Did you know that toning is all about fine-tuning, finishing touch that changes the simple into something polished?
Do-it-yourself hair experiments can result in some very unpleasant, long-term results, from catastrophic haircuts to dye jobs gone terribly wrong. For instance, hair toner is utilized to fix any unwanted undertones or add a hue to your hair.
Everyone’s hair is different. Thus, you should tone when you need to tone. If you spend a lot of time in the water and sun or wash your hair frequently, then you may need to tone more.
Here is what you should know about natural hair toner before you start using it.
Importance of toning
Toners are used to update, improve and refine hair color. Here’s a quick overview of why toners are important.
Toner doesn’t substantially change the color of your hair. As an alternative, it enables you to correct your undertones to accomplish a lovely shade that fits you. Golden blondes with more yellow tones can achieve an ashy or platinum shade.
However, the beauty of toner is not it’s not only for blondes. Brunettes who have colored hair can also go from chest color to a beautiful ash brown with toner.
How does hair toner work?
There are two main types of pigments in your hair: eumelanin and pheomelanin. While the latter is the orange and yellow to red dye, the former is the brown to black coloring. Every time you bleach your hair, the entire bleaching process eliminates the eumelanin while the pheomelanin is somewhat affected.
That indicates that the brown to dark pigment is lost as the hair turns a bit yellow. Nonetheless, the orange-yellow pigment is just mildly affected, so your hair just turns yellow. If it’s the other way around, the bleaching process makes it pale yellow as lighter hair has already less pheomelanin.
That’s the main reason why you find yourself trying to adjust warm tones and also the reason you need a hair toner.
A toner works based on the color wheel. That indicates you must add color from the opposite side of the wheel to adjust the hair’s tone.
How long does hair toner last?
A toner frequently lasts only at least 4 to 8 weeks, but it depends on how well you take good care of your hair color. Other tones do last a little longer. If you are curious, you can always ask your colorists.
Your hair condition, hair type, type of color, and your home hair care routine can impact how long your toner lasts. Another important factor that can influence its longevity is how often you wash your hair.
You may find your toner fades very fast if you wash your hair every day. It might be time to give your hair a break and wash it less often, especially if you like your beautiful color to last longer.
Keep in mind that toners can be reapplied at the salon if necessary. During regular service, toner application normally involves an up-charge. Prices of the application differ depending on the stylist and salon.
Other salons provide applications in their service charges, but others do not. Feel free to ask your stylist if toner is provided and what the extra charges are whenever you have a highlight done.
How often can you tone your hair?
You can tone your hair as often as you need to. Toners are often combined with the various volume of developers, often 10V, 20V, 30V, and 40V. Take note that the higher the volume, the more potent it is.
10V developer must be utilized with a dark toner or when you are considering fixing mild brassy tones.
High volume developers can cause damage to your hair strands, and they could also lift a bit much. You might not get your desired results. It’s crucial that you pick the ideal developer. You can tone as often as you need to.
But there’s a catch. If you use cheap quality toner, you cannot tone your hair as often as you need to. You will end up causing too much damage to your strands. If you have healthy hair, you can do whatever you like.
How often can you tone your brassy hair?
Consider giving it a break if your hair is damaged, falling out, or brittle after years of hair dying. You should wait at least six weeks if your hair is brassy, damaged, and dry.
Toning as soon as the hair color fades can cause damage, especially if you are not taking good care of your hair. Some strands can endure the chemicals, but toning is not a one-size-fits-all. So, tone at your own risk.
Can you tone your hair twice?
It’s recommended to prevent applying toner twice on the same day, especially if you like to prevent problems with your hair color. Also, it’s not a smart idea to use this product again within a week. Your hair follicles need some time to heal from the treatment.
You are soaking your hair in chemicals when you dye it and use a toner. Hence, adding another toner suggests adding more chemicals to your already-processed hair.
That could lead to weak, brittle hair that is prone to breaking. Also, the chemical combination could irritate the scalp, causing irritation, itching, and more serious allergic responses.
You must be aware that the impacts of bleaching have already caused damage to your hair—adding more chemicals will not help.
You should wait at least 4 weeks or a month before toning again if you have already used toner and did not accomplish the exact shade you desired. Nonetheless, because damage-prone hair takes longer to recover, it will help if you wait for 7 to 8 weeks before toning your hair again.
Risks of toning your hair too often
There are many blogs, articles, and stylists claiming toners do not damage hair. But here’s the thing. Applying chemicals that change the structure of your hair can be extremely damaging. Not every toner changes the hair’s internal structure, though.
