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Did you recently lighten/bleach your hair and are looking for easy ways to tone blonde hair at home? Are you sitting there staring at your reflection, with tears rolling down your face because your hair is yellow, orange, or both? Don’t panic, as I am going to share my 3 favorite ways to tone my own frequently lightened hair.
Be sure to take a moment to breathe and realize that many of us have been in your shoes before and have lived to tell the tale. ☺ Even Justin Timberlake has had a 90’s blonde hair fail, which not only was a horrid color, but looked like a pack of dry Ramen Noodles, straight out of the package:
Overview
Trust me, I wouldn’t be writing this If I didn’t know the horror of having a dye-job go wrong. I used to never learn my lesson when it comes to my hair. I would dye it, realize how much work it is to upkeep it, then promise myself I will never dye it again. A month later there I’d go again, waddling my ass to the check-out counter with a bottle of bleach.
All the experiences that I have had has helped me to be able to write this post and help others though, so it’s all good! 💜
Note: I am not a hair stylist, have never been to cosmetology school, and do not color/tone anyone else’s hair besides my own. Please know that these hair toning methods are based off of my own experience and have worked well for me. This is not professional advice. 🙂
Before you proceed to dying your hair or toning it at home, ask yourself this:
Is your hair falling out, breaking off, or shriveling up like spaghetti like this?
If so – I don’t care how bad the color is -, go to the salon, girl!No protein treatment is going to fix it and only a professional can help save you from having to chop it off entirely.
There is good news if you fried your hair, and that is the simple fact that it is just hair. Hair grows back, the damage can be cut off, and color can be corrected, but please go to a professional. You might even be surprised at what they can do and love your new look!
All you really need is some Mama June sized optimism:
Even if you don’t like it, just do what celebrities do and rock a wig until your hair grows back!
3 Ways to Tone Blonde Hair
If you made it down this far, that means you are ready to tone those locks, so I am going to go over 3 easy methods you can try, and what you will need.
1. Toner & Developer Method
This is the best option if your hair isn’t fried! It is my favorite way to tone my hair because it works the best and lasts the longest. These toners offer shades specific to what shade our hair is now and how to get it to the desired shade.
What you need:
- Toner – (See chart below) Purchase On Amazon here: Wella T18 Toner
- Developer – 20 Volume – Available at Sally’s or on Amazon: 20 Vol 32oz Toner
- Application Brush, Mixing Bowl, and Gloves. (Also available on Amazon: Hair Coloring Kit
As you may have guessed, the toner I use is by Wella. The unwanted tones that are left over after lightening and how to get rid of them, depends a lot on what your original/natural hair color is.
For example, my natural hair color is dirty blonde, so my hair lightens pretty well, but I am still left with terrible yellow tones. For me, both shades of Wella T18 and T14 seem to work pretty well in getting rid of them.. If your natural hair color is dark brown, you’ll probably end up with more orange left over tones. Perhaps this chart will help explain:
Selecting the color to buy can make you feel overwhelmed, so i recommend following the chart below for blonde shades, or reading a more detailed guide on the following PDF file: Wella Toner Color Guide
Mixing the Toner & Developer
My hair is a little past shoulder length and I use one 1.4oz bottle of toner and I buy a big bottle of 20 Vol developer. There is a little bottle that the toner comes in that can be used as your “measuring cup”. This helps when you pour the developer, allowing you to follow the “1 part toner, 2 parts developer” rule.
Does the ratio/mixing process sound complicated? It’s not! Just simply do the following after you have gathered all your supplies:
Applying the toner:
Using your applicator brush, apply the toner just as you would hair dye, from roots to the ends. Once complete, leave in your hair for 20-45 minutes. After that, you simply go wash it out in the shower and dry and style as usual. After drying your hair, you should see your final result.
