To refresh and extend the vibrancy of your colour, as well as its shine, between appointments, a hair toner can become quite the game-changer in your routine - and not just in the case of blonde hair.
First things first, though, we must understand what a toner is and how it works before dousing our strands in one. "A toner is a semi-permanent colour that will either neutralise unwanted tones or give you the shade you’re after," explains Harriet Muldoon, head colourist at Larry King for Redken + Pureology. "They’re mainly used after a colouring service, but are great to use as a touch-up to keep your colour looking fresh and glossy between services," adds Taylor Redman, colourist at Trevor Sorbie.
The best purple shampoos, for instance, are a type of popular toner, designed to banish brassiness from grey or blonde strands, but there is also an array of other products out there - spanning conditioners, glosses and even some of the best hair masks - all tailored towards boosting different hair colours. So, if you're looking to enhance your own, here's everything you need to know, and how to find the right formula for our chosen shade.
Everything you need to know hair toner, per the pros
If you get your hair dyed at a salon, then you may have already had a toning treatment without even realising it. Often these are offered as an extra at the backbar, after any colour services and before your stylist starts your final-touch blow-drying session with the best hair dryer. Most commonly, toners are used to neutralise any brassiness as well as add icy tones to blonde or highlighted hair, give extra vibrancy to redheads, or add depth and shine to brunette shades.
These days, savvier brands also offer colour-toning products to use at home and keep your color looking great in between salon visits. As mentioned, these can be found in many forms, from shampoos and conditioners to glazes and in-shower treatments.
Why should I use hair toner?
"Hair toner helps personalise or correct hair colour,” says world-leading colour expert Josh Wood. “It can help add more natural tones to colored hair, too." So, if you’ve noticed your shade isn’t quite as fresh as when you stepped out of the salon or is developing unwanted tinges, it’s time to invest.
It’s worth noting that pollution, minerals in our water, and heat-styling with even the best hair straighteners one can afford can distort or fade your shade, so using colour-protective products might help your hue retain its integrity to begin with.
Toners are also a low-commitment way to experiment with a new colour. "Applying a pastel toner to blonde hair or grey roots will give your regrowth a cool update until you can get to the salon," advises Katie Hale, Head of Colour at Charles Worthington. The lighter and more porous your hair is, the more likely you are to see a vibrant result from your toner.
What is the difference between hair dye and hair toner?
The key difference between hair dye and hair toner is that the latter requires much less maintenance and commitment. Toners won’t damage your hair in the way permanent dye can, either.
"Both permanent and semi-permanent dyes can colour your hair, but they have different strengths," says Harriet. "Permanent colour works with your natural pigment and changes the hair structure. The tiny colour molecules work their way through the hair cuticle with the help of a peroxide—this is called oxidation. The reason permanent colours last longer is the molecules are smaller, and as such, can embed themselves into the hair.
“Semi-permanent colour has larger colour molecules and will only attach to the surface of the hair shaft. It therefore won’t permanently change the hair structure, so the colour doesn't last as long.”
Mastering how to dye your own hair can be tricky too, and can result in a patchy finish, whereas toners leave a far wider margin for error.
Can you use too much hair toner?
To preserve your colour, Josh Wood recommends "using a toning gloss weekly to maintain shine and keep colour refreshed."
Whether you can use 'too much' toner is really down to personal preference. The more often you use it, the more the colour pigment will build. For example, if you keep using an ashy brown toner, your hair will become slowly darker and cooler over time. But the likelihood is, if you’re repeatedly reaching for your toner it’s because you love the colour—so that's not a problem.
You might even want to go 'overboard' on purpose, by letting your purple conditioner leave blonde or grey hair with a cool lilac tinge. If you do think you’ve gone too far, don’t worry—it’ll be gone in a few regular shampoos.
Best toners for brunette hair
If your brunette starts to develop unwanted orangey-red tones after a couple of post-salon shampoos, give Christophe Robin Shade Variation Mask in Ash Brown a try. It works in as little as five minutes for a quick shade refresh, or can be left on for up to half an hour to achieve a more intense colour change. Keep applying each time you wash until you’ve achieved your desired shade, then once a week after that for maintenance.
RRP: £39
Designed to nourish and deliver a visible colour refresh, this hair mask boasts conditioning ingredients like shea and almond butters as well as a unique blend of blue pigments and liquorice extracts to banish unwanted tones and leave your strands shining.
RRP: £16.70
Wella also offer a colour-treating hair mask, which is available in a range of shades and combines conditioning care with semi-permanent colour, to revive the look of faded colour in just 10 minutes - and with no damage.
