How and what to tone your hair after highlighting, a review of the best products

To keep your look vibrant and new, it’s crucial to maintain the proper tone after highlighting your hair. Highlighted hair may eventually lose its original brightness and become brassy or dull. Toning can help neutralize unwanted shades and revive your highlights, which is where it comes in handy.

Toning your hair can be done in a variety of ways, and the products you use can greatly affect the outcome. Your highlights will look their best for longer if you use the correct toner, regardless of whether you want to maintain cool, ashy tones or a more natural finish.

We’ll examine some of the top toning products in this post to assist you in selecting the ideal option for the type and color of your hair. We have options for every need and budget, from shampoos to professional toners.

Product	Description
Purple Shampoo	Neutralizes yellow tones, leaving your highlights bright and cool.
Blue Toning Conditioner	Ideal for brunette highlights, reduces brassiness and orange hues.
Toner with Ash Blonde Shade	Perfect for creating a cooler, natural blonde tone after highlighting.
Color-Depositing Mask	Softens hair while adding a temporary toning effect.
Glossing Treatment	Gives shine and refines hair color for a polished look.

Toning is necessary to balance out any unwanted brassy or yellow tones and bring out the overall color of your highlighted hair. Depending on your hair color and desired effect—a cold, ashy look or something warmer—you can choose the appropriate toner. This post examines the top toning products on the market, ranging from semi-permanent dyes to shampoos and conditioners, to assist you in keeping your highlights looking salon-quality at home.

Why tone highlighted hair

All highlighting techniques rely on lightening, which is not the most effective on the structure of the hair shafts despite being mild.

Stylists developed toning after highlighting to revitalize your hair and make it shiny, well-groomed, more expressive, and the color of your curls – natural. Color correction or gentle coloring are other names for the process.

Only dyes that are tinted or free of ammonia are appropriate for use with it. They are only fixed on the surface of the hair strands and do not penetrate the hair because they do not contain any harsh chemical ingredients that damage the hair.

This causes the new color to wash out and fade quickly. However, this appears to be a clear benefit of the method for girls who would rather frequently switch up the color of their curls.

The gentle effect on the hair is a shared characteristic of both hair highlighting and toning. But various methods are used to accomplish this. When highlighting, a lightening chemical composition is applied to no more than half of the hair strands on the head.

Using a mild ammonia-free preparation, you can completely dye all of the curls with a toning agent, giving them virtually any shade, without worrying about damaging their structure. The frequency of the process is another element that helps you distinguish between toning and highlighting. Tonics should be used 1-2 times per month, lightening compounds – twice as often, and ideally only to correct the root zone rather than the entire length of the hair.

Furthermore. Natural and highlighted strands can both be tinted. But brunettes and people with brown hair who want to lighten at least a little will still need to pre-bleach.

Toning comes in three main varieties. Their methods of altering the appearance, the extent to which the hair is affected, and the length of time the effect lasts vary:

• light – curls change shade literally for a few days, until the first or second hair wash;
• gentle – allows you to admire the bright color of your hair for up to 4 weeks;
• intensive – a kind of exception to the rule, because they take paint with ammonia for it. But the effect lasts about 2 months.

Pros and cons

The primary benefits of the process are:

• does not spoil the curls, and thanks to the vitamin and mineral composition of the dyes, it even partially improves their condition: eliminates dryness, gives hair shine, makes the color more saturated;
• can be done at home without much difficulty;
• many toning products are inexpensive;
• a rich palette of shades allows you to choose the right tone for a blonde, redhead, brunette, brown-haired woman;
• you will be able to mask the yellowness, which is often the result of inept self-bleaching;
• if the border between bleached and natural hair or regrown roots is clearly visible, toning after highlighting will solve this problem;
• tinting products have virtually no contraindications;
• with regular use, they have a cumulative effect: the shade becomes brighter;
• toning after lightening is a good way to give your hair the desired color;
• you can often change the shades of highlighted strands, and if the color is chosen poorly, you can wash it off quickly enough;
• there are no restrictions on the length of the curls;
• the procedure is suitable for women of all ages.

