Everything You Need to Know About Hair Toner
What is a hair toner and what type should I use?
Hair toners often sound confusing but they actually fall easily into two categories. They're either an in-salon colour that hairdressers use to finish your colour treatment or a purple/silver/blue shampoo you use at home.
In-Salon Hair Toners
WHAT DO IN-SALON TONERS DO?
Hairdressers use in-salon toners as part of your colouring service to enhance your shade with warmth or coolness, while correcting unwanted undertones. These can be used for a variety of colour services including post-lightening, highlights and balayage and don't just come in natural colours. You can also get fashion colours including pastels.
At-Home Toners
HOW CAN I TONE MY HAIR AT HOME?
At-home toners help to maintain your hair colour between salon visits and come in shampoos, conditioners and hair masks that contain purple, silver or blue pigments. The difference between these and in-salon toners is that at-home toners contain less pigments, meaning they won't last quite as long.
How Do I Choose The Right Colour Toner?
Toners feature coloured pigments that cancel out unwanted undertones in your hair, so you'll need to choose one that's the exact opposite of your current shade. Confused? Don't panic. Hairdressers use a "colour wheel" to work this out, like the one on the left, but we've made it even easier for you by splitting out each unwanted tone and recommending the correct colour toner to use.
Unwanted Tones
Very Pale Yellow
Pale Yellow
Yellow
Yellow/Orange
Orange
Dark Orange
Mahogany
Red
Neutralising Tones
Pale Violet
Violet
Violet
Ash
Ash
Ash
Blue
Blue
Green
Green
In-salon toners will last on average 3-4 weeks while at-home toners will need to be refreshed once a week, but the answer really depends on the amount of pigments in your chosen toner and how often you wash your hair. Factors that affect how long your toner lasts include:
- Sun exposure
- Harsh water
- Air pollution
- Chlorine
If you do activities such as swimming and sunbathing, remember to use haircare products like heat protectant sprays/oils and clarifying shampoos to minimise any potential damage and extend your toner’s results.
Toning shampoos and conditioners won’t cause any damage as long as you only use them once a week. Overusing toner can cause pigments to stain your hair and lead to it becoming dry and brittle. In-salon toners are mixed with bleach or peroxide, and should always be used as directed on the packaging as they can cause damage if not mixed and applied properly. If you’re unsure about using in-salon toners, always consult a professional hairdresser or visit one of our stores and ask one of our store staff. 60% off our staff are qualified in professional hairdressing.
They both deal with different concerns, and so remember to choose the right one for your hair colour. Purple toners are designed to remove yellow tones in blonde hair while blue toners will remove orange tones in brunette hair.
We recommended using a toning shampoo or conditioner once a week, with twice being the maximum limit as over-washing can lead to staining, dryness and irritation. Between toning, use a clarifying shampoo to remove product build-up and keep your hair and scalp clean.
The answer depends on the type of toner you’re using. You won’t need a developer if you’re using a toning shampoo or conditioner, but an in-salon toner will need to be mixed with a developer at 1:2 ratio.
Toners are designed to neutralise unwanted tones and refresh your current hair colour, not change it. If you want a dramatic hair transformation, for example brown to blonde, you will need to use a specific type of hair colour to achieve
this result. Visit
Toners neutralise and correct unwanted tones in your desired shade. Glosses are clear semi and demi-permanent colour which add radiant shine with minimal lightening. Glazing is similar to glossing as it also adds shine to hair, but the main difference is it won’t lighten your current hair colour at all.