What Does Toner Do to Brown Hair? Exclusive Solutions You Need to Know

What Does Toner Do to Brown Hair? Exclusive Solutions You Need to Know

Toners are commonly targeted toward individuals with blonde hair to remove yellow tones. However, their applications extend beyond this specific purpose.

There are various ways toners can be utilized on brunettes, prompting the question, “What does toner do to brown hair?”

In this comprehensive article, we will explain what toner does to brown hair, the appropriate timing for its application on brown hair, and additional relevant information. By the end of this read, you will have a precise understanding of the effects of toner on brown hair and when it should be used.

What Does Toner Do to Brown Hair?

Toner plays a crucial role in enhancing and maintaining the beauty of brown hair. Here are three key benefits of using toner on brown hair

Hair Dye Color Correction

Hair dye contains ammonia, which causes the hair follicle to expand and allows the color to penetrate deeply. As a result, the color is effectively absorbed by each hair strand. 

Unlike temporary solutions, hair dyes do not wash away easily. The color remains until your hair grows out. This is why hair dyes are widely used to achieve desired hair colors. However, some individuals dislike the unnatural tones that may result from using hair dye.

Hair toner can be utilized to counteract the effects of ammonia and eliminate unwanted tones. Ammonia, present in hair dyes, tends to accentuate orange pigments. Consequently, brown hair can appear brassy and orange after dyeing. Toning is a popular method to minimize the presence of red, orange, and yellow undertones in brown hair.

Hair toner can be utilized to counteract the effects of ammonia and eliminate unwanted tones. (Source: Live True London)
Hair toner can be utilized to counteract the effects of ammonia and eliminate unwanted tones. (Source: Live True London)

Highlight Color Correction

For individuals with brown hair that has been highlighted, a toner is a valuable tool for achieving flawless color harmony. Sometimes, highlights can appear too stark or contrast sharply against the natural brown base. 

What does toner do to brown hair with highlights? Toner helps to rectify this issue by toning down the intensity of the highlights and blending them with the rest of the hair. By applying toner, the colorist can bring a more natural and balanced look with the highlights complementing the brown hair color.

Corrects Color from the Sun

What does toner do to natural brown hair? We are well aware of the damaging effects of UV rays on our hair. Interestingly, some individuals appreciate the beautiful highlights that the sun naturally adds, especially for brunettes who haven’t undergone bleaching.

However, brunettes who have dyed their hair may experience the emergence of orange and red undertones due to UV exposure. This can lead to brassiness in their hair after spending time in the sun. 

Using a hair toner is recommended to achieve a more natural look and blend the rest of the color with any brassy locks.

Some individuals appreciate the beautiful highlights that the sun naturally adds, especially for brunettes who haven't undergone bleaching. (Source: Sleek Salons)
Some individuals appreciate the beautiful highlights that the sun naturally adds, especially for brunettes who haven’t undergone bleaching. (Source: Sleek Salons)

Corrects Color from Heat

Frequent heat styling tools like curling irons and straighteners can take a toll on brown hair, causing color changes or fading. Toner comes to the rescue by correcting unwanted color shifts from heat damage. It helps restore the hair’s vibrancy, restoring the original or desired shade. 

By neutralizing any discoloration caused by heat, toner ensures that brown hair maintains its richness and consistency, even after exposure to high temperatures.

Moisture and Shine

Some toners are enriched with moisturizing and shine-enhancing properties, providing an extra boost of care for brown hair. These toners nourish and hydrate the hair strands, promoting overall health and vitality. 

By restoring moisture balance and adding a luminous shine, toner helps brown hair appear healthier, more lustrous and revitalized. The result is hair that looks fantastic and feels soft, silky, and full of life.

Some toners are enriched with moisturizing and shine-enhancing properties. (Source: Naturally Curly)
Some toners are enriched with moisturizing and shine-enhancing properties. (Source: Naturally Curly)

How Different Toners Do to Your Brown Hair?

What does silver toner do to brown hair?

Silver toner applied to brown hair neutralizes unwanted warm or brassy tones in the hair. It contains violet or blue pigments that counteract the underlying red and orange hues commonly found in brown hair. 

Applying a silver toner can transform the brown hair into a cooler, more ashy shade. The toner helps achieve a desired silver or gray undertone, adding depth and dimension to the brown hair color.

What does ash toner do to brown hair?

An ash toner applied to brown hair neutralizes unwanted red or orange undertones. It contains greenish-blue pigments that counteract the warm tones, resulting in a cooler, more muted, and ashier brown hair color. The ash toner helps achieve a natural, smoky appearance by toning down the warmth and creating a more balanced and cooler shade.

The ash toner helps achieve a natural, smoky appearance by toning down the warmth. (Source: Wella Blog - Wella Professionals)
The ash toner helps achieve a natural, smoky appearance by toning down the warmth. (Source: Wella Blog – Wella Professionals)

What does purple toner do to brown hair?

A purple toner counteracts brassy or yellow tones when applied to brown hair. Purple is the opposite color of yellow on the color wheel, so the purple pigments in the toner help neutralize and eliminate any unwanted warmth in the hair. 

This results in a cooler, more balanced, and less brassy brown hair color. Purple toners are used to maintain or enhance cool and ashy brown shades.

