If you are looking to take hair blonde, you need to use a hair toner.
A bleach will lift and lighten the hair, but without using a hair toner you will get a yellow and unattractive result.
The toner is what gets you to that nice finished looking blonde result which every woman wants.
But now comes the question: which types of hair toner are there?
And which one should I use?
We will try and cover these questions in this blog today.
What is a hair toner and how exactly does it work?
A hair toner corrects the tone or reflect of the hair.
Such products are particularly necessary for blonde hair, or hair that has been colored blonde.
Toners, by their nature, contain neutralizing pigments - typically violet or blue.
These violet and blue pigments use the principles of the Color Wheel and correct for yellow and orange and brassy.
Which is why women trying to go pure blonde find them so useful.
Are hair toners always used with developer?
The best & most effective hair toners are oxidative toners.
This means this that they are used with developer.
The toner together with a developer creates a mix which opens up the hair cuticle.
The mix penetrates into the hair cortex, takes out excessive yellow and orange and then re-colors the hair.
Best Toners For Going Super White Blonde
Intense Pearl Blonde 100V - Hair by Elias
Are you looking to attain truly white blonde, uber blonde, platinum blond effects?
In that case we would suggest you go for Ugly Duckling's Intense Pearl or Silver Blonde toners.
These toners have an extra booster in them and are the most lifting, whitest toners on the market.
Of course, in addition to lift they have purple and blue pigments also.
So the hair is not just lifted, but also toned.
Use them with 20 Vol developer, on pre-lightened level 9 or 10 hair for truly sensastional white blonde results.
Intense Pearl Blonde 100V
Intense Silver Blonde 100B
LIFT & TONE WITH INTENSE PEARL BLONDE TONER: WATCH VIDEO
Hair by Elona Taki
Best toners for pearl and silver blonde results
Pearl Blonde Toner 10V - Hair by Elona Taki
Are you looking to tone already pre-lightened hair?
And take it to pearl, grey or white blonde?
If so, we would suggest the following shades:
Pearl Blonde 10V Toner
Silver Blonde 10B Toner
These toners are a little less lifting than the intense toners above.
But they are packed with purple and blue toning agents.
In fact, they contain even more toning agents compared to the intense toners.
You can use these also with 20 Vol developer.
And get spectacular results.
To use them, first pre-lighten hair correctly to level 9-10, as in the picture below:
Correctly prelightened hair - level 9
Once bleached, tone with these pearl and silver blonde toners.
Mix with 20 Vol developer and apply.
TONING WITH PEARL BLONDE TONER 10V: PEARL BLONDE RESULTS FROM YELLOW
Best toner for toning blonde highlights
Toned with Blondify Liquid Natural Violet Blonde Toner 010V
Are you looking to refresh blonde highlights and make them less yellow?
But not lift or alter the non-highlighted parts of the hair?
The best way to do this is to use Ugly Duckling's Liquid Gloss Toners: Blondify.
Blondify toners don't contain ammonia and so they don't lift.
But they don't extremely fast (in under 10 minutes). Without touching the base or the lowlights.
You simply mix them in an applicator bottle with a low strength developer.
10 Vol for example is good.
Just shake in the bottle, and pour over the hair.
Then rub in and leave for 10 minutes.
Then rinse.
Blondify Natural Ash Blonde Toner 010A
Blondify Natural Violet Blonde Toner 010V
TONING WITH BLONDIFY NATURAL ASH BLONDE TONER IN JUST 10 MINUTES: WATCH VIDEO
TONING WITH BLONDIFY NATURAL VIOLET BLONDE TONER IN JUST 10 MINUTES: WATCH VIDEO
Are there any toning products which do not use developer?
Some products do tone and color correct without developer.
These are typically purple based shampoos and masks.
They are an excellent way of keeping hair white.
But they only work on the surface of the hair. They do not open up the hair cuticle or penetrate into the cortex.
We do recommend you to use these toning products, but you should use them more either as a finishing product or as blonde maintenance product.
Ugly Duckling has such a product: Brilliant Blonde Purple Shampoo and Mask.
Brilliant Blonde Purple Toning Products
Purple Toning on Blonde Hair - Before and After
Brilliant Blonde Purple Shampoo and Mask has several advantages compared to other purple treatment products.
First, it doesn't stain. So you can rinse with water and not worry about ruining towels, sheets or pillows.
Second, it is an acid-based formulation. This is important because it means that your hair cuticles are getting closed and the hair is returned to its natural pH level.
Also, and very importantly, these products are sulfate-free.
Which means no build-up of chemicals.
But don't forget: to do the heavy lifting of getting hair blonde and white, you should use a proper hair toner first.
Then use purple shampoos and masks afterwards.
That's the best way!