Hair Toner 101: Why and how to use the product
New hair care products are coming up every other day with promises to make your mane look healthy, shiny, and silky. Hair toner is one of the latest products to hit the market that works to enhance one's existing hair color while adding shine and texture. It is perfect to use on bleached or colored hair and correct its tone. Here's more to it!
What exactly is a hair toner?
Hair toners are basically hair color products that come with little or no ammonia. They help transform the undertone of your hair and make it healthy. It removes brassy tones and corrects your hair color to the one you wish for.
Why you should use a hair toner
Hair toners help enhance, purify, or upgrade your current hair color. A hair toner can help bring back your mane to life if your existing hair color has started to fade. Toning can give your hair color a shine boost and is a great way to blend your greys with the pigmented hair color. It also adds some volume to your hair.
Which hair colors should go for toners
If you have red hair, a toner can amplify the color and make it strong and shiny. It also adds shine to blonde hair and neutralizes unwanted brassy tones. If you have brunette hair, a toner helps add depth, dimension, and richness to the hair color and neutralize color that is too ashy or warm. It also makes your highlights look subtle and natural.
Types of hair toners
Hair toners come in different forms, but all of them are formulated to enhance your desired hair color and tone down unwanted brassy tones. You can go for hair-toning glosses to refresh and revive the color and make it shiny and vibrant. Blue and purple-tinted shampoos are also types of easy-to-use hair toners that make your hair color look brighter and more prominent.
How to use a toner
You can mix your toner with a developer in a 1:2 ratio and apply the mixture to your hair, focusing on the strands with unwanted undertones. Wash off with a shampoo and conditioner after 45 minutes. You can use it every six-eight weeks. If you are using a toning shampoo, massage it into wet hair and rinse well. Rinse it off after two-three minutes.
How often should you tone your hair?
Toners are usually semi-permanent and therefore, you should get your hair toned in between dye jobs and during the dying process. If you have red colored hair, you need to tone it more often as this color fades more quickly. A toner usually lasts between two-six weeks depending on your hair type and condition. However, make sure to protect your hair from sun exposure.