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Toning hair at home

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 07.06.2024
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Home hair toning is a budget-friendly and creative way to change your hair color or give it a new shade. It can be a good alternative for those who prefer natural products or want to avoid using chemical dyes. Here are a few ways you can tone your hair using handy tools:

Professional remedies:

Tinting shampoos and conditioners

Specially formulated for easy hair color change and hair care.

Tinting shampoos and conditioners are popular products for maintaining and refreshing hair color, as well as giving your hair the desired shades. Here are a few well-known brands that offer such products:

1. Redken

  • Products: Color Extend Blondage and Color Extend Graydiant
  • Features: Redken shampoos and conditioners are designed to combat yellowing on blonde and gray hair, as well as to enhance and maintain blonde and silver tones.

2. Joico

  • Products: Color Balance Blue and Color Balance Purple
  • Features: These shampoos and conditioners are designed to neutralize copper/orange and yellow tones in blonde and lightened hair.

3. Matrix

  • Products: Total Results So Silver and Brass Off
  • Features: Matrix offers solutions to maintain the brightness of blonde hair and neutralize unwanted shades.

4. L'Oréal Professionnel

  • Products: Serie Expert Silver and Vitamino Color
  • Features: Products are designed to care for gray, blonde and dyed hair, helping to keep color vibrant and rich.

5. Schwarzkopf Professional

  • Products: Goodbye Yellow and BC Color Freeze
  • Features: Specialized shampoos to neutralize yellowness and maintain cool tones.

6. Moroccanoil

  • Products: Moroccanoil Color Depositing Masks
  • Features: These conditioner masks not only tone hair, but are enriched with argan oil for extra nourishment.

7. Aveda

  • Products: Blue Malva and Black Malva
  • Features: Natural botanical ingredients designed to improve hair color and shine.

Important points when choosing:

  • Select ashade: Choose the product that matches your current hair color or desired result.
  • Hair Type: Some products may be more suitable for certain hair types (e.g. Fine, thick, curly).
  • Frequency of use: Follow the directions for use, as overuse can result in a shade that is too intense.

These tinting shampoos and conditioners will help you maintain your desired hair color between salon visits, and give you the opportunity to experiment with shades without a long-term commitment.

Semi-permanent dyes

A gentler option compared to permanent colors, it does not contain ammonia.

Semi-permanent hair dyes are a great way to experiment with color without making a long-term commitment. They are usually ammonia-free and gently color your hair, gradually washing out after a few washes. Here are a few popular brands that offer semi-permanent dyes:

1. Manic Panic

  • Features: Known for its bright, rich colors. Manic Panic products are vegan and not tested on animals.

2. Arctic Fox

  • Features: Offers a wide range of vibrant and vivid colors. Dyes are free from harmful chemicals and enriched with caring ingredients.

3. Adore

  • Features:Adore offers a rich palette of shades, including natural and vibrant colors, and is one of the more affordable options.

4. Directions by La Riche

  • Features: This brand is known for its creative shades and good color fastness.

5. Good Dye Young

  • Features:Founded by singer Hayley Williams, this brand offers bright and unique colors as well as vegan and eco-friendly products.

6. Pravana ChromaSilk Vivids

  • Features: Pravana is known for its professional quality dyes and wide range of intense shades.

7. Clairol Professional Jazzing

  • Features: These dyes are suitable for those looking for more natural or subtle shades and a slight sheen.

Important aspects when using it:

  • Allergytest: Always perform an allergy test before using a dye, even if it does not contain ammonia.
  • Hair condition: Remember that semi-permanent dyes work best on blonde or lightened hair.
  • Hair Care: After coloring, use shampoos and conditioners for color-treated hair to maintain color and hair health.

These dyes make it easy and safe to experiment with hair color, offering a wide range of shades for all preferences and styles.

Colored mousses and foams

They offer temporary coloring that washes off after a few washes of the head.

Color mousses and hair foams are a great way to temporarily change your hair color or add colored highlights without a long-term commitment or damage to your hair. Here are some brands that offer such products:

1. Schwarzkopf Professional

  • Product: Schwarzkopf Professional Igora Expert Mousse
  • Features: Offers a variety of shades, easy to apply and good for refreshing color and adding shine.

2. Goldwell

  • Product: Goldwell Colorance Soft Color Foam
  • Features: This brand offers mousses that are great for tinting, pre-pigmenting or neutralizing unwanted shades.

