The One Mistake Stylists Wish People With Coloured Hair Would Stop Making

Despite growing up in the '90s before the internet was a mainstay in every household, I can barely remember a time when "Google it" wasn't the standard response to a question that you don't have an immediately definitive answer to. These days we have access to so much information, and we can even see what questions are on everyone else's lips thanks to handy tools such as Google Trends. As a beauty editor, I'm definitely not surprised to see that lots of people out there are turning to the search engine to find out all the answers to their hair questions.

People are searching everything from "what hair colour is best for me?" to "what haircut looks best for my face shape?". However, one thing in particular that everyone seems to want to know is "what is hair toner?".

I often get asked this question myself, and to be honest, I'm not too sure either. So, I called on the help of some experts to get this answered once and for all.

Turns out, they were only too happy to help as skipping hair toner is the #1 mistake that people with coloured hair keep making. Oops. Keep scrolling to find out exactly what hair toner is, who should be using it and to shop the best ones.

What Is Hair Toner?

"A toner is something that can either remove yellow or orange tones or can be used if you want to take the hair down a shade or to add more depth," explains Francesca Dixon, creative colourist at Hari's Salon. And contradictory to what I previously thought, toners aren't just for blondes—they work for brunettes and redheads too.

"Toners are also great if you have just got back from exposing hair to the sun," says Dixon. "The sun can lift coloured hair and cause it to go brassy or fade. A toner can fill this back into the hair shaft as well as add shine." (Basically, if you want to brighten your overall hair colour or remove unwanted hues from your strands, you need a hair toner.)

When Should You Use Hair Toner?

"Toners are usually used straight after using a form of a bleaching technique," says Dixon. "When lifting hair, you expose undertones of red, orange and yellow. Depending on the base and the desired result, a toner can be applied to damp hair to neutralise any unwanted hues or even mute colours."

"Toning isn't a quick fix to be performed at home; done correctly, it's actually a pretty technical professional service," says Adam Reed, founder of Arkive headcare. "Consumers are becoming more sophisticated in what they're asking for and really wanting to feel like they own their colour, but toning and what this means is still a bit of a mystery to most."

Having said that, there are some great new innovative toners on the market that make it possible to refresh your colour at home, but be careful not to overuse them. "Too many toners can cause buildup," advises Dixon. "If you have a buildup, gently cleanse the hair so you have a fresh clean palette; then reapply toner. You should only use a toner when necessary—like when the hair has been lightened from sun exposure or has faded, unwanted hues."

What's the Next Hair Toner Trend?

"The conversation around toning is a big one for this season," says Reed. "Blondes are the largest group of colour clients we see in salons at 54%, and blondes and consumers are talking more about tonal blondes—with toning becoming a bigger consumer conversation throughout the industry. Professionals are celebrating the diversity within the blonde palette and the possibility of diversifying blonde with toners. [Stylists are] taking inspiration from mother of pearl to include a nod to the pinks and blues within the colour palette."

How Do You Choose the Best Hair Toner?

If you're heading into salon for your hair toner, Dixon has some suggestions: "My favourites are the L'Oréal Dia Light, as the toner only treats the coloured hair. It deposits tone and doesn't lift the cuticle. I always recommend using Smartbond to help with shine and hold the toner for longer."

The effects can last anywhere from two to six weeks, so if you want to keep up the results of using a hair toner at home, it's best to use shampoos, conditioners and hair masks that are formulated with a toner to help maintain your hair colour.

Shop the Best Hair Toner Formulas to Use at Home

For blondes:

For brunettes:

For redheads:

This story was published at an earlier time and has since been updated.