My Hair Nightmare....UPDATE used heavy cream

Well, I tried the cream. I left a small carton of cream open in the frig so it would thicken up. Took the creamy stuff off the bottom and rubbed it into the roots of my hair. Not quite a miracle, but it definately did tone down the orange. I think if I had tried it sooner it would have worked better. I left it on for 5 minutes. Washed out and super conditioned my hair with Sebastian Moisture Base. My hair FEELS healthy, but still looks weird. The ends still have an ashy feel and the roots are still too warm. Anyone know anything else I might try? I don't want to use anymore dye at this time, maybe some other natural remedy.

Thanks!

IN ADDITION:

I never had a problem with the orange until I moved to a place with very very hard water. Could this be why the highlights went wrong? Any opinions would be much appreciated.