The following drawbacks of hair coloring after highlighting:

• has a short-term effect, so the hair requires frequent correction;
• changes the color of the curls by a maximum of 1-2 tones;
• the color becomes paler after each hair wash;
• rarely used on gray hair. There are special toning products for whitened strands;
• there is a risk that the dye will cover the curls unevenly.

Take note! Toning after highlighting is thought to be a gentle process, but you shouldn’t use it excessively. Allow your hair to recuperate from your recent hairstyle experiments.

Photos before and after

What to tone with

The longevity of the desired outcome will determine which product is best for you. Each of these options—tinting shampoo, spray, tonic, paint without ammonia—has benefits and drawbacks. However, utilizing the product will only benefit you if you align its objectives with your own.

Tinting shampoo

Gives the hair a pale hue when it’s being washed. However, using a tinting shampoo on highlighted hair will not result in a significant color change.

It merely intensifies the color of the curls—it doesn’t dye them. It is not advised to select tones that drastically differ from the hair’s natural shade because of this.

It is recommended that you apply a shampoo for highlighted hair tinting once a week to achieve a cumulative effect, which will slightly brighten the color.

In any other case, it will come off with a few regular product washings. Additionally, there are specific formulations that aid in removing yellow pigment from hair.

There are numerous well-known cosmetics brands that offer tinting shampoos:

• Tonika (Rocolor) offers a yellowness neutralizer (about 150 rubles), as well as 9 tinting products from blond to chocolate (from 100 rubles per bottle).
• Irida M – also a product of domestic production with an extensive palette from pearl to pomegranate and chestnut. Price — from 50–70 rubles per pack.
• Life Color from Kapous washes out for quite a long time, in 4–8 procedures. Any of the 5 shades (sand, garnet red, copper, brown, purple) can be purchased for about 350 rubles.

Certain companies focus solely on producing products that conceal the yellow hue of bleached hair. These products are offered by Silver Silk, Londa, Estel, Schwarzkopf, and other companies. Price: between 200 and 500 rubles.

Beware: Sulfate-containing shampoos for toning highlighted hair can cause dryness, brittleness, and hair loss.

Tinting balm, tonic

The color lasts for up to a month and is brighter than shampoo. The terms "balm" and "tonic" actually refer to the same tinting product that is meant for both coloring and hair care. Products for adding shine and moisturizing are available. Tonics can be made and concentrated; dilution is required.

These brands provide tinting conditioner for highlighted hair:

• Concept, Fresh up series products separately for light brown, copper, brown, red and black strands. Contains flax oil, beeswax. Price – from 400 rubles.
• Life Color by Kapous. Balms are available in the same 5 colors as tinting shampoos. Price of each – from 300 rubles.
• Tonika is a domestically produced product with a fairly extensive palette (more than 30 shades, including for tinting gray hair). Costs from 100 rubles. You can see the palette of tinting balms Tonika on our website.
• Estel produces 2 series of tonics: LOVE NUANCE with a keratin complex (17 tones) and SOLO TON with mango extract and UV filter (18 shades). Price – from 100 rubles.

Dye for toning

Ideal for toning hair after highlighting and permanent hair coloring. The color is less frequently washed than shampoo or balm and lasts for up to two months.

Such paint is unique in that it doesn’t contain ammonia, which makes it fall under the category of semi-permanent goods. In addition to giving bleached hair a new color, the gentle composition preserves it.

Popular ammonia-free dyes include the following ones:

1. Estel Products — the De Luxe Sense series (more than fifty tones) and Estel Celebrity (20 colors). The composition of the products includes olive and avocado oils. The cost of De Luxe Sense is about 300 rubles, Celebrity is about half the price.
2. Intensive toning paint with reflective particles from Londa Professional. The palette includes 42 shades (brown-ash, red-violet and others). Price — about 320 rubles.
3. Casting Creme Gloss from L"Oreal — any of the 28 shades will cost approximately 350 rubles.
4. Direct dyes from Igora ColorWorx, presented by the Concentrates and Intense series, cost approximately 750 rubles per bottle. Gamma shades are bright: lilac, turquoise and others.
5. Gentle formulations from Matrix in the Color Sync line withstand up to 20 hair washing procedures. This series has fifty different colors. Price – from 450 rubles. Another product from Matrix is ​​Watercolors watercolor paints, which can be diluted with a transparent tone and get pastel blue, peach, pink and other colors. A bottle costs about 500 rubles.

