Want The Brightest Blonde? Why Your Blonde Might Be Feeling Dull?

Is your blonde color not feeling quite where you want it to be? Maybe it’s over time and when you leave the salon you feel perfect, or maybe even right after your appointment it doesn’t quite pop the way it used to. There can be a lot of reasons why our blonde starts to feel dull — from products to color choices to color placement. Let’s break it down and chat about how we can work to resolve these issues. 

Purple Shampoo — Great in Moderation

Let’s start with probably the most talked-about product for blondes: purple shampoo. We love it for keeping unwanted warmth or brass under control, but when it’s overused, it can actually do the exact opposite of what you want. 

Purple shampoo works by depositing small amounts of violet pigment onto the hair to neutralize golden tones. However, over time and with too much use, that pigment can build up. That build-up can make your blonde feel darker, dull, or even a little gray or flat. Basically, your shine is being covered up by leftover tone sitting on top of the hair. 

If your blonde has been feeling a little off or not as “clean” and bright as you like, try cutting back your use of purple shampoo to once a week (or even less). Swap in a gentle, color-safe shampoo in between. You might be surprised how quickly your brightness and reflection come back once your hair isn’t layered in so much cool tone. 

The Color Around Your Blonde Influences Everything

One major factor that can change the way your blonde looks is the color surrounding it. The tone of your root, base color, or lowlights can all make a huge difference in how bright your blonde appears overall. 

Its not just the highlights that are places that play a role in our final color palette. Its everything that surrounds them. Why does one blonde feel bright bold and natural but the other feels darker or maybe even dull. It can have a lot to do with your canvas. For clients its crucial to recognize does our inspiration photos natural hair match our own. For stylist are we looking at the whole color picture? If a client is looking for bright cool tones highlights but the natural color has a strawberry blonde undertone, that Strawberry undertone will influence our highlights to make them look warmer than they may be. So our job is to educate our guest to embrace the warmth or to neutralize the natural.

Now for Glossing.

How we as stylist tone or gloss your blonde also makes a big impact. Tonal glosses are amazing for adding shine, and maybe controlling unwanted pigment. But we need to think of gloss in some regard as “adding depth”. I say this very loosely because there are always exceptions to what I’m about to say. But in my experience they best and brightest blondes are the ones who lift bright and don’t need a tonal gloss. ( we still do a clear gloss to balance the hair pH and add shine) But if we lift to a clean bright blonde adding a tonal gloss will in some regard add depth. Think about it as we are putting pigment into the hair that is lifted to its brightest(a level 10 for my fellow stylist out there). We are now slightly deepening the blonde we might just see it more depending on what we use. A neutral level 10 in a lot of cases will add some brown to tan to the hair.

Lets break it down in some examples. (Especially for my stylist friends)

         EXAMPLES

lifted hair to clean level 10 and toned the hair with a level Shades EQ 010N. Shades EQ 010 N which has a Brown/Tan background with a Blue/Violet pigment.
*We have now begun to brown out our bright blonde*

It is still very blonde but now has a bit more depth to it.

VS. NOW lets tone that same clean level 10 with Shades EQ 010VV and CLEAR. Here the 010VV has no background with a double Violet pigment. This will feel brighter than say the 010N because it lacks the brown to tan background and Violet will help neutralize the little yellow in a level 10 while the clear will prevent over toning.

Now if you want blonde at its brightest for me I love just a clear gloss.

Clear gloss doesn’t add any tone — just shine and reflection — and lets your true blonde come through.

Technique Can Make or Break Brightness

Here’s something not a lot of people think about — how your blonde is applied can absolutely impact how bright it looks long-term. 

Techniques like babylights or lived-in highlighting give that soft, seamless grow-out we all love. But over time, if we consistently lighten this way, your ends can start to get too blended. The blonde is still there, but it becomes so diffused through the ends that it loses that “wow” factor. 

When everything is super soft, your eye doesn’t catch the light in the same way — and you might start to feel like your blonde isn’t popping through the mids and ends anymore. 

When that happens, a great option is to add a few tip-outs or slightly bolder highlight pieces on the ends to rebuild that light saturation. This helps reconnect your brightness from root to tip and makes your blonde feel fresh and dimensional again without sacrificing that natural grow-out you love. 

Bringing the Bright Back

When blonde starts to feel dull, it doesn’t mean anything’s “wrong” with your hair — it usually just means it’s time for a few small tweaks. Cutting back purple shampoo, rethinking your gloss tone, and adjusting highlight placement can make all the difference. 

Blonde hair is all about balance. It’s the combination of technique, tone, and care that keeps your color feeling bright, fresh, and reflective. And when we fine-tune all three, that light-bouncing, healthy blonde glow always comes right back. 

Your blonde should make you feel radiant — not dull — and with the right approach, it always can. ✨ 

For My Blonde Clients

If your blonde isn’t feeling as vibrant as it once did, let’s get you glowing again! Whether you need a simple clear gloss refresh or a placement adjustment to bring back that pop, we’ll customize your service to match your goals. 

I currently offer limited appointments in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami, specializing in custom bright blondes, dimensional lived-in color, and Redken-based blonding techniques. 

Book your next appointment or schedule a color refresh today — and let’s get your blonde feeling bright, glossy, and effortless again. 

For Fellow Stylists and Educators

If you’re a stylist who sometimes struggles with keeping your blondes bright without over-toning or over-blending, you’re not alone. These are some of the most common challenges we talk about in Redken blonding education — and the good news is, with the right approach, brightness and balance can absolutely coexist. 

As a Redken Artist and educator, I teach classes focused on modern blonding techniques, corrective toning, and achieving long-lasting brightness while maintaining hair integrity. 

If you’re a stylist in NYC, Los Angeles, or Miami — or looking to bring an in-salon class to your area — keep an eye on my Redken Education schedule or reach out directly to learn more about upcoming programs, mentorship, or hands-on sessions. 

In Salon Bookings with me can be done through your SBP and can be booked with your Loreal Levelty Points as well!

Let’s keep creating blondes that feel as good as they look — bright, healthy, and full of confidence. 

-Trent Matthews-REDKEN ARTIST

@trent_matthews_