How to Tone Your Hair at Home
Blonde hair is beautiful … except when those brassy tones creep in and leave your hair looking more yellow than creamy and sun-lifted. Thankfully, there is a way to keep a hue cool and it starts with toning your mane.
Toning may sound like something best left to your hairdresser, but believe us when we say that you can absolutely do it yourself. All you need is a decent purple shampoo and a little know-how, and bam, you’ve got back your gorgeous, sunlit strands.
We’re going to guide you through toning your hair at home in this article. Read on to learn more.
WHAT EXACTLY IS HAIR TONER?
Hair toner is basically the topcoat for your hair. It comes either in a gel or gloss-like formula and works to tone your hair by eliminating brassy pigments, as well as adding shine.
Everything from your daily lifestyle habits to the weather can affect how your hair color looks. But blondes are particularly prone to brassiness. That’s because free radicals in hair dye break down protein, leaving blonde hair porous. When the hair is porous, it is more vulnerable to soaking up unwanted metals and minerals in your tap water, leading to your hair acquiring a yellow-orange tinge. In other words, just washing your hair leaves you exposed to blonde-banishing chemicals.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TONING YOUR HAIR
When you dye your hair, the color oxidizes and changes as the months go by. No matter how much you care for your hair, you cannot prevent this from happening. Unless you tone!
Toning keeps those unwanted brassy shades at bay and maintains a consistent color. Besides cooling brassy strands, hair toners also refresh and enhance the tone of your mane. What’s more, experts say they can also strengthen the hair, balance porosity, and add shine to your strands.
Best of all, it isn’t expensive to do nor do you need to make regular visits to your hairdresser to get it done. You can do it completely by yourself in the comfort of your own home. All you need is the best purple shampoo.
PURPLE SHAMPOO WORKS LIKE A CHARM
Violet-hued shampoo is every blonde-haired folk’s go-to. It protects against dullness, brassiness, and general unwanted tones. Using purple shampoo as part of your haircare routine should be a must if you have light hair. That’s because purple shampoo neutralizes yellow tones in the hair, leaving it a creamier, ashier shade. And the scientific explanation behind this? Yellow and purple sit opposite each other on the color wheel, meaning they cancel each other out.
You shouldn’t use it daily – that’ll just ruin your bombshell locks. Instead, lather up once a week with a violet-hued shampoo to maintain creamy blonde tresses.
HOW TO TONE YOUR HAIR WITH PURPLE SHAMPOO
Mix it with a Hydrating Conditioner
Purple shampoo is known for being notoriously drying. To keep your tresses from drying out, mix a few drops of purple shampoo with a nourishing conditioner like Truly’s Unicorn Repair Hair Mask. Made with keratin amino acids and moisture-rich plant extracts, this mask with repair damage, promote growth, and intensively hydrate your locks.
Apply several drops of purple shampoo with a generous amount of Unicorn Hair Repair Mask. Layer on dry hair – focusing mainly on the areas of brassiness. If the tips of your tresses are super light, avoid applying purple shampoo there. Leave it on your hair for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse well with shampoo and condition as normal.
Only Apply Once a Week
Toning your hair won’t lighten it. It will just remove any unwanted shades and keep it looking cool and ashy. Using purple shampoo too regularly can actually produce the opposite effect. That’s why we recommend toning no more than once a week. Any more than that and you could end up removing all the yellow from your blonde hair, resulting in darker, duller locks.
Don’t Leave it On Too Long
Just like using it too often can result in undesirable effects, using it too much can leave you with a blue-purple tinge to your hair. For best results, keep it on no longer than 15 minutes. If you’re unhappy with the results the first time around, you can do another toning session a few days later. It’s much better to go slow rather than leave it on for a full hour and end up with lilac hair.
Redheads Can Try It Too
Purple shampoo isn’t just for blondes. If your scarlet mane is looking a little too warm for your liking, you can also take advantage of purple shampoo’s cooling effects. It also works well on brunettes to cool down brassy tones. That’s the great thing about purple shampoo – it’s really universal.
Avoid Pairing with Purple Conditioner
Purple shampooing your hair alone should be enough to keep the brassy shades away. Some people make the mistake of using purple shampoo followed by purple conditioner. Because this product is particularly drying for the hair, it is best to avoid over-using violet-hued hair products. Instead, opt for a nourishing, hydrating conditioner or hair mask following a toning session.
OR LET A PROFESSIONAL HANDLE IT FOR YOU
If you need some major color correction, always go to a pro. Even the best purple shampoo won’t fix orange hair. While it’s effective in cooling down brassy hues, purple shampoo won’t lighten or fade orange strands. So if your blonde hair turns majorly brassy, make sure you visit your hairdresser for an in-office toning session. This way, you’ll be able to get the hair color fix you need, instead of risking making things worse.
Purple shampoo is ideal for those who just want to maintain their original creamy blonde shade. It perks up your locks on those dull, brassy days. However, if you need some serious color work, don’t go down the DIY route. Always go to a pro.