3. Wella Professionals

  • Product: Wella Professionals Color Fresh
  • Features: Lightweight temporary coloring foams and mousses that provide natural results and shine.

4. L'Oréal Professionnel

  • Product: L'Oréal Professionnel Hair Touch Up
  • Features: Although it's more of a spray than a mousse, it offers a temporary solution for color correction and root regrowth.

5. Roux

  • Product: Roux Fanci-Full Mousse
  • Features: This product is great for temporarily changing color and adding volume.

6. Joico

  • Product: Joico InstaTint Temporary Color Shimmer Spray
  • Features: Offers temporary color sprays that wash off easily and are suitable for creating vibrant accents.

Important points when using it:

  • Shade selection: Choose a shade that matches your natural hair color or desired effect.
  • Hair type: Please note that the result may vary depending on the color and type of your hair.
  • Testing: Before full application, it is advisable to test on a small section of hair to ensure the desired shade.
  • Rinse off: Color mousses and foams are generally easy to rinse off with shampoo, making them ideal for temporary color changes.

These products are a great solution for those who want to experiment with hair color without the need for long-term coloring.

Tinting masks

Provide a dual effect - coloring and hair care.

Natural remedies:

Tea and coffee:

Ideal for adding a darker shade, especially for brown and black hair.

Black tea and coffee can give your hair a darker shade and enhance its shine. Simply brew strong tea or coffee, cool it down and use it as a final rinse after washing your hair. For a more permanent effect, leave it on your hair for 15-30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

Cocoa:

It helps you get warm chocolate shades.

Cocoa powder can be used to give a chocolate color to blonde hair. Mix it with water or conditioner to a paste, apply it to your hair, leave it on for 30 minutes, then rinse it off.

Beet or carrot juice:

Suitable for adding red and orange hues.

To get red or orange shades, you can use freshly squeezed beet or carrot juice. Apply the juice to your hair, wrap your head in a foil and leave it on for 1 hour, then rinse thoroughly.

Chamomile decoction:

Can lighten slightly and give a golden shine to blonde hair.

To give your blonde hair a golden or lighter shade, brew a strong decoction of chamomile. Use it as a rinse after washing your hair.

Henna and basma:

Plant dyes to produce a variety of shades from blonde to black.

These are natural vegetable dyes that can be used for tinting in a wide range of shades from light to very dark. Henna and basma can be mixed in different proportions to achieve the desired color.

Lemon juice or vinegar:

Gives your hair highlights and can lighten it slightly with regular use.

Diluted vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice can be used to add shine and a slightly brightening effect. These remedies are particularly effective when used regularly.

Modern Alternative Means:

Colored air conditioners

Enriched with pigments, they allow you to quickly and easily change the shade of your hair.

Color conditioners are special cosmetic products designed to maintain or enhance the shade of colored hair. They can also be used to give your hair a light tint without the need for permanent coloring. Here are a few popular brands that offer color conditioners:

1. Moroccanoil

  • Product: Moroccanoil Color Depositing Masks
  • Features: These conditioning masks are enriched with argan oil and are available in different shades. They not only care for your hair but also temporarily change its color.

2. OVertone

  • Product: oVertone Coloring Conditioners
  • Features: oVertone offers a wide range of color conditioners, including bright and unusual shades. The products are designed to safely and moisturizingly tone hair.

3. Keracolor

  • Product: Keracolor Color + Clenditioner
  • Features: These conditioners are designed to maintain color between salon visits. They are available in a variety of shades and help maintain color saturation.

4. Joico

  • Product: Joico Color Infuse Conditioners
  • Features: Joico offers conditioners that target specific colors, such as to enhance red or copper tones.

5. Davines

  • Product: Davines Alchemic Conditioners
  • Features: These conditioners are ideal for enhancing natural and color-treated hair tones while providing deep moisturization.

6. Christophe Robin

  • Product: Christophe Robin Shade Variation Masks
  • Features: These conditioning masks offer rich and deep shades to help restore and enhance hair color.

7. Pravana

  • Product: Pravana Nevo Color Enhancer Treatment
  • Features: Pravana is known for their vibrant and saturated shades, and their products help maintain the vibrancy of color.

Important Considerations when Choosing

  • Hair type: Make sure the product you choose is suitable for your hair type.
  • Desired shade: Choose a shade that matches your preference and current hair color.
  • Composition: Check the composition for caring and moisturizing ingredients.

Color conditioners are a great way to refresh your hair color between colorings or experiment with shades without a long-term commitment.

