Quick Guide To Toning Dyed Hair

You’ve read all the articles. You’ve watched all the tutorials on YouTube. Finally, you decide to take the plunge, bleaching your hair to achieve that light-colored hair you’ve always wanted. But then, you realize in horror that the result is not entirely what you expected.

Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned. And sometimes, even the most awaited of dreams can turn into a nightmare really quickly. Relate? In this hair toning guide, we’ll answer the common question, “Can you use toner after dying hair?” We’ll tell you how to tone your dyed hair the right way. 

Maybe you’ve already heard of it before, but bleaching is one of the harshest processes that you can ever do to your hair. And more often than not, your hair will undergo changes that even you didn’t anticipate.

Toning dyed hair: the basics

Can I tone my hair after dying it, you ask! Sure, you can but it is crucial to do it the right way.

For instance, many people realize after bleaching that their hair has become brassy or even rust-like in appearance. Blonde is gold, not yellow. There’s also a huge difference between orange and sun-kissed, as I’m sure everyone (or at least, your true friends) will tell you if you try to go out with badly bleached hair.

What does a toner do to bleached hair? Well, a toner can help neutralize the brassy tones in your hair and allow the real color of your bleached hair to shine through. They are usually purple in color in order to effectively combat the yellow or orange tones of bleached hair. When done right, a toner can make your hair appear ashier, livelier, and more natural-looking.

Toning FAQs

Do toners work on all bleached hair?

Simple answer, no. Especially when you’re going from black to blonde, you may find that your hair has only lifted by a shade or two after one bleaching session. This means it’s still quite brown rather than light. Although it may seem brassy to you, you actually don’t need to tone during this part since toners only work on light hair.

Do I have to apply the toner evenly?

Not at all. You can only use it on the parts where there are yellow or orange tones. Usually, this means the roots of your hair.

How often do I have to tone?

It depends from person to person. If you’re someone who washes her hair fairly often, you’ll also have to apply your toner fairly often, since you’ll end up washing it off in the shower. Thankfully, there’s a quick solution for this: purple shampoo.

What's purple shampoo?

Purple shampoo is a kind of toner and shampoo mixed in one product. Its goal is to maintain your hair’s ashiness and natural shine. Toning shampoos, or purple shampoos, are applied the same way that you use a toner and may be more efficient in the long run.

How to tone dyed hair

Toning dyed hair is really easy. All you need is the following materials:

• your choice of toner
• moisturizer

That’s it! You don’t even need gloves when you’re toning since toners aren’t really harmful on your skin. All you have to do is to spread the toner evenly on your strands, or any specific part that you want to tone, and wait for a while for the chemicals to set in. Some people wait for at least 10 minutes up to 30 minutes before rinsing it off.

Got any questions and concerns? Feel free to ask us in the comments below! For more hair styling tips and tricks, you can also check out our ZALA blog!