How to become more stylish? All the subtleties of highlighting on dark hair with toning

Highlighting dark hair is one of the best ways to add dimension and revitalize your appearance. It’s a popular option for people who want a stylish update without going too bold because it can subtly brighten your appearance without requiring a full color change.

When toning and highlighting are combined, the real magic happens. To ensure that the highlights blend in perfectly with your natural hair, toning helps to modify the color of the highlights. It provides a smooth, stylish finish, evens out harsh edges, and balances the entire shade.

It’s critical to know the proper technique for your hair type in order to achieve the best results. In order to prevent brassiness and preserve the health of your strands throughout the process, dark hair in particular needs extra care.

Why do you need to tone highlighted locks?

Using a mixture of ammonia and lightening powder, highlights involve partially lightening the hair. Naturally, the hair suffers less than with complete lightening, but the pigment loss also upsets the structure of the lightened strands, which is why the overall look of the hairstyle gradually deteriorates and undesirable dryness and yellowness show up.

Toning after highlights can help bring back the luster and revitalize the color of the hair by fixing highlighting mistakes and hydrating the hair. Semi-permanent ammonia-free dyes or short-acting tinting products (shampoos, masks, balms, sprays) are used for tinting.

The tone is permanently applied to the hair’s surface as the thinnest layer of defense against environmental stressors and burnout. Because toner can cover the entire hair, not just the bleached strands, the color will look more expensive and evened out.

Kindly take note! It is possible to tint hair that has never been dyed. This will keep the natural color from fading in the sun and add brightness to it.

To tint hair, there are three methods. Both the longevity and the strength of the effect on the hair shaft vary:

• Light – the dye changes the color of the hair until the first hair wash. On bleached strands and natural blonde, the pigment can last a little longer. Products for light tinting include shampoo, foam, gel or spray.
• Gentle – the effect of the toner lasts about a month. This paint is available in the form of a colored balm or mask.
• Intensive – suitable for lightening or darkening hair by 1 tone, since the paint contains ammonia. The effect of tinting lasts about 8 weeks.

On dark hair, highlighting combined with toning can instantly improve your look by giving it more depth, dimension, and vitality. By using this method, you can experiment with lighter shades without having to commit fully, and the toning maintains a smooth and natural overall color. It’s a fantastic choice for people who want to add some style to their appearance without going overboard. It brings out the best features in dark hair by striking the ideal mix between harmony and contrast.

Pros and cons

Advantages:

• Does not violate the integrity of the hair structure.
• Prevents dehydration.
• A large assortment of both brands and shades – from natural, to bright and informal.
• Ease of use even at home.
• Toners of cold shades overlap the yellow color after strong lightening.
• Masks the transition from overgrown roots to clarified ends.
• Most means for tinting have a cumulative effect.
• If the color is unsuccessful, the pigment can be quickly washed.

Cons:

• Quickly washed off the hair.
• Requires frequent color renewal, especially if it is bright (red, blue, green, etc. D.).
• Not suitable for briefing gray hair.
• If the hair is mixed, tinting can take uneven.

How to choose a shade?

Selecting the appropriate highlighting style is essential before selecting a tinting shade, as it will have a significant impact on the end outcome.

1. For short haircuts classic with lightened strands on the crown is suitable.
2. For medium-length hair – partial or diagonal coloring.
3. For long curls – American or Californian highlighting with the effect of strands burnt out in the sun.

Crucial! Highlighting is best done in a salon since it calls for dexterity and skill when using foil or a specialized cap.

Selecting shades for toning should ideally be no more than three tones lighter or darker than the base hair color. To give your hairstyle more visual volume, you can also combine three or more shades of the same color; however, it’s best to consult a colorist before making your decision.

How to take into account the color type?

• Spring, Autumn – green or brown eyes, skin with a golden or pink tint, sometimes – cute freckles on the cheeks and nose. Brunettes of this type are suitable for all warm shades of brown with honey, chestnut, or walnut tint.
• Summer, Winter – white, porcelain skin with a pale pink or olive tint, blue or light gray eyes and naturally black hair. Brunettes of this type will benefit from toning in cool brown and gray shades.

Which product to choose?

The product you choose will depend on how long-lasting you want the desired result. A tint shampoo will work if the objective is to try on a specific shade or to refresh the color in between colorings. Consider semi-permanent dyes if you’re looking for a vibrant, long-lasting color.

