Hair Toning

If you're thinking about changing your hair color, then it’s important to know what hair toning is and how it is used. Hair toning helps eliminate unwanted undertones, such as brassy tones that can appear after a hair coloring or lightening service. Below, we take a deep dive into the hair toning process, hair toners, and the benefits of hair toning.
 

What Is a Hair Toner?

Hair toners are a demi-permanent hair color that is meant to cancel out undertones that often leave your hair color looking unnatural and less desirable. They also alter the hair’s pH level. While they are best used to cancel unwanted tones after a hair color service, hair toners also have effects on other hair colors, such as redheads. The hair toners will transform your dull hair undertones into cool, bright, and attractive hues.
 
Hair toners can also act as a demi-permanent hair color in their own right when used subtly—helping you to experiment with different color shades and how they'll look on your hair. There are two types of hair toners, namely in-salon hair toners and at-home hair toners.
 
Colorists use salon-grade hair toners to fix your undertones, achieve the desired color shade, or ensure even hair color. At-home toning products include shampoos that help keep the color fresh and healthy through the hair treatment period. In-salon toning products have more durable results than at-home toning products.
 

Hair Toning Treatment

During the hair lightening process, color is removed from your hair without adding any color to it. As a result, you will most likely end up with yellow or brassy orange tones. Your hair colorist will use a hair toner to add a refreshing natural color to your hair, acting as a shiny coat.
 
The hair toning treatment process takes up to half an hour to complete and can last for up to a month between salon visits. However, how long it lasts is dependent on your hair's health and porosity.
 
Hair toners are available in liquid and cream forms, with no one-for-all shade representation. Your hairstylist will use the right technique to apply a hair toner in the right area of your hair to create your desired effect.
 
Sometimes hair coloring will not be enough to achieve a certain color shade for your hair, which is where hair toning comes in. If you are looking for a warmer or cooler tone, talk to your hair colorist, and let them pick the best hair toner to achieve certain hair shades.
 

Toning Products

 

Purple Shampoo

Purple or silver shampoo is an at-home toning product for washing your hair. The purple shampoo cancels out your natural hair tone, leaving you with a more acceptable hair tone. You should use it at least two to three times on a weekly basis between hair treatment visits.
 

Schwarzkopf Hair Toners

The hair toner we use is Schwarzkopf Vibrance Gloss, which is demi-permanent and contains no ammonia. This hair toning product offers vibrant, luminous hair color and up to 70% white hair blending. It lasts up to 25 shampoos, and with its Moisture Protecting Complex with AQUAXYL® Technology, helps protect your hair during the process of applying demi-permanent hair color. It is also alcohol-free and enriched with Vitamins B3 and B5.
 
The result of using this protective hair toning product is vibrant, shiny hair. Because it produces this effect, hair toner can also serve as a gloss to seal in color, especially when you’re only getting a single process color or single process color touch up done. Our hair toner treatments help keep your hair color consistent between visits to the salon.
 

Is Hair Toner the Same Thing as a Gloss?

You might have heard a toner treatment referred to as a “gloss.” This is because toner revives the existing color in the hair, seals it and adds a gloss to it. So hair toner treatment is not only good for harsher hair treatments such as when you’re getting your hair bleached or lightened, but can also benefit single process color treatments.
 
Hair coloring treatments and toner application are really best left to professional stylists. So before you purchase at-home hair lighteners or toning shampoo, give Essence Salon a call and schedule a consultation. With extensive training, years of experience and a deep knowledge of hair color theory, we can help you achieve the perfect hair color.