Q&A for How to Use Hair Toner

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  • Question
    How do I fix over toned hair?
    April Ferri
    Professional Hair Stylist
    April Ferri is a Professional Hair Stylist and the Co-Owner of Widows Peak Salon, a hair salon based in Los Angeles, California. With over ten years of experience, April specializes in hair coloring and enhancing and transforming natural tones into vibrant shades for beautiful and low maintenance hair. Her work has been featured in Voyage LA Magazine, and she has worked as a stylist for LA Fashion Week.
    Professional Hair Stylist
    Expert Answer
    Go in with a clarifying shampoo! A couple of washings with a clarifying shampoo will help pull the toner out.
  • Question
    My hair turned an orangey color when I bleached it. What kind of toner should I use to remove the orange tones?
    Ashley Adams
    Professional Hair Stylist
    Ashley Adams is a Licensed Cosmetologist and Hair Stylist in Illinois. She completed her Cosmetology education at John Amico School of Hair Design in 2016.
    Professional Hair Stylist
    Expert Answer
    Use a blue shampoo, which is designed to remove orange tones. Joico Color Balance Blue Shampoo is one example of a quality blue shampoo that you can look for.
  • Question
    How do you mix blonde brilliance toner?
    Laura Martin
    Licensed Cosmetologist
    Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist based in Milledgeville, Georgia. She has been working as a hair stylist since 2007, and began a career as a cosmetology teacher in 2013. She worked as a teacher at Arrojo Cosmetology School, teaching cosmetology practices, hairstyling, and hair color application. She also brought her cosmetology expertise to her work as a staff writer for fashion blog Style Noted, writing pieces related to hair and fashion. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University, where she was also an English Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she received a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from New York University.
    Licensed Cosmetologist
    Expert Answer
    The toner is mixed 1:1 with the blonde brilliance developer, applied to wet or dry hair, and left to process for 5-15 minutes, until the desired deposit is achieved.
  • Question
    Can you apply toner to dry hair?
    Laura Martin
    Licensed Cosmetologist
    Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist based in Milledgeville, Georgia. She has been working as a hair stylist since 2007, and began a career as a cosmetology teacher in 2013. She worked as a teacher at Arrojo Cosmetology School, teaching cosmetology practices, hairstyling, and hair color application. She also brought her cosmetology expertise to her work as a staff writer for fashion blog Style Noted, writing pieces related to hair and fashion. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University, where she was also an English Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she received a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from New York University.
    Licensed Cosmetologist
    Expert Answer
    You can, but I would recommend that you don't. Applying toner to dry strands is more likely to take unevenly or to deposit too much pigment, resulting in a dull too-dark color. If you don't want to wet your whole head, mist it with a spray bottle of water and comb through.
  • Question
    How long does toner stay in your hair?
    Laura Martin
    Licensed Cosmetologist
    Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist based in Milledgeville, Georgia. She has been working as a hair stylist since 2007, and began a career as a cosmetology teacher in 2013. She worked as a teacher at Arrojo Cosmetology School, teaching cosmetology practices, hairstyling, and hair color application. She also brought her cosmetology expertise to her work as a staff writer for fashion blog Style Noted, writing pieces related to hair and fashion. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University, where she was also an English Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she received a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from New York University.
    Licensed Cosmetologist
    Expert Answer
    Anywhere from 5-30 minutes depending on your hair's porosity, the desired level of deposit, and the recommendations of the manufacturer.
  • Question
    What is toner and how do I use it?
    Laura Martin
    Licensed Cosmetologist
    Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist based in Milledgeville, Georgia. She has been working as a hair stylist since 2007, and began a career as a cosmetology teacher in 2013. She worked as a teacher at Arrojo Cosmetology School, teaching cosmetology practices, hairstyling, and hair color application. She also brought her cosmetology expertise to her work as a staff writer for fashion blog Style Noted, writing pieces related to hair and fashion. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University, where she was also an English Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she received a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from New York University.
    Licensed Cosmetologist
    Expert Answer
    A toner is a mild translucent color used to add shine and pigment to pre-lightened hair.
  • Question
    Do you have to apply toner to wet hair?
    Community Answer
    Not at all; you can apply toner to dry hair. You will get much better results if you apply it to damp (not wet) hair. This is because the dampness in your hair will help make it less porous and allow the toner to go on more evenly.
  • Question
    Can I put a toner on bleached hair?
    Community Answer
    Yes! In fact, many people choose to apply toner to bleached hair to make it less-brassy and to minimize any yellow or orance tones.
  • Question
    The past several times I've colored my hair, it come out looking red instead of blond. Why is this?