Temporary color sprays

A convenient option for experimenting with color that easily rinses off with shampoo.

Temporary hair color sprays are a convenient way to quickly change your hair color or add highlights without a long-term commitment. Here are a few popular brands that offer these products:

1. L'Oréal Paris

  • Product: L'Oréal Paris Colorista Spray
  • Features: Offers a wide range of temporary colors, easy to apply and rinses off after the first scalp wash.

2. KMS

  • Product: KMS STYLECOLOR
  • Features: A water-resistant spray that offers temporary coloring with the ability to easily remove with shampoo.

3. Bumble and Bumble

  • Product: Bumble and Bumble Color Stick
  • Features: Although it's not a spray, the Color Stick from Bumble and Bumble allows you to spot-apply color to your hair, offering a temporary coloring solution.

4. Kristin Ess

  • Product: Kristin Ess Rose Gold Temporary Tint
  • Features: Perfect for blonde hair, this spray creates soft rose-golden shades.

5. Rita Hazan

  • Product: Rita Hazan Pop Color
  • Features: This spray offers vibrant, saturated shades for temporary coloring and rinses off easily.

6. Jerome Russell

  • Product: Jerome Russell B Wild Color Spray
  • Features:This spray is available in several vibrant shades and is easy to apply, perfect for holiday events or costume parties.

7. Schwarzkopf

  • Product: Schwarzkopf BLONDME Instant Blush
  • Features:Good for blondes, this spray offers delicate pastel shades.

When using it, consider:

  • Hair type and color: Some colors show up better on blonde hair.
  • Time of Action: Most temporary color sprays last until the next time you wash your hair.
  • Protect clothing and skin: Use product carefully to avoid getting paint on clothing or skin.

These sprays are a great way to experiment with hair color without a long-term commitment to color change or hair damage.

Masks with colored pigments

Masks with color pigments have become a popular treatment for those who want to refresh their hair color or even temporarily change it. Here are a few brands that offer hair masks with color pigments:

1. Moroccanoil

  • Product: Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask
  • Features: These masks not only add color, but are enriched with nourishing argan oil to moisturize and care for your hair.

2. Keracolor

  • Product: Keracolor Color + Clenditioner
  • Features: Combines coloring and conditioning, allowing you to maintain or change color between salon visits.

3. OVertone

  • Product: oVertone Coloring Conditioners
  • Features: Offers a wide range of shades, from natural to vibrant and saturated, and is a sulfate-free vegan product.

4. Christophe Robin

  • Product: Christophe Robin Shade Variation Mask
  • Features: These masks aim to enhance and restore specific hair color tones.

5. Davines

  • Product: Davines Alchemic Conditioner
  • Features: Offers a variety of shades to maintain and enhance color, and contains natural hair care ingredients.

6. Maria Nila

  • Product: Maria Nila Colour Refresh
  • Features: Vegan line of color masks that also offer hair nourishment and hydration.

7. Redken

  • Product: Redken Color Extend Color Depositing Masks
  • Features: In addition to coloring, these masks are designed to care for your hair, helping to keep the color rich and vibrant.

Important Considerations for Use:

  • Sensitivity Test: Test the product on a small area of skin or hair before use to prevent allergic reactions.
  • Your hair type and condition: Some masks are better suited for blonde or pre-lightened hair, while others can be effective on dark hair as well.
  • Instructions for use: Carefully follow the instructions on the package to achieve the desired results and avoid damage to the hair.

Masks with colored pigments are a convenient way to experiment with hair color and care for hair health at the same time.

In addition to toning, they may contain deep hair care ingredients.

It's important to remember:

When choosing a tinting product, it is important to consider your hair's original color, desired results and hair type. Natural products may take more time and effort to achieve visible results, while professional tinting products usually provide faster and brighter results. In any case, you should always follow the instructions on the product packaging and perform an allergy test before applying a new product.

Instructions on how to tone your hair with home remedies:

  1. Choose the right product depending on the desired shade.
  2. Prep hair by shampooing to maximize color absorption.
  3. Apply the chosen product to the hair, distributing evenly over the entire length.
  4. To enhance the effect, cover the hair with a film and a towel.
  5. Keep the product on your hair for the recommended time.
  6. Rinse your hair thoroughly, making sure to wash out any residual product.

Advantages and disadvantages:

Benefits:

  • Naturalness and availability of ingredients.
  • Absence of chemical components.
  • Gentle action on the hair.

