Brunettes and dark blondes who lighten their hair with highlights, balayage or an all-over lift, and who notice orange or brassy warmth coming back between salon visits. Matrix says it suits both colour-treated and natural hair.

It is a salon brand made for home use and needs no special technique beyond wearing gloves. It is not the right pick for light blonde, silver or grey hair turning yellow; that calls for a purple shampoo such as Matrix So Silver.

Lifting brown hair exposes warm underlying pigment, and as toner fades that warmth shows up as orange. Brass Off answers it with blue-violet pigment, which sits opposite orange on the colour wheel, rather than the purple used for blondes. Because the toning happens while you shampoo, you control the strength by how long you leave it on and how often you use it, then follow with Brass Off Conditioner, or the Brass Off Mask when the brass is stronger.

• Wearing suitable gloves, apply to wet hair and lather.
• For added toning, leave on for 3 to 5 minutes, then rinse well.
• Follow with Brass Off Conditioner.
• Use every other day to keep brassy tones neutralized.
• Avoid contact with eyes; rinse immediately if contact occurs.

Pros

• Blue-violet pigments target the orange tones that show up in lightened brown hair
• Cleanses and tones in one step, so it fits into a normal wash
• Toning is adjustable: rinse quickly for a light touch, or leave it on a few minutes for more
• Sold in 300 ml and a 1 L salon size

Cons

• Sulfate-based (sodium laureth and sodium lauryl sulfate), so daily use can feel drying on dry or fragile hair
• The pigment can stain hands, towels and light surfaces; Matrix directs wearing gloves
• Leaving it on too long or using it too often can over-tone very light or porous ends
• Contains fragrance with listed allergens such as linalool and limonene