Choosing the right toner is all about doing extensive research, and the task steeps when you are concerned about the permanency and color. If you are a newbie to hair toners, then you definitely should indulge in extensive information collection about your needs, the availabilities, and then start shopping. Before I help you with some sane tips for picking the right toner, let us glance through what a toner is and what exactly does it to.
A hair toner is actually a solution that is essential to cover the uneven and dried up color coding and keep those fresh, especially if you are getting highlights done. While it takes care of your hair, it also does a good job in making your highlights look more gorgeous.
The hair toner helps in softening the streaked hair and allows it to blend in a natural way with regular hair. At the same time, it also ensures that the colored hair and regular hair are in line with each other. This solution also ensures that your new shades are reflected the way you want to without being affected by your previous stints of coloring.
Toner is essential when you want to give a new hue to the base color. This can also be used to add some natural sparkle to your hair. You can even use a toner on your bleached hair to ensure that it is shining.
In short, toner is essential whenever you are coloring your hair, irrespective of the nature of shading you are indulging in. Here are few effective tips that you could always refer to when picking up a hair toner.
1. Gather Information About Your Toner Color
Selecting the perfect color is a very ardent task and is confusing. The reason – a hair toner is drastically different for a dye. If you hair is deep auburn, then you have to pick a hair color whose hue is quite similar to your base shade, but a toner should be something like purple. And, this is where you are bound to be confused.
While you get toners in all the shades, the most popular ones include beige, blue, purple, green, and red. All these solutions possess the potential to defuse the complementary colors by counteracting and balancing the pigmentation, the chemical way. If your hair has turned yellow, then using a purple toner will be the right pick to correct the shade while a green one would be the right solution for red hair.
2. How Long Should It Stay?
Determine how long you want your color to stay. Should it be for a demi or semi permanent one or you want it with you forever? The ideal suggestion would be to pick permanent toners if you are getting a permanent dye done as they last the longest. You can use a semi-permanent toner for temporary hair color while a demi permanent one would the ideal choice for partial colors.
3. What Are The Ingredients?
Check out for the list of ingredients mentioned in the product. Most of these are loaded with assorted chemicals, including ammonia. The best choice would be a toner that is free of chemicals and ammonia. However, if you are comfortable with chemical based application, choose one that comes sans of ammonia for better hair safety. Do a patch test on your inner palm before direct application.
4. How Should A Hair Toner Be Applied?
Most of the time, toners are applied with an applicator bottle or tube completely on your head. However, there do exist products that have been caricatured for highlights and smaller applications. While some needs to be applied just once, others might have to be applied multiple times. There are toners that can be mixed with your conditioner or shampoo and used regularly to enjoy the benefits every time you wash your hair. So, try to understand the mode of application thoroughly and pick the one that meets your requirements.
5. Choose A Professional Application
It is always the best way to get your toner right for highlighted hair. You can take the help of a professional colorist and get it applied by them in a salon. Most of the time, people who indulge in a professional hair coloring get the toner applied to their highlighted hair right away. The reason – professionals always have the first hand information about the product, its ingredients, the way it blends, and will be able to answer all your queries regarding using a toner for highlighted hair. If you want to try something new and in the right way, professional help is the best.
Toners, 99% of the time, do their task of balancing the colors the right way with the very first application itself. So, when you make a choice, just ensure how long you want to enjoy that well-maintained, polished look. However, as with everything, exceptions do exist, especially when you are choosing a toner for a hair highlighted with unusual colors such as orange.
Paying a little more attention and shelling out a little more from your purse will get you to choose the right toner for highlighted hair. Play safe and stay gorgeous!
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