Mousses, foams, sprays

If you want to use a non-permanent spray to temporarily highlight hair at home, go for it. It will be removed after one to three procedures using a regular shampoo. The product often includes a vitamin set in addition to caring for the curls. The spray works best for ombre and shatush techniques, as well as for tinting individual lighter strands.

Longer-lasting options for products that can remain on the hair for up to eight hair washing procedures are mousses and foams.

Many manufacturers include cozy dispensers in the bottles, eliminating the need for a sponge or brush when tinting. It is advised to wash off any residue after application, leaving the composition on the hair for a predetermined amount of time.

The Schwarzkopf company is one of the producers of these goods. Igora Expert mousse comes in sixteen natural color options. You can give your curls ash, golden, and other hues with its assistance. roughly 600 rubles in price. BlondMe spray comes in four colors: steel blue, ice, strawberry, and jade, and each bottle costs between 700 and 800 rubles. Vitamin-enriched, it fortifies and leaves the strands with a matte finish.

Furthermore. Additionally, some manufacturers sell tint masks (like Cutrin) for curls, along with chalk (like Hot Huez, Hair Chalk) and mascara (like Joyous, StarGazer) for temporary and partial toning of highlighted hair. Reviews assist you in navigating the wide range of products without confusion.

Choice of color

You’re wrong if you’re wondering why you need to pick a kner carefully if the hair has already been washed off. Make time for experiments so you won’t be disappointed with the outcome afterwards. Test coloring is appropriate for the occipital strands. After applying the dye, check to see if the tone on your curls matches the one shown in the packaging photo.

It’s normal for the same color to appear differently on your friend’s head than it does on yours. It’s important to consider both the color type and the original hue of the hair. It can be cold (winter and summer types) or warm (spring and autumn types). An unsatisfactory tone shade after highlighting that is inconsistent with the appearance frequently ruins the overall impression of the image and draws attention to its flaws. Use the advice of experts when selecting tones to avoid this from happening.

For light brown hair

Natural light-haired beauties typically fall into the "spring" color type if their shade is light, and the "summer" color type if it is ash or dark. Tones like sand, gold, honey, amber, chestnut, and chocolate are appropriate in the first scenario. Ash-gray, flax, pearl, platinum, nut-coffee, and plum are the best combinations for toning in the second.

For light hair

For girls with light curls, white skin, and blue eyes, ash or silver toning is ideal. Such hair will look good in light blond, honey, golden blond, and wheat. Warm tones (golden, caramel) are best for toning hair after highlighting if the skin is prone to tanning.

For dark, black hair

Dark hair that has been pre-lightened can take on a warm hue if you have an autumnal appearance, or a cold one if you have a winter color scheme. Pay attention to hues such as red, amber, copper, golden, caramel, cognac, or honey (especially if your hair is reddish-colored).

Brunettes can be characterized by the color Mahagon, bronze, chestnut, eggplant, or coffee-chocolate gamut. Ashen tones with silver hair and light eyes complement black hair and delicate white skin in a harmonious way.

How to tint hair after highlighting

If several days have passed after the highlighting, you can start tinting. A break must be withstand. Despite the gentle effect of both procedures, hair needs rest. It doesn’t matter where your reincarnation takes place: in the salon or at home.

Usually, the entire head is tinted after highlighting, which is similar to the coloring process in some ways. can be toned using individual clarified strands, but the procedure is quite time-consuming. Generally, purchasing non-abdominal paint, spraying it on, and creating bleached strands with contrasting colors—red or red on chestnut hair, for example—is acceptable. In other situations, all hair is treated with tinting shampoo and balm.

Suggestions. In case you have ombre, shatush, or balayage, it is important to partially tone your highlighted hair.

Make sure a product is right for you before using it. Spoon a tiny bit of the product onto your elbow’s bend or the back of your wrist. Best of all, wait for a full day, or at least 15 to 20 minutes. If you do not have an allergy (itching, redness, swelling, peeling), you can tint with a dye that you buy.

