional line
- Neutralises orange and red tones
- Goes after red as well as orange, which most blue shampoos do not
- Professional-strength pigment
- Professional pricing
- Aggressive enough that thorough rinsing matters
Buying tips
- Blue toners are for genuine orange — if your brass reads more yellow than orange, a purple toner (the blonde-focused kind) is the better color-wheel match, not these.
- These work as gradual, cumulative toners with repeat washes — don’t expect a single use to fully cancel strong orange after a bleach job; that’s a job for an in-salon toner application.
- Leave the product on for the time the label specifies (often a few minutes past a normal shampoo) rather than rinsing immediately — that dwell time is where the actual toning happens.
- Pair the shampoo and conditioner from the same line (Joico with Joico, Redken with Redken) rather than mixing brands — the pigment systems are formulated to work together.
- Test on a small section first if your hair is heavily processed — blue pigment can build up unevenly on porous, over-bleached strands.
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