Brunettes who lighten their hair, with highlights, balayage or an all-over lift, and who see orange or brassy warmth creeping in between salon visits. Matrix lists the range as suitable for colour-treated and natural hair.

It is a professional salon brand sold for home use, and it needs no special technique: it replaces your usual shampoo and conditioner on the days you want to tone. It is not made for blonde, silver or grey hair, where yellow rather than orange is the problem; Matrix's purple So Silver range covers that.

Lightened brown hair almost always drifts toward orange, because lifting exposes warm underlying pigment. Brass Off answers that with blue-violet pigment, the opposite of orange on the colour wheel, rather than the purple used for blondes. The useful part of this pair is control: the shampoo and conditioner together give the strongest neutralization, while the conditioner on its own with another shampoo gives a softer correction, so the same box covers both a brassy week and a maintenance week. Matrix pairs the pigment with ceramides in the conditioner so hair is left softer and shinier, not dry.

• Shampoo: apply to wet hair, lather and rinse well. Matrix suggests leaving it on for a few minutes before rinsing for extra toning, and using it every other day for neutralization.
• Conditioner: after shampooing, apply a quarter-size amount, leave on for up to 3 minutes, then rinse.
• For maximum neutralization use both; for a lighter tone, use the conditioner after your usual shampoo.
• Wear gloves if you leave the shampoo on, and avoid contact with eyes; rinse immediately if contact occurs.

Pros:

• Blue-violet pigments are matched to the orange tones of lightened brown hair
• Toning strength can be adjusted: both steps together for more, the conditioner alone for less
• The conditioner adds ceramides and moisture, so toning does not leave hair feeling stripped
• Two full-size 300 ml bottles in a ready-to-give box

Cons:

• The shampoo contains sulfates (sodium laureth and sodium lauryl sulfate)
• Blue pigment can stain light surfaces and skin; Matrix's US directions advise gloves for the shampoo
• Not for blonde or silver hair that turns yellow; that needs a purple toner
• Limited-edition holiday packaging, available while seasonal stock lasts