Common Hair Toning Mistakes

So you finally decided to tone your hair at home by yourself. But toning your hair is typically easier said than done, and sometimes, things can go wrong even when you're sure you followed all the instructions to the T.

When dye and toners are applied, they can change the hair quite drastically within a few minutes. Sometimes, these changes are not ideal. Here are some of the most common hair toning mistakes so that you can avoid them when toning your own hair at home.

What is a hair toner?

Before discussing the common hair toning mistakes, we should first define what a hair toner is. 

After all, we hear it all the time in commercials and at our favorite hair salon, but what is it, really?

To say it simply, toners are used to adjust your hair color tone, similar to how you adjust warmth and coolness in photos. Toners come in different colors, as they cancel out the unwanted tones in a person's hair.

Purple shampoo, a popular form of toner, is typically used by people with blonde hair to remove their hair color's brassiness. On the other hand, blue toner is recommended for brunettes if they want to tone down the orange in their hair.

Aside from adjusting tones, toners can also help in making hair look fresher, shinier, and more vibrant. This is because they provide a barrier of coat on your hair strands.

Common Hair Toning Mistakes

Now that we know what a hair toner is, let's now discuss the most common hair toning mistakes.

Toning too often

As mentioned above, toners can adjust our hair tones, provide shine, and even make our hair strands look fuller. That's probably why it's no surprise that some people view these benefits as an absolute and think that toning frequently will give them better results.

Sadly, this couldn't be farther from the truth. Since the ultimate goal of hair toners is to neutralize your hair color, if you tone your hair more often than you should, it will only strip off the brightness from your hair. In addition to this, toning your hair often can lead to mismatched strands.

Not following product instructions

Whenever you're doing a treatment that you usually get professionally done, it's always good to do your research beforehand. While purple shampoo is a commonly used hair toner, many people don't actually use it the correct way.

You can easily avoid this mistake by simply reading the instructions on the bottle. Just like how different skincare products are applied differently, there are also multiple ways that you can apply purple shampoo. Some are safe enough to leave on your hair for an hour, while some can't be directly applied without diluting it first.

One example is the Zala Cool Down Hair Extension Toning Shampoo. It's a quick and easy way to remove the warm tones in your hair, but you shouldn't use it without diluting it with water first due to the strong formula.

Whatever product you decide to use, just make sure to read the instructions to not experience this easily avoidable mistake.

Using the wrong toner

We mentioned earlier that there are two commonly used colors in the toner market: purple and blue. 

Purple shampoo adjusts the yellow tones in blonde hair and eliminates brassiness while the blue toners remove orange tones. While it may seem like a simple thing, it's definitely important to buy the correct toner for your hair.

For example, if you have blonde hair but would like something closer to a sandy blonde, picking out the blue toner just because you read that it can adjust the orange tones is a wrong move. The results won't be the same if you use a purple shampoo instead.

Then again, you also have toners like Zala's Cool Down toner that you can use regardless of the color you want to adjust. It's just a matter of knowing what product you're buying and making sure that it's suitable for your hair or hair extensions.

Guide to Toning Hair Extensions

If you want to learn more about toning your hair or even your hair extensions, here are some articles you should check out:

• Guide to Properly Toning Hair Extensions
• 5 Steps to Toning Your Hair Perfectly
• Quick Guide to Toning Dyed Hair

You can also check out our video to learn more about DIY hair toning.

Hair can indeed be a tricky thing to understand. It may take us several trips to the salon to know what it needs and when to give these needs. It may take us months or even years to find the perfect shampoo, conditioner, or toner. Hair toning is just part of the journey to fully understanding your hair–tones and all.

We all make mistakes, and your hair journey is not guaranteed to be a smooth ride. Go ahead and purchase that purple shampoo, ask your favorite hairstylist, and do your research. Good luck with your hair toning experience, and we hope you can avoid these common hair toning mistakes!

For more hair tips and tricks, don't forget to check out the Zala blog!