What is a hair toner? How does it work? In which cases is it used? Find out everything you need to know about a hair toner. Show Anyone who regularly lightens their hair is probably well acquainted with toners. Only with a hair toner you can achieve real platinum blonde hair. Toner acts as a secret ingredient to help you neutralise unwanted warm undertones (yellow, brass) and correct the resulting color tone. But it's not the only way you can use toners! Did you know that you can also use toner on brown hair or to achieve the increasingly popular pastel shades? Read on to find out more! A Hair toner is a hair dye product that contains little or no ammonia and thus belongs to the group of demi-permanent or semi-permanent dyes. It allows the hairdresser to adjust the tone of your hair color, but it cannot change your hair color! It helps fix, enhance, or neutralize unwanted undertones. This means removing warm tones or adding missing warm tones. In addition, it allows the hairdresser to ensure an even hair color result from the roots to the ends. It is therefore suitable for fine tuning and minor color adjustment. Due to the low ammonia content, it does not penetrate deep into the hair strand, but rather only wraps the hair and acts as a "top coat", so unlike the permanent hair color, it gradually washes away. Another plus? The low ammonia formula means it is a gentle choice for any hair type, even if it is damaged. On the contrary, it will help to improve the appearance of damaged or dry hair! You will not only find toner in the form of hair dye. Today, toners come in many different forms. Gloss, toning shampoos, conditioners, masks and foams can also be considered toners, because all these products contain pigments that adjust the tone of your hair. Silver or purple shampoo can also be considered as such "kind of a toner". Professional salon toners are more pigmented = more effective, and their results last longer. However, pigmented care is great for maintaining color at home. How Does a Hair Toner Work?To understand how toner works, let us use a little bit of chemistry to explain. We have two main types of pigment in our hair: eumelanin (brown to black pigment) and pheomelanin (yellow, orange to light red pigment). During the bleachning process, eumelanin is removed, while pheomelanin is only minimally affected. As a result, dark hair turns yellow because a large amount of pheomelanin remains in the hair. In contrast, lighter hair that have less of feomelanine, turns light yellow. Therefore, whenever you decide to lighten/bleach your hair, you will always fight warm tones (see picture below), especially when we lighten by more levels and the original hair colour is dark. This is where a hair toner comes in handy. The toner works according to the colour wheel and balances the unwanted tone by adding color from the opposite side of the spectrum (see picture below). Take yellow/blonde, for example. What color is the opposite? Purple! Thus, the purple toner removes an unwanted yellow tinge from the hair. Also remember that toner works best on lightened or bleached hair and use it only when necessary, for the hair must be in the correct shade, otherwise the toner will not work properly and you will not achieve the desired effect. When choosing a shade, stick to the color wheel:
When Is Toner Used?There are many ways toners can revive the color of your hair:
Is There a Toner for Blondes Only?When you say toner, we usually imagine it in connection with light blond hair. However, toners are not just for blondes, although it is most often used on blonde hair. It can also be used on dark hair from which you want to remove unwanted brass tones. How Do I Use a Hair Toner?
How Long Does the Hair Toner Effect Last?It depends on how often you wash your hair. The less you wash your hair, the longer the effect of the toner will last. We recommend using sulphate-free shampoo specially designed for colored hair, which is maximally gentle to your hair. But that's not all that can affect how long the toner will last. Endurance of toners is also affected by your hair color (on shorter hair it lasts for a shorter time), quality of your hair, your hair type, how often you heat style your hair, how much time you spend in the sun and in the pool, and many other factors. However, the effect usually lasts 2-6 weeks, so you should repeat the toner application regularly to maintain the color. You can also reach for special cosmetics with pigments that will also help extend the effect of your toner (eg Matrix Total Result Brass Off, Davines Alchemic System, Joico Color, etc.) Why is my hair still brassy after toning?There's two reasons why your hair is still brassy after toning or colouring. Either the undertone of the toner/colour is wrong, or the product is too light for you.
How long should hair toner stay on?Apply the toner to dry hair for up to 30 minutes, frequently checking for the desired color result. What is this? Leave the toner on for approximately 8-10 minutes for lighter hair and up to 20-30 minutes for darker hair.
Can you leave toner on your hair too long?Though toners are less harmful compared to dyes, you should still use them with care and not leave them in for too long. We would suggest that if your hair is already damaged, don't leave your toner in your hair for more than 15 minutes.
Will toner lighten hair?“Toners work by depositing color, so they will only enhance the current level or go darker, says Papanikolas. “Toners will not lighten hair, so if your desire is to make your highlights brighter, then a toner is the wrong approach.”
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