Toning Brown Hair: Stunning Techniques, Tips, and Tricks

When you think of hair toners, you probably think of purple or blue shampoo for blonde hair. But toning brown hair is a great way to perfect the color, remove unwanted warm undertones and keep your mane looking gorgeous between salon visits. 

This guide will give you all the information you need about toners for brunette hair. You’ll discover how to tone brassy brown hair, what toner does to brunette locks, and some different options for toning brunette hair. 

And we’ll also share some tips that make it easy to tone brown hair and some product recommendations to help you choose the best toners for brown hair.  

What Is a Hair Toner?

Hair toner is a temporary or semi-permanent hair color treatment that either minimizes or emphasizes certain color tones in your hair strands. They’re more commonly used on lightened hair, as the bleaching process can leave behind warm undertones that give a brassy appearance. 

Hair toners deposit color pigments onto your hair strands to neutralize unwanted undertones in your hair. They work on color wheel theory, where shades cancel out the color lying directly opposite on the wheel. This means that you can use purple and violet toners to neutralize yellow tones or counteract orange undertones with a blue-based toner or blue shampoo. 

Some toners are mixed with a weak developer, but the ammonia in this won’t be strong enough to penetrate deep into your hair strands. The color pigments remain on the surface of the hair follicle, and their effect will last a few weeks. Other toning products, such as color-depositing shampoos and conditioners, have a temporary effect that lasts only a few days. 

When you tone brown hair, you won’t see results as dramatic as on blonde hair, especially if you opt for toning shampoos or conditioners. And you can’t use a hair toner to completely change your natural hair color or lift your locks from brown to blonde. However, they can help remove unwanted undertones and improve the look of your brown locks.

Can You Tone Brown Hair?

Now you know what toners do, but what does toner do for brown hair colors?

Toners can have different effects on brown hair:

• They can reduce warm tones for a more neutral look
• They can add more warmth to brown locks
• They can add fun fashion tints to brunette locks

Some toners will only work on hair that has been lightened to a certain level first. Generally, you’ll need to lighten dark hair to one level higher than the shade of toner you want to use.

Can Toner Lighten or Darken Brown Hair?

Toners deposit pigment into your hair strands, and although some toners need to be mixed with a developer, it tends to be a weak 10% developer. That means toners won’t lighten your hair like hair dye or bleach.

Some toners might darken your hair, and they can give your locks a warmer or cooler tone, but they can’t lighten your locks.

Do You Need To Use a Toner for Brown Hair?

You might love the color you see in the mirror at the end of your salon visit, but that feeling doesn’t always last until your next visit. It’s likely that you notice the color changing over the weeks, and if so, a hair toner could help keep it looking great.

If your stylist used a blend of colors to give your colored hair a more natural look, you might find some of the shades look too subtle or too prominent. A toner can minimize any brassy hues and make others pop.

And if you want to give your hair dye a boost between salon appointments, a hair toner can help you maintain your look for longer.

What Does Toner Do to Brown Hair?

Toners are a great way to balance your hair color. Stylists often include them in hair color treatments at the salon, where they’re sometimes referred to as a gloss or glaze.

You can also buy DIY hair toners to keep your color looking great for longer. 

All of these toners have three main effects:

1. Counteracts the Ammonia in Hair Dye

Ammonia in semi-permanent and permanent hair dye oxidizes the melanin in your hair, which lightens the strands. But it often leaves behind red, orange, or yellow undertones, leaving your hair brassy. 

Hair toner counteracts these undertones to give your hair a cooler, more neutral tone. 

2. Corrects Color Changes From Sun Exposure

The sun can give your brunette hair some gorgeous natural highlights. But the sun’s UV rays can also enhance the orange and red undertones in color treated hair and give you brassy locks.

Using a toner for dark brown hair can neutralize these undertones to keep your hair looking great until your next color treatment.

3. Changes Color Quality

If you want to change your brunette color without going blonde, an ash brown toner can make a dramatic difference to your hair’s tone. It will remove warm undertones to give your hair a more neutral ash brown color that looks very stylish.

Choosing a Toner for Brown Hair

If you’re ready to start using a toner on your brown locks, how do you begin to choose the best toner? 

Your first decision is whether to head to the salon or tone your hair at home.

Hair Toning in the Salon

Your stylist or colorist is an expert in hair care, so you should feel confident about trusting them to choose the best hair toner for you. 

They will be able to select the best toner for brassy brown hair and they’ll know which product will give you the result you’re looking for. They’ll also be able to advise you on whether you can achieve your hair toning goals at home.