RRP: £38
Formulated for dark blondes and brunettes, this blue-toned treatment works to neutralise brassy, orange hues, to leave your hair looking rich, vibrant and ultra-shiny, in just 5 minutes.
Best toners for blonde hair
"Be warned—the result of this is slightly addictive," says Tracy Hayes, Head of Colour at Fudge Professional. "For the initial shampoo, leave the product in for 1 to 2 minutes before rinsing. Fudge Clean Blonde Violet-Toning Shampoo contains max-strength violet pigments, so you’ll be amazed at the transformation after just one wash. If used too often, the violet will build up, and the hair will appear slightly silver or grey rather than clean, platinum blonde. To avoid this, just use it like a treatment a couple of times a week." We’d recommend wearing gloves when you apply it too, to steer clear of staining.
A fuss-free way to enhance natural highlights, Living Proof Color Care Whipped Glaze Light applies like a mousse, depositing small amounts of lilac pigment to stop highlighted hair from yellowing. It’s good for all-round hair manageability too, leaving it shiny, soft, and tangle-free.
"Purple shampoos are great for creating a clean, pale blonde, but if you want a more golden finish, stick to products designed for warmer tones," recommends celebrity hairstylist Michael Douglas.
RRP: £24
Boasting a lightweight, whipped formula, Living Proof's Glaze Light helps to fight again colour-fading UV rays and hard water. It features an emollient-rich formula, with chelating agents that all rest on a conditioner base, making your hair shinier and softer, while restructuring agents seal your cuticles to protect strands from UV filters.
RRP: £28.85
Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask in Champagne blends the benefits of a deep conditioning treatment with a pop of colour to enhance the vibrancy of your blonde hair. The payoff isn’t huge, so it’s a nice starting point if you’re new to toners.
RRP: £30.50
If you're on the hunt for a good purple shampoo, our beauty team has dubbed this formula the best, thanks to its nourishing blend of hyaluronic acid and edelweiss flower, which work to hydrate and melt away dirt and oil, leaving your hair silky-smooth, while its purple tones banish brassy, yellow tones.
Best toner for grey hair
"People grey at different stages and different ages, and I have seen a number of my clients want to transition from all over tints to start to embrace some grey," says Redken’s Global Creative Colour Director Josh Wood. "The Redken Graydiant range offers a way to retain grey tone in the hair, keeping it subtle and shiny." This shampoo tones out yellowness, while the matching conditioner deposits light-reflecting silver pigment onto hair.
Alas, it seems to be currently unavailable, so we've rounded up a few alternatives, all designed specifically for grey and white strands.
RRP: £19.50
For a hardworking alternative, L’Oréal's Silver Shampoo has been specifically designed for grey, white and light blonde hair and works to protect the vibrancy of your strands, with ingredients like magnesium helping to combat yellow and brassy tones, for cool, ultra-glossy and clarified results.
RRP: £16.70
For a toning hair mask option, this one from Wella in Pearl Blonde blends conditioning care with semi-permanent colour. With ingredients like avocado oil, it deeply hydrates your strands while adding a glistening, pearly-blonde tint.
RRP: £51
If you just want to add radiance to your natural grey strands, instead of depositing and semi-permanent colour, and at-home gloss treatment like Kérastase's Chroma Gloss is a great option. This lightweight formula features 0.7% lactic acid to gently exfoliating the surface of the hair, restoring clarity and boosting vibrancy and shine.
Best toners for red hair
"Red fades quickly because the red colour molecule is much larger than most other colours," explains Douglas. "Rather than lots of smaller pigments, there are fewer larger pigments, which make the colour more vulnerable to fading when washing the hair or styling with heat."
Josh Wood’s colored glosses have become something of a cult buy, with the red range spanning four different shades from sophisticated burgundy to copper-toned strawberry blonde. "Launching one red would be a tokenism," he said. "There are so many different tones of red, and not all customers are the same. I took the approach I would in-salon when coming up with these."
RRP: £20
Boasting ingredients like shea butter and perilla oil, this gloss conditions your strands, helping to prevent colour fade, whilst adding semi-permanent copper tones to your hair - to boost the vibrancy and depth.
RRP: £36.05
Available in a range of shades, including copper, this gloss doubles as a semi-permanent hair colour and conditioning treatment. It works to fight fading, brighten and help to minimise the look of unwanted roots.
RRP: £38
Designed for dark to light copper hair, this at-home gloss treatment works to enhance and revive red tones for up to 6 washes, leaving your hair vibrant and ultra-shiney.
woman&home thanks Harriet Muldoon of Larry King for Redken + Pureology, Taylor Redman of Trevor Sorbie, Josh Wood, Katie Hale of Charles Worthington, Michael Douglas and Tracy Hayes of Fudge Professional for their time and expertise.
