At-home hair brightening hacks for blondes

As only a woman long immersed in the clandestine world of hair colouring will understand, there's a BIG difference between blonde and brassy; red and ruddy; brown and mousey.  These variations in tone, while virtually imperceptible to the eye of a man, have the power to make wearing a baseball cap to work seem like a reasonable choice. Whether you're between salon appointments or you'd like to give your natural hair colour a little lift, of all the tricks we've tried and tested over the years, these are the very best. BLONDES The Secret Weapon: In need of a serious boost? Ireland's fashion set swear by Wella's semi-permanent Color Fresh to remove yellow tones and restore colour vibrancy in between full colour services. The formula delivers high performance conditioning too. Buy it (around €13) here. The Latest Innovation: Vitamino Colour A:OX from L’Oréal Professionnel Série Expert is a new formula that works to protect hair colour against sun exposure. The secret ingredient is Neohespiridin, naturally found in citrus, which fights the oxidisation of hair colour. The CC Cream for Blondes (€14.99 from these stockists) is a deep violet cream gel that neutralises brassy tones and detangles in just ten minutes. The Natural Remedy: This natural mix is a great chemical-free monthly brightener for blondes. Is it weird? Sure. Is it messy? Kind of. Does it work? Absolutely. Ingredients: 1 cup chamomile tea (room temp), 1 potato (chopped), the juice of 1 lemon. Method: Place everything in a food processor and blitz. Strain mixture. Application: Apply to hair after shampooing and cover with a shower cap for five minutes, then rinse and condition as normal.