Toning Your Brown Hair at Home

If you decide you want to take the DIY route, the three main options are:

• Toning Shampoo: This can be used instead of your regular shampoo, and the effect usually builds up over a few washes.
• Toning Conditioner: You can use this after your regular shampoo and leave it on your locks for a few minutes so the pigments can be deposited on your strands.
• Hair Toner: Salon-style toners must be mixed with a developer before application. This makes them harsher on your locks than the other options but results in a more even and longer-lasting color.

It’s essential to work out which shade of toner will give you the look you want. If you pick a toner designed to work on light hair, it won’t make any difference to brunette hair, which wastes your time and money. 

And because any chemical treatment can potentially damage your hair, take care to choose the right shade of toner so you avoid unnecessary chemical processing.

Toners for brassy brown hair will usually last for 3 to 4 weeks between applications, while shampoos and conditioners can generally be used multiple times each week. Whichever options you choose, be sure to follow the instructions carefully to get the best results.

What Is the Best Toner for Brown Hair?

If you’ve decided to opt for the DIY hair toning option, these are some of the best toners for brown hair:

Best Toner for Dark Brown Hair

If your dark brunette hair looks brassy, you can neutralize this with a green shampoo and conditioner to counterbalance orange or red undertones in dark brown hair.

Best Toner for Light Brown Hair Color

You’ll see the effects of toner on light brown hair more clearly than on dark hair. Blue shampoo, conditioner, or toner will help minimize orange undertones and eliminate any unwanted brassy tones in light brown hair. 

Best Toner to take Warm Brown Hair to Ash Brown Hair

If you want to cool the warm tones of your brown hair color, an Ash Brown hair toner will help you achieve a more neutral shade.

Best Toner for Brown Hair with Highlights

If you have platinum highlights in your brown hair and want to remove yellow undertones, a platinum toner will restore the icy blonde look you want.

Alternatively, purple shampoo and conditioner will neutralize yellow undertones without using a developer. This option is gentler on your locks but won’t last as long as a toner.

How to Tone Brown Hair at Home

Applying a DIY hair toner is a hair treatment you can easily carry out at home. It’s a simple process with just a few easy steps:

Shampoo your Hair

For the best possible results, it’s essential to apply toner to clean locks. So first, wash your hair with your regular shampoo – using a sulfate-free shampoo will reduce the risk of natural hair drying out. 

Blot your hair dry with a microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt afterwards. It’s best to apply toner to damp hair, not dry hair or hair that is still soaking wet, as this will help your hair absorb more of the toner’s pigment and give a more even result.

Apply the Toner

Put on latex or vinyl gloves and then mix the toner with a developer, following the packet instructions carefully.

Next, use a color brush to apply the toner to the areas where you want to correct the color. This might mean covering all your hair or just a few specific sections. 

Then set a timer for the length of time that your toner needs to develop, which could be as little as 5 or 10 minutes but could be longer. Wearing a shower cap will help to get a better result as it keeps heat in and allows the toner to penetrate your strands more easily.

Rinse the Toner Out

When the time is up, you can do a spot check by wiping the toner off a few strands of hair with an old towel. If the color doesn’t look right, you might need to leave the toner on for a few more minutes.

Once you’re happy with the color, rinse your hair thoroughly with warm water and then wash it with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, finishing with a cool water rinse.

Hair toner can have a drying effect on your locks, so you might also want to use a deep conditioning treatment. 

Toning Your Brown Hair: Before and After

Before and after photos can be one of the best ways to decide if a hair toner would be right for you.

FAQS

Looking for more information about toners for dark hair? These are some of the questions we get asked most often:

Is Brown Hair Toner Permanent?

Toner for brown hair is a semi-permanent treatment, generally lasting around 3-4 weeks. You’ll need to apply the toner regularly to maintain your desired color.

What Toner Gets Rid of Orange in Brown Hair?

Hair toners and toning shampoos neutralize the color opposite them on the color wheel. Orange sits opposite blue on the color wheel, so to get rid of orange tones in brown hair, you need to look for blue shampoo, conditioner, or hair toner.

What Happens if You Put Blonde Toner On Brown Hair?

Purple toner is used to cancel out yellow undertones on platinum or very light blonde hair. So if you have platinum blonde highlights in your brown hair, the purple toner will give them a cooler tone. 

If you apply it to brunette hair without any blonde highlights, the purple toner will have no effect at all. 

Is Toner Better for Your Hair Than Hair Dye?

Toner for brown hair is gentler than hair dye because it uses less hydrogen peroxide. However, that also means that the results don’t last as long, so you’ll need to refresh your toner every 3-4 weeks to keep your color looking great.

Final Thoughts on Toning Brunette Hair

Now you have all the information you need to know about how to tone brown hair, from whether to visit the salon or do it yourself at home, to how to apply toner and the best toning products for brown hair.

With just a few simple steps, you’ll soon be able to remove unwanted brassy undertones and keep your brunette locks looking better than ever.