Disadvantages:

  • Unpredictability and variability of outcome.
  • Short duration of effect.
  • The need to repeat the procedure regularly to maintain the color.

Impact on hair health

One of the key benefits of home toning is its gentle action. Natural ingredients not only change the color of the hair, but can also care for it by restoring and nourishing it. However, keep in mind that some natural ingredients can dry the hair, especially if used too often or in combination with sunlight to enhance the effect (as in the case of lemon juice).

Environmentally friendly and economical

Home hair tinting is also an environmentally friendly choice. It avoids chemicals that can harm the environment when washed down the drain. Plus, it is an economical option compared to visiting beauty salons.

Color Customization

Home tinting offers unlimited possibilities for experimenting with color. You can customize the shade by combining different natural ingredients to create a unique color that is perfect for you.

Preparation for tinting

Before tinting, it is important to prepare your hair and workspace:

  • Test for an allergic reaction by applying a small amount of product to the skin behind the ear.
  • Protect clothing and surfaces to avoid stains from natural dyes.
  • Consider moisturizing your hair beforehand, especially if using lemon juice or vinegar, to minimize its drying effect.

Care after toning

Hair care after home toning is important to maintain the color and health of your hair. Here are some tips on how to care for toned hair:

1- Using shampoo for colored hair

  • Shampoo choice: Use shampoos specifically designed for colored hair. They gently cleanse without washing out the color.
  • Avoid sulfates: Sulfate-free shampoos are milder and help keep hair color longer.

2. Conditioning and humidification

  • Conditionersand masks: Use conditioners and moisturizing masks after every wash. They help hair recover from the chemical effects of dye.
  • Leave-in conditioners: These products will help protect your hair throughout the day, giving it shine and softness.

3. Avoid frequent hair washing

  • Less washing: Frequent washing accelerates color washout. Try to wash your hair no more than 2-3 times a week.
  • Cold Water: Wash your hair with cool or warm water, as hot water can accelerate color fading.

4. Protection against heat

  • Heat Protection: Always apply a heat protection spray before using a hair dryer, iron or curling iron.
  • Limit the use of stylers: Excessive heat exposure can damage hair and accelerate color fading.

5. Regular touch-ups

  • Maintaining Color: Regularly touch up the roots or the entire hair to keep the color vibrant and even.

6. Nutrition and lifestyle

  • Nutritious Diet: A healthydiet with adequate protein, vitamins and minerals helps to maintain healthy hair.
  • Sufficient water intake: Moisturizing from within also affects the condition of your hair.

7. Natural masks

  • Home remedies: Occasionally use homemade masks made from natural ingredients (e.g. Oils, eggs, avocado) to further nourish and moisturize your hair.

Following these recommendations will help keep your hair color bright and rich after toning, as well as maintain its health and beauty.

Toning hair with home remedies is an experimental and creative process that can be a lot of fun and allow you to better understand your hair. However, for predictable and lasting results, you may need to turn to professional products and techniques.

Support for home tinting

The following methods can be used to maintain the color and health of your hair after home toning:

  • Regular application: Since the effects of natural dyes are temporary, regular application will help maintain the color.
  • Natural rinses: Using rinses such as chamomile infusion or tea can enhance shine and maintain shade.

Attention to hair reactions

Each hair type is unique and reactions to natural colorants may vary. It is important to monitor the condition of the hair and adjust the frequency of tinting if signs of dryness or damage are noticed.

Combination with professional products

To improve the result, you can combine home tinting with professional sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners for colored hair. This will help to prolong color fastness and provide additional care.

Environmental protection

UV radiation, pollution and chlorinated water can take a toll on color-treated hair. Using products with UV protection and wearing hats can help protect hair from external factors.

Proper nutrition for healthy hair

Hair health is directly related to the overall health of the body. A proper diet rich in protein, vitamins and minerals helps strengthen hair and can improve its susceptibility to natural dyes.

Use of natural oils

Oils such as argan oil, coconut oil and avocado oil can be used as care products after toning. They provide additional nourishment and moisturization, keeping hair healthy.

Home hair toning is a great way to refresh your look without a long-term commitment and at minimal cost. Not only does it offer the opportunity to experiment with shades, but it also provides extra hair care thanks to natural ingredients. However, it's worth remembering that results can vary and require more frequent touch-ups compared to salon treatments. Always listen to the needs of your hair and choose care methods that keep it healthy and beautiful.

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