How To Use Hair Toner In 5 Easy Steps
"How to use hair toner?". If you have ever dyed your hair blonde, you will understand the pitfalls that become this process.
You don’t have to be a natural blonde, you can be a bottle blonde, but whenever the word ‘blonde’ is involved, there is always the risk of brassiness, or even the dreaded yellow!
When blonde is done well, it looks fantastic, but there’s no denying that it takes a lot of maintenance to keep it looking its very best.
If you have ever suffered from the brassy yellow effect after bleaching your hair, you might not have been aware of how to use hair toner to cut down this risk.
If you’re considering bleaching your hair and you’re worried about the possibility of the yellow peril, then finding out what’s a toner for hair, and how to use it, could save you the drama ahead.
Let’s check out how to use hair toner in a little more detail, as well as exploring exactly what this magic potion is!
What Is A Toner For Hair?
Toner is a chemical which is applied to bleached hair, in order to tone down the brassy yellow or orange color that can sometimes occur. The name of it obviously comes about from the fact it ‘tones’ everything down!
There are different types of toner on the market, so it’s important to shop around and find the best toner for you. The main varieties are:
- Ammonia-based toner
- Purple shampoo
- Purple hair dye
How to use hair toner is really about knowing what is best for your hair, and you can customise it to the shade of your current ‘do.
All toners have a little ammonia in them, because this is required to change the pigment color of the hair shaft. Put simply, toner can make your hair color go from so-so, to wonderful.
What Do You Need?
Okay, to tone your hair down you simply need two things – toner and developer. In order to get the right combination you need to shop around, seek advice, and also follow the instructions on the bottle very carefully.
We have talked about the types of toner on the market, but you need to know about developer too.
- 10 volume – Use with darker shades of blonde
- 20 volume – Use with lighter shades of blonde
- 30 & 40 volume – For use in salons only
Now, let’s go on to learn how to use hair toner.
How To Use Hair Toner
Step by Step
Step 1 – Test Your Hair
Before you apply hair toner, it’s always advisable to do a strand test. Applying hair toner to hair that you haven’t checked before could be disastrous! Apply the toner to one small piece of your hair, perhaps behind your ear so it’s not so noticeable in case it isn’t right for you.
Be sure to follow the instructions on the bottle to check that it is all going to come out in the right way. If it’s good when the process is finished, you can move on to do your whole head.
Step 2 – Wash And Condition Your Hair
First things first, you need to wash your hair properly, condition it, and make sure you wash all the product out very thoroughly.
Step 3 – Mix The Toner And Developer Together
Always follow the instructions on the bottle to ensure you do this right way, because they do vary.
But you can check out this video for a little visual advice if you need some extra pointers. Using a ratio of 2:1, mix two parts of developer to each part of toner. Mix well to ensure everything is combined.
Step 4 – Apply The Toner To Your Hair
Section up your hair and apply the toner evenly, making sure you don’t miss anywhere. It’s best to start your application process on the actual shaft, moving to the bottom of the hair, and then finally doing the roots at the end.
Once you have applied the combined mixture to all of your hair, leave it for half an hour, or however long the individual product advises. After this time, rinse and condition – you don’t need to shampoo again.
Step 5 – Repeat The Process Every 6 Weeks, If Necessary
You know your hair better than we do, but you will probably need to repeat the toning process every 6 weeks, to keep it from becoming brassy again, and to keep the condition tip-top.
To Sum It All up …
For beautiful, natural-looking blonde hair, toner is a must have. Be sure to shop around and always read the instructions on the packet, because there are variations between brands.
The bottom line is that if you want to avoid that yellow/brassy appearance of an otherwise beautiful blonde do, sticking with toner, and learning how to use it, is the only way to go.
If you have any questions, doubts, comments or suggestions, leave a comment and let us know what you think.