Q. Why does my hair go gold and brassy when I lighten it?

A. Without getting too complicated, the first thing that happens to most hair shades when a lighter color or bleach is applied is the gold shows up. The gold, to varying degrees, was there, underneath, all along, lightening brought it out. The darker the hair, the more gold/red shows up when you lighten. The solution to this is you have to lighten it past the gold/red to get to a lighter gold or ash tone. Usually the only way to do this is through using bleach (lightener). Another way is to use a toner (another color) to counteract and balance the gold/red. Either way things can get really tricky really quickly. Major damage and all sorts of odd colors can occur unless you know what you're doing. Home hair color is a risky thing. But generally speaking, lightening your hair is much riskier than going darker or close to your natural shade. If you're planning on coloring your hair at home, you better read "Women, Booze and Home Hair Color", a Salon Serene Blog.