Toning Hair With Hair Color: Corrective Hair Color Choices

Toning Hair With Hair Color: Corrective Hair Color Choices

Toning hair with hair color is the question of the day. A new stylist has a query for corrective hair color, which also happens to be a common misconception.

Whoop, whoop it’s HUMP DAY! And I really mean it! I love working M-F. Since today is Wednesday it is time for another Q&A with Ask the Pro Stylist. This week a reader has a toning hair question.

Hi. My name is Khori. I am a newer hair stylist with a client that has artificial coloring from black box dye. I used a color remover and colored her hair with 40-volume developer and a level 5 color. Our end result was about a level 4. I wanted to balayage a few highlights in to brighten her up more, but I know I will have to tone. Is it possible to use color as a toner? I was hoping to have the highlights at a level 6.

Because Khori is a new stylist, I answered swiftly with:

Yes, you could use color to tone. However, use 10-volume because you will only need to deposit color. But, you should always tone at the same level, so lighten to a 6 and use a level 6 color with a blue/green base if you want to neutralize the red/orange.

Yet the more I thought on this question, the more irked I became. You see toner is hair color. This is a common misconception, which has some believe color will lift hair color from a toner.

Yes, some brands have specific items set aside for toning hair. But with new advances in highlighting techniques, which offer more options for all levels of hair color, hair dye must be used to achieve the desired result. However, as only a deposit is necessary, 5 or 10 volume developer is perfect to neutralize, intensify or enhance the existing hair color.

Additionally, thhis hair color fact should have been taught in color class in Khori’s beauty school.

If you have a question similar to today’s toning hair with hair color query, please email me at DeirdreAHaggerty@gmail.com. Until then, happy styling!

©Deirdre Haggerty, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. It is unlawful to reproduce this article or any part therein without prior written permission and consent from the author. This post contains affiliate links, compensating Ask the Pro Stylist if you make a purchase via clicking on such.