How Do I Choose the Best Hair Toner?

Hair toner is a coloring solution that is designed to neutralize unwanted tones in the hair. It can be added to hair color or used alone to correct any unnatural tones that appear during the coloring process. When choosing a toner, you must base your decision on two important factors: it must be the correct color and must be formulated to deposit the right amount of pigment.

Toners are available in a variety of color formulas, although the most common are red, green, purple, blue and beige. These formulas are designed to neutralize their complementary color. For example, a red-based toner will neutralize green tones that appeared while coloring the hair, a green-based one will correct red tones that appeared while dyeing the hair brown, and a beige toner is used to tone down very warm or bright hair colors.

If you are looking for a hair toner for bleached hair, you will need either a blue or purple-based color. Blue will correct hair that has turned yellow, and purple is designed for correcting overly brassy tones. If you want to achieve an almost colorless platinum blond, you will need to tone your hair after bleaching it. To maintain the color of your blond hair, you can also add a small amount of purple or blue toner to your shampoo, which will keep your hair from becoming brassy over time.

After you know what color you need, you must determine whether you need a permanent, semi-permanent or demi-permanent hair toner. Like permanent hair color, permanent toner will lift up to two levels of color from the hair when mixed with developer. Semi-permanent and demi-permanent formulas are designed only to deposit color. When choosing toner, base your decision on how long you want the additional tones to remain in your hair. A semi-permanent product will last for six to 12 washes, and a demi-permanent toner will last twice as long.

If you are correcting a very unnatural color, such as orange, permanent toner usually is the best option. Less-severe mishaps can be corrected through the use of semi- and demi-permanent toners. If your hair has turned a very unnatural color, do not be afraid to use a deeply pigmented product because, as long as you follow the directions on the packaging, your hair should not become the blue or green of the toner.

The most important part of choosing a hair toner is selecting the right color. If you are unsure of which color to choose, visit a salon for assistance. Major color mishaps can be very difficult to fix, and using the wrong toner might only worsen the problem. A professional hairstylist should be able to help you restore your hair to the desired color.