Tint shampoo

Imparts a subtle, hardly perceptible shade to hair. Therefore, shampoo won’t be able to fix the situation if the hair has been severely damaged by highlighting. The shampoo works well in situations where you want to momentarily and rapidly revive the color of your hair. Toning shampoos are made by a lot of hair cosmetic manufacturers as well. The most in-demand goods are as follows:

1. Rocolor Yellow Neutralizer – shampoo with a purple tint to neutralize unsightly yellowness after bleaching.
2. Iris – another budget product from a Russian manufacturer, has a wide palette from blond to black, sometimes you can find bright pink, purple and red shades on sale.
3. Kapous "Life Color" – has a limited selection of shades, however, the color lasts up to 5 washes.

Citation! If you overexpose colored shampoos with blue or purple undertones, you may get an unexpected result on highly bleached hair.

The purpose of most colored shampoos, which are better suited for bleached blondes, is to counteract yellowness.

Balm

Balm lasts on hair for three weeks to a month and provides a richer shade than shampoo. You can adjust the color saturation by combining the balm with regular hair conditioner, and you can also mix different shades to create new looks. In contrast to shampoos, which can slightly dry out hair, tint balms hydrate hair and shield it from the elements. The following manufacturers sell tinted balms:

• Crazy Color – has a large palette of unusual and bright shades that are easy to mix together.
• “Fresh up” by Concept – natural shades for red, light brown, brown and black curls. The composition includes natural and nourishing ingredients such as flax oil and beeswax.
• Tonic – the most famous and widespread tint balm in Russia. Has more than 30 color solutions, from natural to bright shades.
• “Love Nuance” by Estel – 17 rich shades. The product contains a keratin complex.
• “Solo ton” by Estel – 18 natural rich shades. The composition includes fruit extracts. Among other things, it works as an ultraviolet filter.

Semi-permanent dyes

The result of semi-permanent toners is intense coloring and a result that lasts for up to two months. The ammonia in the products allows for deeper penetration of the coloring into the hair, which is the only drawback to this kind of coloring.

Because semi-permanent dyes only contain half as much ammonia as permanent dyes, they are well-known. It is possible to distinguish between the following semi-permanent dyes:

• Estelle "De Luxe Sense" – more than 50 natural shades. Gentle composition with olive and avocado oil.
• Igora "ColorWorx" – bright and unusual colors from pink to purple, for lovers of unusual images.
• Anthocyanin – a wide range of shades from neutral to the brightest. The dyes are easy to mix with each other.

Step-by-step instructions

Toning should ideally be done a few days after highlighting. It only takes three to four days for the hair to recover from the prior surgery. To get an even color and a lovely, natural shade, you must tone the entire mass of hair, not just the bleached strands. The only exception is if the hair color was applied using the balayage, ombre, or shatush techniques.

Crucial! To prevent unforeseen, allergic skin rashes, conduct a test prior to toning. After applying a tiny amount of the product to the skin behind your ears or your elbow, give it 45 minutes. Refuse to dye and wash off the composition if the skin becomes itchy and red.

Since they are generic, these instructions might not work with every product.

Before you begin dyeing, use caution and make sure you have read the manufacturer’s instructions:

1. Moisten and comb your hair.
2. Divide it into several parts and fix it with rubber bands or clips.
3. Treat the hairline, ears and neck with a thick cream, or put on a special apron and visor. This will protect you from hard-to-remove stains on your face.
4. Start dyeing your hair, moving from the back of the head to the side strands, and then to the crown, use a special brush and gloves.
5. Wait for the required time for the effect, if necessary – cover your head with a plastic cap.
6. Rinse off the toner – do not stop rinsing until the water becomes clear.

Photos before and after

Here are pictures of the before and after toning:

Features of subsequent care

• The main secret of long-lasting hair color is the health of your hair. It is very important to saturate it with moisture and trim split ends in time.
• If your hair is already toned – give up the habit of washing your hair every day for a while, since the pigment is gradually washed out with each wash.
• Use specialized shampoos for bleached and colored hair.
• Give up nourishing fatty masks, oils, as well as alcohol-containing conditioners and shampoos. Oil and alcohol are the main enemies of long-lasting color.

Without making significant changes, dark hair can be given dimension and a contemporary edge by highlighting and toning. It’s a fantastic way to play around with color without sacrificing naturalness.

You can achieve a fashionable look that goes well with your skin tone and sense of style by selecting the appropriate colors and application methods. By blending the highlights, toning facilitates seamless color transitions.

Working with a professional who knows how to accentuate dark hair with tasteful, strategically placed highlights is essential for the best results. This can assist you in achieving a chic, put-together appearance that exudes sophistication and freshness.

Video on topic

Highlighting with beautiful toning from Estel.

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