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Coloring your hair doesn’t stop with the hair dye; you also need a toner to even everything out. Whether you are dyeing your hair jet-black or ashy blonde, you won’t get the right color with just a box of semi-permanent hair color. Toners play a balancing act between your hair’s natural undertones and the color applied to it to bring everything together for one flawless, rich color.
When to Use
You can apply toner right after coloring or in between dyes when the color starts to fade. Use toner on freshly dyed hair just after rinsing to even out the color. For hair that has been dyed, washed and dried but needs touching up, apply the toner to the areas in need rather than your entire head. Always follow the instructions on the product when working with toner.
Color Enhancement
Blondes are not the only ones who have to use toners. Brunettes can also benefit from a toner, especially if their hair color appears dull or slightly off just after coloring. Use an enhancement toner to fix colors and even boost the shine in your hair. Got highlights that are giving you issues? Apply the enhancement toner to just the highlighted areas using a highlighting brush and bring them back to life.
Neutralizing
Natural hair color has a specific pigment. As you age, that pigment becomes rich and untouchable by regular coloring. This is especially apparent when you try to lighten your hair and get reddish or yellow-orange tones instead. To fix this, use an ashy-shade toner and either mix it with the dye or apply it after lightening to help even out the color.
Going Platinum
That bright, platinum blonde is hard to achieve because, as far as color specialists are concerned, platinum is white, which means no pigment. Try using violet toner specifically designed for platinum blonde hair. Bleach the hair until it is pale yellow, rinse out the dye and apply a platinum toner to take the hair from pale yellow to zero pigment. A platinum toner will do nothing for your hair until it is first lightened to the pale-yellow stage.
