Hair toners are a common term in hair care, but what do they actually do for your color? It's useful to understand the two main types. Salon versions, such as a glaze or gloss, are applied by professionals after coloring. At-home toning products, like purple shampoos and rinses, are widely available for maintenance. This guide explores what sets them apart and how they work.
Key takeaways
- Salon vs. at-home toners: Professional salon treatments provide potent, initial color correction, while at-home products like purple shampoos are designed for regular maintenance to keep your color fresh.
- How purple shampoo works: Based on color theory, purple toning shampoos deposit violet pigments that neutralize unwanted yellow and brassy tones in blonde, silver, or bleached hair.
- Moderation is key: For best results, use a purple toning shampoo just once or twice a week. Overuse can cause pigment to build up and potentially darken your hair.
- Nourish as you tone: Look for toning systems that also care for your hair. The Nexxus Blonde Assure system includes our PROTEINFUSION blend with keratin to help strengthen hair while neutralizing brassiness.
Both salon and at-home toners work by correcting the tone of natural or chemically lightened hair. A stylist uses toner to customize color, adding warmth with peach tones or cooling it with silver hues. While in-salon toners have more pigment for lasting results, at-home toners are an affordable way to refresh color. A purple toning shampoo is also key for keeping natural grays or cool-blonde hair fresh and brass-free. Here’s how an at-home toning purple shampoo might help your hair look its best…
Using purple toning shampoos to eliminate brassiness
A purple toning shampoo is essential for keeping silver-blonde hair free from brassiness, especially formulas with nourishing ingredients to counter color damage. The Nexxus Blonde Assure system features our PROTEINFUSION blend with keratin protein and a purple pigment that neutralizes unwanted yellow tones. After bleaching, as salon color fades, brassy tones—yellow in blonde hair, orange in darker shades—can reappear. How do toning products work? The Blonde Assure Purple Toning Shampoo deposits violet pigment to neutralize brassy tones, based on the color wheel principle where purple cancels yellow. It also helps fight color fade from washing and heat styling.
It's worth noting that, unlike the daily Nexxus shampoos, the use of the Blonde Assure Purple Toning Shampoo should be limited to once or twice a week – too much purple pigment can build up and actually make lighter hair appear darker.
Maintaining transformed hair color requires intelligent care to keep it looking salon-fresh. Toning products are crucial for this, and a purple pigment can be the key to preventing color from fading. This ensures your blonde or silver hair remains vibrant and true to tone long after your salon visit.