2. Conditioner + Semi-Permanent Dye Method
There’ s a way to tone hair without using harsh chemicals, by using purple or blue semi-permanent hair dye. I’ve heard of people using permanent colored dyes before to tone hair, but I’ve not yet personally tried it yet. I have however, used this semi-permanent method.
What you need:
- 1 Package of Colorista in Purple or Blue/Indigo
- White Conditioner – Any white-colored conditioner is fine, but since you will use a ton with this method, don’t waste your more expensive, high-quality shampoos. (which you should be using regularly) . You will need enough to cover your hair entirely, just like you do with hair dye.
- Application Brush, Mixing Bowl, and Gloves. (Get on Amazon: Hair Coloring Kit
Mixing:
You won’t really need to measure anything using this method. If you add too much conditioner or not enough dye, it isn’t a big deal, since you can always start over!. I recommend white conditioner so you can clearly see how much color is showing up, and can dilute if needed.
Step 1
Pour a hefty amount of conditioner into a mixing bowl. (the more the better in my opinion, so you don’t have to go back and make more if needed). The more hair you have, the more conditioner you need.
Step 2
Squeeze a small dab of semi-permanent hair dye into mixing bowl with the conditioner and stir. Chances are that you didn’t see much of a color change in the conditioner, and if that is the case, keep adding tiny dabs of dye until you end up with a decent shade of purple/blue.
You want to repeat step 2 until you get the desired color/shade. I stir in dye until the conditioner is the color in the photo below, from a great article on DIY toning.
Step 3
Once you have drenched your hair in the conditioner, let it sit for 15-30 minutes, depending on how yellow/orange it is. Then rinse it out thoroughly.
Since this is a DIY method without nicely folded up instructions for this particular purpose, it is crucial to experiment! Eventually, you will find the perfect amount and leave-in time that gets you your desired result.
This method, like most toning methods, will need upkeep, so don’t throw away that huge bottle of temporary dye you have left over. 🙂
3. Purple Shampoo Method
If hair has yellow tones, purple shampoo can help tone them down. This is recommended for hair that only needs to be lightly toned and for weekly maintenance, as this method will not provide much improvement to hair that isn’t already pretty blonde already.
Purple shampoos, like the one in the photo above, do come with purpose-specific instructions, so you definitely want to read those. For the Bold Uniq shampoo, you only need to leave it in for up to 5 minutes!
There are a lot of great purple shampoos out there, but this one has tons of great reviews and before and after photos on Amazon: Bold Uniq Purple Shampoo Here is just one of the review photos:
Maintaining Color
Unfortunately toners don’t last as long as you would like, so to keep your hair looking bright and blonde rather than dull, here are some helpful products you can use in between treatments! They really do make a difference.
My favorite brand is Joico! I use their hydrating shampoo & conditioner, as well as this one, which is a purple toning shampoo that you can use for upkeep. Getting the cheap purple shampoos and conditioners don’t do much good, so if you want quality and not paying a ridiculous amount of money, this one is my top choice:
Get on Amazon: Violet Blonde Life Conditioner
Another product I would recommend if you need to tone your blonde hair is this fun, but effective hair mask:
Get on Amazon: Keratin Purple Hair Mask
Color Depositing Shampoo
I recently tried this product when I was left with some subtle yellow tones after a dye job and was pleasantly surprised that it made quite the difference! It comes in over a dozen colors, but the one I am referring to is obviously the “platinum” shade! 💜 You can use it in the shower, but I always leave it on for an hour before or even overnight. it doesn’t stain your hair, which is the best part!
Try it from Amazon: Color Clenditioner
Conclusion
And those are 3 easy ways to tone blonde hair without having to go to the salon! Keeping blonde hair blonde is definitely hard work! Things like washing it too much or spending too much time in the sun also doesn’t help. In between dye jobs, the purple shampoo method can be a lifesaver when you’re on the go, too.
What hair toning methods, tips or tricks do your recommend? Let me know in the comments below, my fellow bottled blondes!
