What exactly is a TONER?

What Exactly is a Toner and What Does it Do?

How many times have you heard your stylist say, "We’re going to use a toner now," or "We need to tone your hair after the lightening service"? You probably nodded along, but maybe you’re still not quite sure what a toner is or what it actually does. Or perhaps you asked and got a vague answer like, "It’ll make your blonde look more ash," leaving you wondering what that even means.

Let me help you to understand this colour service better!

A toner is basically a semi-permanent colour—yes, it's the same thing! You’ve likely heard of semi-permanent hair colour before. The difference between a toner/semi-permanent colour and a permanent colour is that toners don’t penetrate as deeply into your hair. The colour pigment is deposited around the outer layer of your hair, called the cuticle, which is why it fades more quickly.

When your stylist applies a toner, they’re using a mix of colours to neutralise any unwanted tones, like yellow or brassiness, that might show up after lightening. It perfects your colour, helping you achieve the shade you and your stylist discussed during the consultation.

To visualise it better: imagine your hair’s outer layer like fish scales. A toner (or semi-permanent colour) deposits colour pigments on and around these scales, instead of deeply penetrating the hair’s core.

Usually (but not in every case), a toner or semi-permanent colour is applied after shampooing and before conditioning. This allows the pigment to deposit more effectively into the cuticle layer, and the conditioner then helps to close the cuticle, locking in the colour.

Since it’s temporary, toner gradually fades with every wash. Heat from styling tools or hot showers can make it fade faster too.

Generally, toners last between 4 to 8 weeks, depending on how often you wash your hair and how much heat you use for styling as well as how often you use heated styling tools.

In summary, a toner is a surface-level colour that helps adjust or tone down any unwanted warm tones in your hair after lightening, giving you that perfect final look. It’s also commonly used in my salon for seamless blending during colour transition services, helping guests achieve a beautiful balance with their natural hair tones.

I hope this has been helpful! Feel free to comment, like, or share this blog with friends or family to help them gain more confidence and clarity about hair services, especially around what their colour may require and why toners are used.

By Natalie Varrasso

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