It has been months and you have decided to dye your hair again, you bought the hair dye and toner, but you are having some trouble. What’s the problem?
Hair toner is too dark, how to lighten it? This is the first time you came across this problem and you don’t know what to do.
Don’t worry, stay with us and we will explain everything – from what toners are made for and the damage to your hair to the exact process of how to lighten it.
Grab your hair supply and stay tuned!
What Does Hair Toner Do?
Hair toners are products made for lightening your hair. You might want to lighten your natural blonde or get a brighter color this time. They are designed to change your hair’s undertone – neutralize the warm and brassy tones that you don’t like.
You will apply this product in order to get a better and improved ashy or platinum blonde look.
Before doing anything to your hair, you should know the steps to use it:
- Mix the toner with the developer.
- Use an applicator brush and focus on the areas on your hair that have unwanted undertones.
- Leave the toner to stay 45 minutes on your hair.
- Rinse, wash using moisturizer shampoo and deep condition.
Make sure that you refresh your color with a toner every 6-8 weeks. With this in mind, be careful about how you store your toner. It can get damaged by being exposed to air, sun, or any other chemicals.
When choosing a toner, if you are some blonde, then look for purple shampoo. It will neutralize darker tones into a more natural-looking blonde.
Suppose you are in a phase of a more dramatic color – purple shampoo will not be enough. You will also need to back it up with ammonia-bleached toner. Be careful in choosing the toner.
Ammonia-based toners change the pigment of your hair, and they come in different colors. Choose wisely – you don’t want to end up with some crazy green color.
There are two types of toners – In-salon hair toners and at home toning products.
In-salon hair toners – these are made by the hairdresser because they can assess what the exact tone your hair currently needs is.
You can make toning processes at home and use purple shampoo to get the desired results.
Important Things To Know About Toners
- They alter the undertone but do not lift the shade.
- They make the blonde look more natural.
- You can use it all over your hair or just on some parts.
- The more you wash your hair – the more toner you will need.
- You can use three different products to tone – purple shampoo, ammonia toners, or dye.
Does Toner Damage Your Hair?
- This depends on what you mean by the term damage. Although almost every hairdresser will tell you that this is the perfect hair product, you will still come across hundreds of comments from people telling you how the toner ruined their hair. So, what is the truth?
- Unfortunately, it does damage your hair to some extent because of its strong chemical composition. However, if you have dyed your hair, you will have to use it the next time you visit a hair salon.
- To minimize the damage it causes, apply it carefully and adequately. Don’t do it by yourself – go to the hairdresser and let the professional do his work.
Read Also: Can You Mix Toner With Hair Dye?
My Toner Is Too Dark – How Do I Lighten It?

The answer is simple – use dandruff or clarifying shampoo.
Let’s begin with dandruff shampoo.
Dandruff shampoo contains the chemicals you need – sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate.
Why did I mention these two? Because sulfates have cleaning effects and they are a part of a group of the strongest cleaners – surfactants.
In simple words, they make the color fade and dye disappear. Dandruff shampoo doesn’t stay on your hair too long.
How do you use it?
- Wet your hair and put the dandruff shampoo on.
- Massage the shampoo for about 3-5 minutes until you have lots of foam.
- Rinse and use the conditioner.
- Dry your hair.
- Do this a couple of times, and you will lighten your hair to the desired tone.
This will take about a week, but this mainly depends on how often you wash your hair.
Now, clarifying shampoo.
This is also a great choice for lightening your hair because it helps you get rid of all the artificial pigmentation – leaving just the base color.
It is important to mention that this product contains neither peroxide nor ammonia – so it won’t hurt your hair.
This product is also easy to use:
- Wet your hair and put the clarifying shampoo on.
- Massage and leave it for 10-20 minutes.
- Rinse, but without putting any product on your hair.
- Dry your hair.
- If the clarifying shampoo didn’t do the entire job the first time – use it as many times as you want.
Related Read:
- How to Lighten Hair Without Bleach?
- How to Lighten Hair With Developer?
- Can Developer and Baking Soda Lighten Hair?
- Realistic Stages Of Lightening Dark Hair: How It Really Looks
- How to Lighten Hair With Lemon Juice Overnight?
Why Do People Recommend Clarifying Shampoos?
Besides being able to lighten and make your hair look more natural, this shampoo has many other benefits.
Some of the pros of this shampoo are:
- Removing buildup
- Removing water deposits and chlorine
- Eliminating hair residues
- Refreshing your hair
- Preventing bacterial growth on your scalp
- Restoring natural pH balance
- Preventing blonde hair from turning brassy
- Regulates sebum levels on your scalp
Top 5 Clarifying Shampoos
If you don’t know what brand you should go with, here are some of the best clarifying shampoos recommended by hairdressers.
- Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo – it is rich with argan and avocado oils, which are good for your hair.
- Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub With Sea Salt – this is perfect for someone with a sensitive and oily scalp.
- Nexxus Clean and Pure Nourishing Detox Shampoo – rebalances the pH value and hydrates your hair.
- Kenra Clarifying Shampoo – extra layer of protection, removes color residue.
- Suave Essentials Daily Clarifying Shampoo – contains powerful cleansing ingredients.
Hair Toner Too Dark How To Lighten It – Conclusion
You want to lighten your natural blonde or get a brighter color this time. The right product for this is hair toner – it is designed to change your hair’s undertone – neutralize the warm and brassy tones that you don’t like.
Before buying it, you should know how to properly use it and save your hair from any possible damage: mix the toner with the developer, then use an applicator brush and focus on the areas on your hair which have unwanted undertones, leave the toner to stay 45 minutes on your hair and rinse, wash using moisturizer shampoo and deep condition.
Here are some important facts you should know about toners: they alter the undertone but do not lift the shade, make the blonde look more natural, you can use it all over your hair or just on some parts, the more you wash your hair– the more toner you will need, etc.
There has been a debate about whether this product damages your hair or not. Well, the opinions are mixed, but in general, it doesn’t have a wonderful effect on your hair.
To minimize the damage it causes, apply it carefully and adequately. Don’t do it by yourself – go to the hairdresser and let the professional do his work.
If you want to lighten your toner, use dandruff or clarifying shampoo. If you are using a dandruff shampoo, you should leave it on your hair for 3-5 minutes, rinse and use a conditioner. On the other hand, if you opt for a clarifying shampoo, you should leave this on your hair for 10-20 minutes and not use anything after rinsing.
Many people recommend clarifying shampoo, and here is why: removes water deposits and chlorine, eliminates hair residues, refreshes your hair, prevents bacterial growth on your scalp, restoring natural pH balance, etc.
Some of the best ones out there are Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo, Kenra Clarifying Shampoo, etc.
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