At Glasshouse we know that booking a colour appointment can sometimes be confusing, especially if you’re unfamiliar with hairdressing terminology and unsure of what it will take to get a particular colour. One service in particular that we get a lot of questions about is toners.
Although at Glasshouse Salon your stylist will always walk you through your colour process and advise you on when a toner will be needed, it can be helpful to understand a little more about what a toner does. With this in mind, we’ve enlisted the help of our Senior Stylist Ashleigh to cover the basics of the service and why it is so important.
As the name suggests, a toner’s primary function is to alter the ‘tone’ of your hair colour; where a permanent colour alters the depth of the colour to make it darker or lighter, the toner alters the reflect, essentially creating a warmer or cooler finish. “At Glasshouse we use toning most often on blondes” says Ashleigh. “After lightening the hair, the toner can be used to alter the final colour depending on whether you want a buttery, golden blonde or an ashy, silver toned look.”
Toners aren’t just for blondes however and can be used on brunettes and redheads too, for example to help reduce brassiness or unwanted tones in the hair caused by factors such as environmental stress, harsh products, heat or even sunlight as Ashleigh explains. “When hair is exposed to sunlight this can sometimes cause the reflect to lighten or warm up. Using a toner can help to neutralise or eliminate these tones without making the hair darker overall.”
Toners are also often used for softening colour and giving you a more subtle look. Ashleigh often uses toners after a balayage for example: “a toner is a great way to blend the blonde in with your original colour after a balayage, creating a more natural looking finish.”
Unlike permanent colour, toners cannot lighten the hair and are semi-permanent, meaning they will wash out eventually, but when it comes to washing your hair Ashleigh has a few tips on prolonging the colour’s staying power.
“To help your colour last longer I would recommend washing your hair less often where possible and making sure you are using a high quality sulphate free shampoo. Sulphates will strip the colour from your hair faster and and so I’d recommend a shampoo like our Glasshouse Hair, Hand & Body Wash - it’s 100% sulphate free and contains natural wheat protein to strengthen your hair and improve colour retention.”
Whether you want to go lighter or you simply want to eliminate some unwanted tones from your hair, a toner is a great way to adjust your colour just enough to make sure you walk away with a natural looking shade that suits you.
As always, if you’re unsure of what you need to achieve your ideal colour, feel free to give the salon a call on 020 3095 9783 or email us at info@glasshousesalon.co.uk to book a complimentary consultation with one of our expert stylists.
Featured image: Edgar Berg
Words: Phoebe Grace Ede
