Sometimes the hair highlighting experiment goes wrong, and you create bleached, brassy hair instead of a cool blonde color. In this case, you may wonder, what does toner do to highlights?
If you’ve heard that toner is the lifeline to a hair dye gone wrong but are unfamiliar with the product, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll answer this question and more below.
Key Highlights
- Toner helps neutralize yellow, orange, or brassy tones in highlights.
- Choose a toner by using complementary colors on the color wheel.
- Match the toner level to your highlight level for visible, even results.
- Use low-volume developer only (6 Vol to 10 Vol) when toning with a demi-permanent toner.
- Do a patch test and a strand test before applying toner to your full head.
What Does Hair Toner Do to Highlights?
Hair toner is an integral part of the highlighting process. Hairstylists often use toners after highlighting to help neutralize any yellow or brassy undertones. Using toner also makes your highlights appear extra shiny and vibrant.
Highlighting hair often requires lifting your natural color. When stylists lighten your hair, they typically use bleach. The bleach strips certain pigments (like melanin) from your hair. Bleach makes your hair lighter but also emphasizes yellow and orange undertones. Thankfully, products like toner fix this problem.
While toners add color, they are still chemical processes. To keep hair silky, look for “acidic bonding toners” which help close the hair cuticle, and always follow up with a deep conditioner.
Most people assume toner only works to color-correct blonde highlights, but it is a useful tool for all highlight types and hair colors.
How to Choose the Right Toner for Your Hair
Toners alter the pigments in your hair, so they come in many colors. Before you head to the stylist or store to pick up a toner, you should understand a few fundamental ideas about color theory.
A great place to start is the color wheel when looking for toners. When color-correcting highlights, you want to look for complementary colors. These are two colors across from each other on the color wheel.
For example, blue and orange are complementary colors. Mixing complementary colors neutralizes the undertones, providing a subtler look for your highlights.
You might be most familiar with this concept applied to purple toners, as these are popular among people trying to achieve a platinum-blonde look. The purple hues in the toner work to cancel out the yellow undertones in your hair, producing a silvery look.
Below is a guide to help you choose the correct toner for your highlighted hair.
Blonde/Platinum Hair
Try using a purple or violet toner to remove yellow pigments from blonde hair highlights. For darker blondes, use a mix of blue and violet to neutralize brassy undertones.
Brown/Dark Hair
For dark brown highlights (caramel or chocolate tones), use a blue-based toner at the correct level (Level 5 or 6).
If you have brown hair with red undertones, a green-based toner can help neutralize the redness to create a cooler, neutral brown.
Notes
Do not use a blonde toner (Level 9 or 10) on dark hair, as it will not show up and may cause spotting.
Red/Auburn Hair
If you have unwanted red tones in your brown hair, a green-based toner can neutralize the redness to create a cooler, neutral brown. If you are seeing excess orange brass, a blue-based toner can help neutralize it.
Warning
Never use green toner on blonde hair, as it will turn your hair green. Green is strictly for neutralizing darker red tones (Levels 4 to 5).
Unnatural/Bold Hair
For colored highlights, the type of toner you should use varies depending on the shade of the highlights. Typically, stylists use a blue or violet toner to tame any brassiness.
How to Use Toner on Highlights
If you are toning at home, follow the instructions on the toner you buy. In general, toners work best on clean, towel-dried hair.
Mix the toner exactly as directed on the label (many demi-permanent toners use a 1:2 ratio). Apply to the highlighted sections first, then blend gently into surrounding hair if needed for a softer transition.
Process for the time listed on the label. Many toners develop in about 5 to 20 minutes. Check the tone every 5 minutes so you do not overcorrect.
Rinse thoroughly with cool to lukewarm water, then follow with conditioner or a deep conditioning mask.
My Advice and Safety Notes
- When using a demi-permanent toner, always use a low-volume developer (Volume 6 or 10). Never use Volume 20, 30, or 40 for toning, as this will damage your hair and lift your natural base color unnecessarily.
- Always perform a patch test 24 hours before toning to ensure you aren’t allergic to the ingredients, and do a strand test to ensure the color comes out as desired.
- Follow the product’s allergy alert directions. Many brands recommend waiting longer than 24 hours before full application.
- If your highlights are very light blonde, avoid green-based toners entirely, even in small amounts.
- If you have scalp irritation, broken skin, or a history of allergic reactions to hair dye, do not tone at home.
- For more on hair dye reactions and patch testing, read this NHS guide: Hair dye reactions (NHS).
Tips to Maintain Highlighted Hair
Without the right maintenance and care, you might start to notice your highlights turn from fresh to faded in a few weeks. This is surely disappointing, as you likely spent a lot of time and money at the salon. Use the following list of tips to preserve your highlights and extend your next touch-up appointment.
- Limit Sun Exposure: UV and direct sunlight dry out and fade hair color.
- Avoid Heat Styling: bleached hair is extra sensitive, and tools like straightening irons and blow dryers cause damage.
- Avoid the Pool: Saturate your hair in the shower before diving in to help protect your color.
- Invest in the Right Shampoo & Conditioner: Use brands free of sulfates and heavy fragrances.
- Deep Condition Regularly: Using hair masks weekly helps your hair retain moisture which preserves your shiny highlights.
- Don’t Brush Wet Hair: Wet hair becomes fragile and prone to breakage at the tug of a brush or comb.
- Wash Less Frequently: Washing your hair too often prematurely fades your highlights; try waiting at least 3-4 days before scrubbing away.
FAQs
Below are answers to some commonly asked questions about hair highlights and toner.
You can use toner on any color of highlights that need color correcting. The most common toner applications are for blonde or bleached highlights to remove any brassy or yellow undertones.
You should use toner for your highlights if you want to neutralize any orange or yellow pigments in these sections of your hair. You can also use toner to help soothe any negative effects of bleaching your hair.
The type of toner you use for your highlights depends on the color or aesthetic look you are trying to achieve. The type of toner you use also depends on the shade of your natural hair.
Yes. Since toner is a chemical you apply to your hair, you risk some damage to the follicle. Make sure you use the correct toner. Otherwise, you may neutralize the wrong undertones in your highlights and produce an undesired color.
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