Here’s what you should know about natural hair toner before you use it and 10 ingredients you never knew you could use—some that you might have right in your kitchen! Toners, on the other hand, act as a tweakment to your hair color, whether that color be your natural hue or the result of a previous dye job. Toners also come in many forms: There are in-salon options, as well as at-home toning treatments, for example pigmented shampoos and conditioners are even considered toners. “Something to know when switching to natural hair care is that drastic changes in color are usually not possible,” notes naturopathic doctor Tess Marshall, N.D. So don’t expect to go from jet black to honey blond in a sitting. Instead, “stick to shades of your natural color.” A major bonus: Using a natural toner can even be healthy for your hair, helping with strength and shine of your hair strands. “We use toners to enhance dull tones or cancel unwanted tones,” says hairstylist Natasha Speth. “When we are canceling unwanted tones, we refer to our faithful color wheel to select the proper tones. We would use complementary colors to cancel out unwanted tones.” The basics of this are using violet for gold, green for red, or blue for orange. “For instance, if a light blond with soft golden undertones would prefer to be an icy white blond, we may use a violet base toner or send them home with a violet-based shampoo and conditioner.” However, if you use a toner to enhance, it acts more like stain rather than a color corrector: “For example, if we have someone who is a natural brown but would like to add a bit of auburn temporarily, we can do that by using a red toner.” And while there are plenty of at-home toner options, if you are more of the salon-type, there are professional-grade natural toners, too. “You can find direct dyes that are up to 98% naturally derived ingredients. The pigments used are derived from ingredients like Indian walnut saffron, ginger—we even use lycopene from tomatoes. These can be added to deepen natural hair color or even blend gray hair naturally.” Finally, how often you use a toner is up to your own discretion—it really just depends on the hue you are trying to achieve. For some, that will mean every week, while others will only need to tone sporadically. Use your best judgment. RELATED STORY: 5 DIY Coconut Oil Hair Masks For Every Hair Concern
