Introduction
For hair colorists seeking to create stunning, vibrant looks, blue-based toners are a game-changer which more and more colorists are looking to incorporate into their arsenal.
As every colorist knows, blue is the opposite to yellow-orange on the color wheel.
As a result, blue based colors are the best choice for a hairdresser looking to neutralize unwanted yellow and yellow-orange in the hair.
So if you're looking to elevate your hair coloring game and tone away yellow and orange effectively, you will absolutely need to get to grips with blue based colors.
They will allow you to neutralize warmth much better.
And achieve better results in your salon than other stylists!
In this article we’ll take you through seven must-have blue-based toners that you need to keep at your coloring station.
And we'll show you when and how to use them.
Which blue based toner should I use?
We have arranged our collection of toners from light to dark, starting with level 10 toners and working our way down.
The first four are all level 10 toners.
They are best used after you have pre-bleached your hair to level 10, and are looking to go very light.
These should be used for those who are looking to eliminate every bit of yellow from the hair and go white blonde.
After that we have a level 9 and a level 8 toner.
These should be used to tone down yellow and yellow-orange hair.
We would recommend them for anyone looking to take hair to a medium blonde.
They are very useful when you don't want to use bleach.
Finally, we have an ash blue additive.
This is a blue concentrate which can be added to any toner you use.
1. Ugly Duckling Intense Silver Blonde - permanent toner with extra lift
Hair bleached & toned with Intense Silver Blonde 100B
If you are looking to turn your client's yellow hair into a silver-white blonde with zero yellow, this is the toner you should use.
It’s a cream-based toner, and it’s a permanent color.
And it is based on specific Ugly Duckling lifting technology which combines extra lift of around 2 levels along with the blue based toning in one product.
So, you can use it with 20 Vol to get all the yellow out of your hair, lift it a level or two and then recolor using blue based pigments.
This toner works especially well when you need to do full head toning from roots to ends.
2. Ugly Duckling Silver Blonde - permanent toner with regular lift
Hair bleached and toned with Silver Blonde
This one is also a cream-based permanent toner, and it also produces silver-white blonde results.
The difference between this one and the intense silver blonde above is that this toner has regular lift rather than extra lift.
Which in turn means that it contains less ammonia and is kinder for your hair.
So if you need to tone your client's hair frequently and her hair is already well lifted, use this one rather than the intense silver blonde.
Similarly, make this your go-to toner for for repeat silver-white blonde toning applications.
3. Extra Light Cold Ash Blonde 10.1b - blue based blonding color
Hair bleached and toned with Extra Light Cold Ash Blonde 10.1b
If your hair is a level 9 or level 10 and it’s yellow, and you are looking for the purest white blonde result possible with zero yellow, then use this color.
Blue-based ash pigments neutralize unwanted yellowness and produce a stunning pure blonde color.
The pigments are so intense you can literally see the hair turn blue and grey as it processes.
This one is a regular blonde color, not just a toner, and so it will produce particularly rich, vibrant color results.
Use with 20 Vol on pre-lightened hair and let it process 30 minutes on the hair.
4. Blondify Natural Ash Blonde Liquid Hair Toner 10A
Blondify Natural Ash Blonde 010A
This toner is ammonia-free, contains Bond Protect and works in just 10 minutes.
It’s unique blue and ash pigments (it's called Natural Ash, and it is a mixture of blue and ash) make this one perfect for neutralizing yellow undertones, giving a cool, natural ash blonde finish.
Perfect for achieving those sought-after platinum blondes, this toner is a staple for any colorist aiming for pristine, light results.
This toner can be used as a refresh toner for faded blonde highlights or for full head refreshing.
It also contains Bond Protect, and it's a demi, so ammonia-free.
Hair bleached and toned with Blondify Natural Ash Blonde
5. Blondify Blue Ash Blonde Liquid Hair Color - 9B
Blondify 09B used directly to tone down unwanted warmth
When you have a huge amount of orange and yellow to deal with, we would recommend you use this level 9 ammonia-free toner.
The blue pigments will tone over any orange and yellow in the hair and leave it a medium blonde color.
Like all Blondify toners, it is ammonia-free, PPD free and paraben-free.
And it contains Bond Protect as well as Argan Oil.
6. Ugly Duckling Light Cold Ash Blonde 8.1b
Blue-based 8.1b tones down yellow and orange.
When you need to tone away orange and take hair medium blonde, Light Cold Ash Blonde is another toner we would recommend.
Based on permanent color technology, this color makes for a great tone-down product for correcting for yellow and brassy.
7. Ash Blue Additive
Hair toned down with 7.1b and ash blue additive mixed
This product is an additive. Meaning that you add some of this in along with your regular color (which could be abother blue based color) to give you extra blue toning.
This is a truly useful kit for professionals in a salon environment.
One squeeze of this and orange and yellow literally vanish.
Make sure you don't use too much - one inch squeezed out of this tube mixed with a full tube of another color is about right.
Otherwise you could darken the hair too much.
Conclusion
As a hair colorist, your ability to create breathtaking looks is only enhanced by the quality of the products you use.
These seven blue-based toners have proven themselves as reliable allies in the quest for flawless, cool-toned hair.
Elevate your artistry and give your clients the stunning, vibrant results they crave with these must-have toners in your arsenal.