    Community Answer
    It depends on your current hair color. If it's dark, it'll likely turn into a more reddish-orange color, but simply using toner might help with lightening it. If it doesn't, you might want to talk to a professional stylist.
  • Question
    Can you put a toner on dark hair?
    Community Answer
    Certainly! The main purpose of toner is to neutralize brassy tones, so if your dark-brown hair turned out too red, you can tone it down with toner. The results will be more subtle on black-colored hair, however, because of how dark it is.
  • Question
    Do you apply toner to wet or dry hair?
    Community Answer
    You can apply toner to either damp or dry hair, but you will get better, more even results on damp hair. You shouldn't be applying toner to dripping-wet hair.
  • Question
    Should I use purple shampoo right after I rinse out the hair color or should I wait a day?
    Claudia
    Community Answer
    If you just recently bleached your hair, use a purple shampoo right after bleaching and do so each time you wash your hair to maintain that white blonde and prevent it from getting brassy.
  • Question
    Will toner help on my sun-bleached brassy locks even though I've never dyed my hair?
    Community Answer
    Yes, it will take the brassiness out of sun-bleached hair. I have used it for exactly this purpose.
  • Question
    Can I put hair toner on my natural hair?
    Community Answer
    Yes! It will only show up if your hair is light already, though. For instance if you have blonde hair naturally and want a different shade, a toner will help. It will not show up on dark hair.
  • Question
    Will using hair toner change my hair color?
    Community Answer
    Yes, that's the point. Depending on how light/dark your hair is before, using toner will make it more or less intense.
  • Question
    Will I be allergic to hair toner if I'm allergic to hair dye?
    Community Answer
    Yes, they are basically the same thing, though it depends on the brand.
  • Question
    My ends are blonde, but the middle sections of my hair are a brassy orange color. How can I get them to match?
    Community Answer
    It all depends on the level of blonde you are at on the ends. There’s no miracle toner. You mix formulations to cancel out existing pigment and match the level of blonde shade.
  • Question
    When I tone hair, do I shampoo it and condition it first, or should I leave conditioning until after toning?
    Community Answer
    Just wash your hair after bleaching, then tone, wash again, and condition hair last!
  • Question
    I highlighted my hair two months ago and now my roots have come in. Can I use a toner to brighten my base?
    Community Answer
    No you can't. Possibly you mean that you want to break the base, which means lifting the natural hair 1 to 2 levels up without exposing the orange/yellow. Go to a professional stylist to do this as its a matter of selecting the appropriate colour and developer strength for you particular hair colour. Also, you have to apply it very quickly and visually time it to avoid over lightening or exposing unwanted undertones.
  • Question
    When should I use a hair toner after doing a color touch up and highlights?
    Community Answer
    Use it straight away. Mix toner with a 5 or 6 Vol developer 1 part toner to 2 parts developer and apply starting at the nape and working upward. Leave on until the desired colour is reached. If you over tone though, it is not the end of the world. Toner only sits on the outside of the hair and will slowly wash out over time.
  • Question
    Should I shampoo and condition after I use toner?
    Community Answer
    Shampooing directly after bleaching, colouring or toning is generally not a good idea. However, using a deep conditioning mask should be okay, it all depends on how processed your hair is.
  • Question
    Can I add toner to hair color to avoid brass instead of using a two-step process?
    Community Answer
    It won’t work well. You can buy a color additive for red/god corrector to add to color which will give the color a more purple/blue base, which will help reduce brassiness. And the color depends on the color you choose. It is a good idea to speak with a sales person at a beauty supply store.
  • Question
    Which toner should I use for my white and grey hair?
    Community Answer
    if you're trying to cover up white and grey hair, you don't need toner, only dye. And with that, get a dye and use 20 volume developer to dye it. If you're trying to achieve white or grey hair, bleach it to a light yellow and use T18 or T14, respectively.
  • Question
    How can I apply this to my dark brown hair?
    Community Answer
    You can apply toner to dark brown hair by dampening it and applying it by the directions on the package. This would make it ashy and take out any red or golden tones, but would not lighten your hair.
  • Question
    How often can I use a toner?
    Community Answer
    It's best to use it every 6-8 weeks, which is usually when it fades. If the toner isn't making your hair the color you desire, don't apply more of the same kind, instead look into a different brand or tone.
  • Question
    Can I mix t18 toner with high lift blonde dye?
    Community Answer
    When you are at the point of wanting to tone your hair, your hair should already be bleached and lightened to where you need to be. There is no need to mix your toner with more lightener. T18 is a level 10 blonde toner, so using it on level 8 hair will do nothing. Toner doesn't lighten hair, it gets your already lightened hair to the right to tone of the level you have lightened it to.
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