One of the most common questions I hear from my guests is “what is a toner?” and “do I need that?”
You may have heard of a toner, a gloss, or maybe a glaze. The truth is, those are three words for the same thing! A toner is a demi permanent color meant to neutralize unwanted tones and add desired tones to the hair. Toning is done as a last step to a color service, or it can be done in between color appointments to maintain your color. Toning usually takes between five and twenty minutes and is done in the shampoo bowl.
If your stylist uses a toner, does that mean something went wrong? Absolutely not! Almost every time you lighten your hair, you will need a toner. This is because everyone’s hair has warm pigment in it. Hair only lightens to shades of red, orange, and yellow. This is why almost everyone thinks they “pull warm”. Lighteners will not make your hair ashy blonde but toner will! Your stylist will use blue, violet, or green shades to create your perfect ashy or platinum color. If you want a golden or sun kissed blonde, your stylist might use gold or neutral shade to create the exact color you’re looking for.
If you color your hair darker instead of lightening it, you might find that your ends fade sometimes. We can use toner to add some life back into your ends and get your color back to the gorgeous, glossy tone you started with!
What if your color goes brassy between appointments? Toner can be used between color services to maintain your color! If you feel like your blonde is looking a little blah, toner can add color and shine back into your hair in minutes. You can even adjust your color and play around with warm or cool tones without a long-term commitment. Because toner is demi-permanent, most of the pigment will fade off in 8 weeks. It’s a great way to experiment with a new color before you commit to it long term!
If you want to know more about toning, ask your stylist at your next appointment! We love to educate our guests on their color!
Today’s lesson brought to you by your resident stylist Elizabeth Eisenstein
