Toning

Unless your personality shouts fanfare and melodrama, subtletly is the key to spectacular haircolor. Minerva speaks: Don't misunderstand me, I applaud glamour! However like a fine wine, the difference between a finely aged wine and shall we say-a wine of lesser splendor-often lies in the subleties.

Why Would I Tone My Hair?

• Sunlight-even ultra-violet light-can fade your haircolor, toning will revitalize your color.
• Permanent haircolor is limited in its lightening ability. Therefore as you ask your color to reach beyond its capabilities, or lighten to a Level which conflicts with the Undertones in your hair- Brassiness often occurs. Toning will minimze your undesired color results.
• Refreshing the haircolor on the ends of your hair as you retouch your new growth. See Maximizing Beauty.

Toning is simply another way of adding color to your hair. The oxidative nature of permanent haircolor however only complicates the challenge that toning is meant to correct. No-ammonia haircolor is a "deposit only" color and will always be your wisest choice when toning. Clairol Natural Instincts and L'oreal Color Spa are both no-ammonia haircolors-ideal choices to tone your haircolor. (Open the Shade Selector chart on the Natural Instincts' website to find which colors are the most effective neutralizing tones: www.clairolcanada.ca/clairoljava/jsp/shadeSelector.jsp?product=4).

1. Toning, as a means to revitalize your faded hair color is applied in the same manner as other haircolor. First apply your color to the new growth for the recommended 15-20 minutes. Then refresh your ends for the remainding 5 minutes:

• Select a haircolor similar to the color that you are attempting to achieve. (Since no-ammonia haircolor doesn't lighten hair, undertones are of no consequence.)
• Recognize that the ends of your hair may be more Porous, and may therefore easily darken deeper than your expectations.
• With the above in mind, it may be wise to choose a slightly lighter shade of the final haircolor you desire.
  Mixing your haircolor may help you achieve your desired color. For example, you would like to return your faded color back to it's rich medium golden brown.
• In more extreme cases the ends of your hair may be quite a bit lighter than either your new growth or the mid-shaft of your hair. In this case, it may be neccessary to actually mix two seperate color formulas.

1. When using a toner to correct a haircolor gone awry, the same considerations as above apply. Recognize that as you work with a toner to do corrective haircoloring, an understanding of levels and undertones will help you more accurately achieve your desired color:

• To correct brassy haircolor you must "counteract" the undesired shade.
• In order for toning to be successful, the toning color must be the same level as the problem. In other words, More...
  

  
  

Toning-especially in the case of corrective haircolor can be difficult. A strand test is always recommended.