What does blue toner do to brown hair?

Blue toners are typically used to neutralize orange or brassy tones in brown hair. Blue is the complementary color to orange on the color wheel, so the blue pigments in the toner help cancel out the warm tones, creating a more neutral or cooler brown shade. 

Blue toners effectively achieve a more balanced and even hair color, particularly for darker brown hair shades that tend to develop brassy or orange undertones.

Best Toners for Brown Hair

In this section, we want to provide you with a range of options to choose from if you want to tone your brown hair.

Truss Deluxe Prime Toner

What does toner do to brown hair? This spray toner is designed to enhance your brown hair’s richness. It’s specifically formulated for brunettes seeking to add a touch of warmth to their tone.

Using this toner is effortless. Simply spray it onto your damp hair and let it work its magic for 3 to 10 minutes. After rinsing it out and conditioning your hair, you will experience a noticeable transformation with a more vibrant and warm color.

This spray toner is designed to enhance your brown hair's richness. (Source: Amazon)
This spray toner is designed to enhance your brown hair’s richness. (Source: Amazon)

JOICO Shampoo and Conditioner

Suppose your brown hair has an abundance of orange tones. In that case, this shampoo and conditioner pair is an excellent choice to counterbalance those hues.

The products contain a blue pigment that effectively neutralizes the warmth. What’s fantastic about this set is that it delivers immediate results, and you can continuously reapply both the shampoo and conditioner to maintain a cool color over time.

The products contain a blue pigment that effectively neutralizes the warmth. (Source: Amazon)
The products contain a blue pigment that effectively neutralizes the warmth. (Source: Amazon)

Four Reasons Color Mask – What does toner do to brown hair?

This color-depositing conditioner is sulfate-free and ideal for those aiming to achieve a cooler look for their brown hair.

Enriched with amino acids and proteins, this formula strengthens the hair and enhances its shine for a healthier appearance. To utilize this product, apply it to your hair after shampooing, leave it on for a few minutes, and then rinse it.

Enriched with amino acids and proteins, this formula strengthens the hair and enhances its shine for a healthier appearance. (Source: GoSupps.com)
Enriched with amino acids and proteins, this formula strengthens the hair and enhances its shine for a healthier appearance. (Source: GoSupps)

Celeb Luxury Shampoo

This particular toner applies pigments onto your brown hair, although its primary purpose is not for color correction.

Available in a wide range of fashionable shades, it is intended to introduce a fresh and captivating tint to your brown hair. The resulting color can be either delicate or vibrant, depending on the lightness of your hair.

This particular toner applies pigments onto your brown hair, although its primary purpose is not for color correction. (Source: Amazon.com)
What does toner do to brown hair? This particular toner applies pigments onto your brown hair, although its primary purpose is not for color correction. (Source: Amazon.com)

Step-by-step guide on how to use toner for brown hair

Is it easy to use toner on brown hair? Absolutely! Toner for brown hair is incredibly user-friendly. Whether you’re using toning shampoo, conditioner, mask, or other hair care products, you can incorporate them seamlessly into your regular routine. For a typical and effective hair toner for brown hair, you can follow these simple steps:

  • Step 1: Cleanse your hair

Before applying the toner, begin by washing your hair to ensure it is clean.

  • Step 2: Prepare the hair toner

You can use the best toner for brown hair directly from the bottle or mix it with hair conditioner for added smoothness and silkiness.

  • Step 3: Apply the toner

Carefully apply the toner to your strands, similar to dyeing your hair. Keep it to sit for 20 minutes.

  • Step 4: Rinse your hair

The final step is to rinse your hair using cold or cool water. Then, wait for your hair to dry, and you will witness the remarkable transformation the brown hair toner brings.

FAQs

Can brown hair be affected by toner?

Hair toners can be used on brown hair, including red, brunette, and darker shades, to change their color or eliminate unwanted brassiness. Toner can also be applied to virgin hair strands to enhance the natural color and add shine.

What color does toner change your hair to?

Different toner shades have different effects on hair color. For example, green toner neutralizes red tones and suits black to dark brown hair (levels 1-4). The red toner enriches and intensifies red, red-violet, and magenta hues. Orange/copper toner intensifies auburn, warm browns, and golden blondes. Yellow toner brightens brown tones and reduces overly intense red tones.

Will toner lighten the roots?

Most toners are not designed to lighten the roots. While toners can provide some lift, particularly fast-acting ones, they can only lighten the root area from dark brown to light brown or turn it orange if it is already light brown.

Does toner lighten or darken the hair?

Toner does not change the color of your hair much but helps manipulate the shade of naturally blonde or lightened hair. Hair toner products neutralize warm or brassy tones, resulting in shinier, healthier, and more natural-looking hair.

Is toner healthier for hair than hair dye?

Toner can be used in different ways depending on your desired results, softening or enhancing the hair color as needed. One advantage of toner is that it is gentler on the hair. With less hydrogen peroxide, toner is considered a healthier alternative to hair dye.

To Wrap Up,

What does toner do to brown hair? Jen Hair hope this article has helped clarify the purpose of toners and given you some ideas to correct or enhance your brown hair. This information gives you everything you need to achieve an amazing hair color transformation.