The Importance of hair toner (Everything you need to know!)
When it comes to colouring your hair, whether you’re lightening it to go blonder or adding warmer colour, toner is the final product that finishes it off and creates that ‘perfect hair’ look.
Think of toner as the icing on the cake or the topcoat on your nail polish. Without it, the cake is pretty dry, or your nail polish flakes off within days (if not hours!).
When hair has been coloured or lightened, over time, it can change tone. Blondes will find warmth and brassiness creeping in, and redheads and brunettes might find their colour has become flat or faded.
Toners work their magic by controlling undesired tones, enhancing tones and generally keeping your hair healthy and full of life.
As your local Redland Bay hairdressers, we’re passionate about our clients leaving the salon looking and feeling amazing while maintaining their hair health between appointments.
So, here’s everything you need to know about hair toners.
What is a hair toner?
Hair toner is essentially a hair colour product. They come in a range of products but generally can be grouped into 3 main product types:
- Gloss – A quick toning treatment to refresh and revive colour-treated hair to bring it back to be as vibrant and glossy as the day your first got it coloured
- Demi-permanent – Used in salons with a higher concentration level of pigment to maintain the vibrancy of your colour (often used in between full-colour treatments or as root touch-ups)
- Tinted shampoos – Blue and purple shampoos that eliminate brassy tones to make your colour brighter and more vibrant
How hair toner works
Your hair is made from keratin (like your skin and nails). The inner layer of your hair contains components called eumelanin and pheomelanin. Inside this layer, lightening products or permanent Colours alter the chemistry of your hair and change the colour you see by depositing or removing pigment.
Unless you have naturally light blonde hair, you’ll have shades of red or orange pigment in your hair. When you lighten your hair, the lightener must work through these pigments to lift the colour away. You may still be left with some brassy undertones.
Toner is the last step in the colouring process as it works to change your hair’s undertone. Although it won’t alter the colour of your hair, it will manipulate the shade of your lightened hair to eliminate the warm or brassy tones.
The result of using toners is shinier, healthier, natural-looking hair.
Everyone has different ideas of their ideal blonde hair.
If you arrive at your hairdresser’s and say, I want blonde hair; the result may not be what you have pictured in your mind.
This is where showing your hairdresser your blonde inspiration pictures comes into play. A hairdresser who’s experienced in blonde hairstyles will be able to look at your picture, know the colour used, and let you know if you’ll be able to achieve the same look (based on your current hair colour, skin toning and health of your hair).
What are hair toners used for?
When you visit us in our Redland Bay salon, either for an appointment or a colour consultation, we will assess the health of your hair and explain the toning processes we recommend for you:
- Neutralising – to eliminate unwanted tones (no more yellow or brassiness!)
- Double processing – to ensure trendy colours like rose gold or pastels hold their shade
- Pre-toning – used before your colour service to help keep your hair colour consistent
- Colour refreshing – the healthiest way to bring your colour back to life every second visit or so
- Colour correction – to gently fix colour issues that may pop up
- Grey blending – to masterfully tone grey hairs in with your hair
- Shine enhancing – to give your colour a shine boost (sometimes that’s all it needs!)
Do all hair colours need toners (or is it just for blondes)?
Yes! All hair colour treatments can use toners – to seal the hair’s cuticles, maintain hair health and add shine.
- Blonde – Removes warm/brassy tones to produce all over natural looking hair
- Brunette – Adds depth and dimension and can neutralise colour that is too warm, brassy or ashy
- Red – Amplifies red hair by making it shiny and vivid in colour
- Highlights – Blends and balances balayage and foils to make them subtle and more natural looking
- Pastels – After lightening (and toning to blonde), coloured toners can create any pastel-coloured hair (or rainbows if you like!)
- Vivid – Toners keep your vivid hair colour bright, bold and vibrant and guaranteed to stand out
Is hair toner only used in hairdressing salons?
As professional hairdressers (and your local blonde hair experts), we highly recommend you visit us for any major hair colouring work, including toning, to refresh your colour. At home Colours and toners can mess with your hair’s health when done incorrectly.
Your hairdresser may recommend hair care products like a blonde toning shampoo and conditioner to use every 3rd to 4th wash to help balance brassy tones or an anti-fade shampoo or conditioner to maintain your hair colour.
Looking for a blonde expert hairdresser
in the Redland Bay area?
Before you attempt any at home colour treatments or a quick ‘tone-up’ in between colour treatments, we encourage you to visit our award-winning salon in Redland Bay.
Our stylists are experts in blonde hairstyles and are up to date on all the latest dying techniques and hair health.
Please book a colour consultation with one of the friendly team to get the best advice on dying and toning your hair.