Generally, hair toners with the developer are safe when utilized the proper way. However, if they’re used on compromised hair or improperly, they are more likely to cause damage.
Here are some signs of toner damage:
- Your hair is breaking off
- Your curls do not bounce back
- Your hair feels like straw
- You have split ends
- Your hair is brittle, dry, and frizzy
- Your hair is dull or lifeless
- Your hair won’t hold color
Remember that these damage signs can also be linked to bleach or any hair-lightening method you used before toning.
How to choose a toner
Choosing the perfect hair toner is often about research, especially where permanency and color are connected. Before you begin shopping, you must have a clear idea of what you’re trying to achieve and the options available to you.
- Research your color
Selecting the ideal color is normally the most difficult part of the process. It can be quite challenging because it is different from selecting a color to dye your hair.
If you wish for deep auburn hair, you need to pick a dye in that color range. But when we talk about toner, you like something in the purple or green family that can seem counterintuitive at first.
Toners are available in different color formulas, even though the most common are beige, blue, purple, green, and red. All are made to neutralize complimentary colors by counteracting and balancing pigmentation on a chemical level.
- Choose your permanency
After you have picked a color, you should identify whether you need a permanent, semi-permanent, or demi-permanent product. People who use permanent hair dyes pick permanent toners, as these are the strongest and longest-lasting.
Partial and temporary colors, like lowlights and highlights, may be suited to semi- or demi-permanent toners. Also, a semi-permanent toner will last for 6 to 12 weeks, while a demi-permanent product will last twice as long.
- Ingredients
Many commercial products are chemical-based and may have ammonia. People who are sensitive to that chemical or who wish to avoid using harsh additives often pick natural-based or chemical-free toners.
Those are not always as effective and tend to be costlier but are gentler and may not be as harmful on contact with the skin. Leaving a regular tone on for too long can burn your scalp or leave a rash on the skin it touched.
- Consider the application
Many toners are made to be applied to the entire head at once, normally with an applicator bottle or tube bottle. Other products are made for highlights and are designed for tiny patches of hair at a time.
Some may need numerous applications, often each day for up to a week. It may also be possible to combine a bit of prepared toner with your regular condition or shampoo to keep getting the benefits with each wash.
This is common with demi- and semi-permanent toners but mostly depends on formulation and brand. It’s crucial to read the usage guidelines and instructions before buying to ensure you know how the toners must be utilized.
What does a grey toner do?
Silver hair toner is a famous option when it comes to highlighting your grey hair. You can use a silver toner on brown hair to eliminate any yellow tones or freshen up the cool tones, like cool cocoa shades or ash brown.
On the other hand, dark silver toner must be utilized on dark shades and not on light blondes.
Is purple shampoo a toner?
Purple shampoo is a toning shampoo made for bleached hair, silver hair, blonde hair, or brassy hair. It features pounded violet pigments that neutralize style—removing yellow or brassy tones. Many hairstylists tone blonde or bleached hair to neutralize brassy orange and yellow tones.
Purple shampoo is an excellent at-home solution for toning hair and stopping brassiness. That product is made to counteract any pesky yellow or brassy tones, leaving you with a fuss-free, dazzling blonde.
Purple shampoo is for bleached hair, so if you are hoping to light brown hair with purple toner, you will be disappointed. That is all down to the fact that purple shampoo is not lightening.
As an alternative, it brightens blondes by stopping yellow tones, which happen to be facing purple on the color wheel. If you think about when to use purple shampoo on your blonde hair, it is when those brassy and yellow tones begin messing with your shade.
Is blue or purple toner better?
Blue and purple are close on the color wheel, but they do not have the same exact opposite colors. That makes a huge difference.
Therefore, purple or blue toner? Blue toner will work on toning down brassy red and orange tones but will not touch yellow tones. Purple toner works great on yellow tones but will not do much for red or orange tones.
Many people wonder if they can use purple toner on brunette hair and still notice a difference.
The purple toner will work to eliminate any slight yellow tones in your brunette locks, but it will not eliminate the red or the orange. Therefore, it can be useful to use both in some situations, but 95% of the time, you would like to stick with your opposite color.
Conclusion
Toning your hair is a crucial step to any color change. It is quite challenging to overdo it with the toning, but it’s possible. Depending on various factors, you can tone your hair as often as possible.
If your hair is fragile or brittle, there are many things you can do to lessen the toning of your tresses. Keeping the hue between dye jobs, getting rid of heat tools, and minimizing exposure to the sun will keep your hair vibrant.
Also, having opulent white baby lights is no simple feat—brassiness is trying to crawl back in. always keep your hair hydrated and loved, and consult a professional hair stylist before making any big moves.