Secrets of hair toning in a professional style: toners with an acidic pH and home remedies

Your hair can look entirely different with hair toning, which adds radiance, depth, and a new pop of color. Knowing which products and techniques to use is essential, whether your goal is to try something different, enhance your natural shade, or neutralize unwanted tones.

Professionals frequently use toners with an acidic pH to get bright, long-lasting results. These toners seal the cuticle and trap in moisture, which helps to maintain hair health in addition to balancing color.

For those who want a more natural solution, toning your hair can be done more gently with home remedies. From the comfort of your own home, you can preserve the shine and revive your hair color with the right ingredients.

Hair toning – what is it?

Hair toning is defined in coloristics as the addition of a shade subsequent to highlighting. However, there are also tint balms, purple shampoo for at-home neutralization, and tone-on-tone coloring. All of this is regarded as toning.

How toning differs from coloring

There is a belief that coloring and toning are, at their core, two entirely distinct processes. Colorists disagree, arguing that this is not the case. The term "coloring" is more general and encompasses, for example, salon-style hair toning. However, a similar process using household products cannot be referred to as coloring.

Read this article to learn how toning is different from other coloring techniques. Here, we’ll focus on the key differences.

• Permanent alkaline coloring allows you to change the tone level if desired – the master can get, for example, a light caramel blond on light brown hair. What is used: permanent dyes with ammonia or its analogues.

• Coloring with acid toning does not raise the tone level. This is an ideal way to create a unique shining shade immediately after lightening in current coloring techniques. What is used: toners with an acidic pH.

• Toning with neutralization at home and in the salon will help remove unwanted warm halftones – yellowness in blondes, redness in light brown hair and a reddish tone in brunettes. What is used: tinting shampoos, conditioners, masks, sprays with a neutralizing function.

• Toning with direct action pigments does not lighten hair. The new shade corresponds in its level to the original color and is usually washed out within 1-10 days. What is used: tint and color refreshing conditioners, masks, sprays.

Next, we’ll talk about what gets toned in beauty salons, how it’s done, and what kind of toner to use at home.

Before and after toning: photo facts

Take a look at the images taken before and after expert toning—you can see how different and amazing the outcome is! Furthermore, the dyes themselves produce the additional shine. Complexes that surround every hair are found in both laminating compounds and modern formulas.

And above are examples of toning with conditioners ColorBalm from Biolage. If the shade is chosen correctly and you strictly follow the instructions, in just 10 minutes you can become the happy owner of lavender-colored strands or, for example, a sophisticated silvery blonde.

Toning will not harm your hair: true or not

All dye manufacturers work to lessen the harmful effects that their products—permanent and semi-permanent—have on hair. However, in actuality, "acidic" dyes are more sensitive than ammonia. Their pigments do not replace the natural pigment in the hair, nor do they open the cuticle or delve deeply into the hair cortex.

If lightening hair or covering gray hair is not necessary, we provide toning services because maintaining hair quality is our top priority. For instance, we only tone the length and ends of the hair and apply permanent dyes to the gray roots because this takes care of the hair and eliminates the need for harsh products and frequent lightening.

Professional toners with caring ingredients are also necessary when working with intricate coloring techniques like shatush, airtouch, 4D blonde, and balayage.

When creating the compositions of their tinting products, some brands soften their already delicate formulas; others add more plant polymers to them to improve the elasticity and smoothness of the strands. Additionally, peach kernel oil and bonder (amino acid taurine and cationic polymers) are included in the gel toner’s formula with an acidic pH Tonal Control to safeguard the hair’s internal structure.

This is fascinating! Hair products with an acidic pH are made to seal the cuticle and restore its reflective and protective qualities. The pH of rinse-off care products (masks, conditioners) is typically acidic, but dyes rarely have an acidic pH.

Our team of colorists achieves a deep shine on clients’ dull and severely damaged hair because of the gentle acidic formulas of L’Oréal Professionnel’s Dia Light dye and Matrix’s Tonal Control toner.

Are you certain that your toner’s packaging can be recycled in an eco-friendly manner? If a lot of water is lost during the process and empty tubes are left behind, is it still possible to tone hair carefully for both you and the environment? Is it possible to separate the waste types for the dye cap and the tube? Seek out beauty parlors that align with your principles regarding mindful consumption. Professionals know the exact answers! Read this article to learn what an eco-salon is, how to set things up in one, and what hairstylists of the future are.

Pros and cons of hair toning

Toning has benefits and drawbacks, just like any other beauty ritual.

Advantages:

• delicate effect on hair, the effect of a caring procedure;

• dazzling shine after salon toning will stay with you for several weeks, so toners are the main characters of the glossing procedure;

• shades from the same palette can be mixed, getting unique images;

• the ability to change the temperature characteristics of the color – add a cold ash or a fashionable in 2023 golden nuance.

Cons are highly conditioned:

• "Acidic" toning without lightening only emphasizes the natural hair color, but does not change it;

• hair toning with professional technical toner or dye is highly undesirable to do at home;

• toning with products for home use is washed off in a few days.

Furthermore, as every colorist knows, toning gray hair can be tricky. It is preferable to completely bleach your hair and then tone it after applying permanent dyes to excess gray hair.

Tinting in a salon using Tonal Control Pre-Bonded as an example

Why do SalonSecret experts advise using compounds with an acidic pH for toning? Although it lightens the hair by 0.5–1 tone level, toning dye with an alkaline pH has its benefits. A prominent orange stripe, the toning border, emerges in the root zone as the length increases. This is not the result of using an acid toner; instead, the hair keeps its consistent color density.

How a qualified colorist in a salon applies color to hair:

1. In a conversation with the client, selects a shade – ready-made (from deep ash brown to pearl pink blonde) or consisting of several shades from the palette.
2. Combines the gel toner with oxide, mixes thoroughly.
3. Applies the composition to the client"s hair. The color formula allows the colorist to evenly distribute the mixture and tone each strand without gaps.
4. Tonal Control gradually darkens, prompting the colorist when it is time to wash off the composition.

Finishes the process by using a hairdryer to dry the hair and performing a cleansing ritual with color fixation. Tonal Control, the fashionable sheen and subtlety that results from tinting, can last for up to six weeks before needing to be redone.

Natural (untyed and unbleached) hair is not recommended for use with the acid color toning technique. To give the strands a glossy shine that lasts for a long time, there is a glossing service available on a transparent toner from the Tonal Control palette.

Whether you use home remedies or professional toners with an acidic pH, hair toning is a great way to update your appearance. Each technique has advantages of its own; the secret is to figure out which approach best suits your hair type and objectives.

Acidic pH toners add gorgeous hues and a shine while providing gentle care for hair health maintenance. They’re frequently the first option considered by those seeking to intensify or balance color following expert dyeing sessions.

Natural solutions such as lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or chamomile tea can have mild toning effects for people who prefer at-home treatments. These can provide a chemical-free method of experimenting with hair color, even though they might not be as effective as salon procedures.

The final decision between DIY solutions and professional toners is based on your comfort level with the products and the desired outcomes. You can easily achieve gorgeous tones and vibrant hair with the right approach.

In order to achieve a polished, salon-quality look, professional hair toning entails using toners with an acidic pH to enhance hair color, add shine, and neutralize undesirable tones. These products help keep color vibrancy and are kind to hair. Home remedies such as chamomile, vinegar, and tea can have natural toning effects, but they may not be as strong as those obtained from professionals. This is especially true for those seeking a do-it-yourself approach.

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