Using a toning shampoo is the simplest way to tint highlighted hair at home. It needs to be applied to damp hair, lathered, and then rinsed out. After washing your hair, you should wait three to four minutes to make the color a little brighter. Damp strands are also treated with mousse and spray; however, unlike mousse, the first product does not wash off.

Read the instructions carefully before using the toning product. The general hair coloring scheme may not match the actions’ algorithm.

If you’ve opted for a tonic, tint balm, or semi-permanent paint, concentrate on the following steps:

1. Slightly moisten and comb your hair. Wash it no later than 2-3 days before toning.
2. Divide your hair into several parts (crown, back of the head, temples), fix each with a hairpin or clip.
3. Lubricate the hairline with a thick cream.
4. Put on a waterproof cape or something from old clothes, as well as gloves.
5. Prepare the composition: dilute according to the instructions or pour into a convenient container (if there is no dispenser on the bottle).
6. Remove the hairpin from the back of the head. Divide the hair into narrow strands or choose only bleached locks.
7. Color them with a brush or sponge.
8. Do the same with the hair on the temples, then on the crown. For convenience, fix the colored parts with clips.
9. Wait for the time recommended by the manufacturer of the toning product.
10. Rinse off the mixture with warm and finally cool water. The streams should become transparent.
11. Step-by-step photos of the process and a master class on video will help you to properly perform toning of highlighted hair.

Hair care after

Even if you used gentle toning after highlighting, colored curls require a different set of care instructions. Make use of specific cosmetics (shampoos, balms, conditioners, masks) to help fix the color and preserve the health of your hair. Visit our website to learn how to take care of your hair after highlighting.

Aim to avoid purchasing goods that include sulfates. They aid in the dispersal of the shadows. For natural oils, the same holds true. Use other nourishing ingredients (fruits, bread crumb, herbs, and so on) in place of them in homemade masks.

Purchase a specialized toning shampoo if you observe yellow pigmentation after toning highlighted hair.

Reduce the frequency of using a hair dryer, especially one with a hot air stream, to prevent overdrying the strands. Use water, vinegar, or herbal concoctions to rinse your head. If you want to intensify or refresh your color, use hair toning products no more than once or twice a month.

If the roots are now visible, highlight them (it is best to do this after a gap of two to four months).

Additionally, pay close attention to the customary guidelines that apply to colored, highlighted, tinted, and natural hair:

• do not comb wet hair. After bath procedures, wrap your locks in a turban made of a towel, which will absorb excess moisture;
• do not use metal combs;
• go to bed with dry hair;
• protect your locks from hot water, active sun, chlorine, overdrying with a hair dryer, curling iron, flat iron. If necessary, use heat-protective sprays or safe curling methods (on papillotes, paper towels, rags and other improvised means);
• Trim the ends every 1–1.5 months, even if they are not split.

A well-executed combination of techniques, highlighting and toning can improve your appearance, give your hair a more polished appearance while preserving its structural integrity. Selecting a highlighting method is the first step in doing gentle coloring at home. Next, choose your hair toning products and shades. You’ll be able to regularly update your image because of their transient effect.

But remember that highlighted strands need special attention after toning. Make sure you give your hair enough care so that its healthy glow and radiance always make you happy.

It’s critical to understand hair highlighting:

• how to do highlighting at home;
• do you need to wash your hair before highlighting;
• can you do it during pregnancy, lactation and during menstruation;
• how often can you highlight your hair;
• how to paint over highlighting;
• popular male highlighting techniques.

To maintain the vibrancy and freshness of your highlighted hair color, tone your hair afterward. It improves the overall appearance of your highlights and helps balance out unwanted tones like brassiness.

Your desired color and hair type will determine which toner is best for you. There are many products on the market that can assist you in getting the desired outcome, ranging from professional toners to purple shampoos.

Include regular toning treatments in your hair care regimen to maintain the best possible appearance for your highlights. At home, you can maintain a gorgeous, salon-quality finish with the correct product.

Video on the topic

How to tint blond at home: my experience and recommendations

TONING HIGHLIGHTS \ A GOOD COCKTAIL FOR TONING BLONDE

Tinting after highlighting. Ready-made recipe.