Everything You Need to Know About Hair Toner

With so many different hair coloring products available on the market, it can be impossible to know what you actually need. People with dyed hair know dyeing involves either a double or single process (lightening or bleaching, if needed, followed by the actual pigment), but in between salon visits there are a variety of professional and at-home options to help maintain a healthy-looking color. Exhibit A: Hair toner. It does exactly what it sounds like—tones your color to control brassiness and keep hair looking healthy. Yet, there is still confusion on how it works.

That's why ELLE.com consulted a panel of expert colorists, including Kristin Ess, Celebrity Hairstylist and Founder of Kristin Ess, IGK Miami colorist Savanna Palladino, and Sharon Dorram, Master Colorist at Sharon Dorram Color at Sally Hershberger Salon, to break down everything you need to know bout toners and how they’re used.

Ess describes toners as a “topcoat for your hair.” It usually comes in a gel or gloss-like formula, and works to emphasize or deemphasize certain tones in your hair, as well as add shine. Palladino adds that toners aren’t one specific product. That is, you usually can’t go out and just buy a “toner.” Demi-permanent colors, glosses, and tinted shampoos and conditioners can all be considered toners, because they all contain pigments that adjust tone in your hair. Typically, the pigment delivered in toners can last about three to four weeks.

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