Kayla Young
Are you worried that the toner you applied to your bleached hair will eventually fade at washout? Did the toner you applied to your bleached hair make it darker than you wished it to be?
Those circumstances can make you ask, “Does toner wash out”?
The answer is yes, toner washes out and naturally fades. However, how fast that happens will depend on the toner you used.
In this article, we’ll dig deeper into the topic of washing toner out. We’ll also give you a few tips on how to prolong the hair color you get out of your toner.
Additionally, we’ll also tell you what you should do if you want to get lighten up the color produced by the toner you applied.
Contents
Effect Of Toner On Your Hair
Toners are commonly used by people who had their hair bleached. By bleaching the hair, you can lighten up its color.
However, that is only the first step in getting the color you want to achieve.
The next thing to do is to apply a toner. Leave it on for the recommended time (usually 5-20 min) and rinse. You may want to shampoo as well, depending on the product.
A toner is a hair product that you apply to your hair to counter the natural tones of your hair that you don’t want to show up. Toners are similar to semi-permanent dyes, but there are differences.
Toner can be applied to either bleached hair or unbleached hair. It changes the color of your hair by canceling out the other tones your hair currently has. So if you want to cancel out the yellow tones, you use a toner with a purplish tinge.
Toner can be applied to either bleached hair or unbleached hair. It changes the color of your hair by canceling out the other tones your hair currently has. So if you want to cancel out the yellow tones, you use a toner with a purplish tinge.
Toners are commonly used to neutralize red and brassy tones.
Using a toner is possible at home. However, it is easy to mess things up! This is especially if you are not sure how the color wheel works. In some cases, you may want to visit a professional to help you achieve the exact tone that you want.
And you’d want to do that because although toner washes out and fades eventually, the results could still last for a few weeks, depending on the toner you use.
How Many Washes Does Toner Last?
In order to know how long the color produced by the toner washes out, you need to consider what kind of toner you used for your hair.
Those labeled as temporary toners or toning shampoos could be washed out with a single wash, or perhaps a few washes.
On the other hand, demi-permanent – or semi-permanent ones have stronger formulations that could take 3 to 4 weeks.
They will eventually, gradually fade throughout that time.
Usually, hair toners used by hair salons offer a more permanent result than at-home products.
They are more pigmented, so they last longer.
Some may also contain other ingredients that open up your hair cuticles to help the products better adhere and affect the hair’s tone.
See this article for more information.
Does Toner Wash Out? And How To Prevent It
As we’ve said, hair toners could be washed off. But what if you simply love the color your hair after using the hair toner? Is there a way to prolong it and make it stay that way?
The brassiness of your bleached hair is more likely to show due to the presence of a few factors such as exposure to pollution, hard water, UV rays, and chlorine.
Avoiding these will help prevent you prolong the color your hair develops due to the toner.
Apart from avoiding those, having a professional do your hair could also help keep the color going.
Professionals know how to properly apply the right type of toner.
Additionally, they also know how to prepare your hair properly so that hair toners will be most efficiently used.
Wearing a hat and preventing sun exposure is another great way to prevent your hair from fading.
This is not only true for the colors produced by the hair toner but your natural hair color as well.
Heat damage due to your styling tools could also damage your hair and cause your hair color to fade fast. It is best to protect your hair from heat damage by using a heat protectant.
Does Toner Fade? Can You Speed Up the Fading Process?
Sometimes when you decide to put matters into your own hands, you end up with a result… less than ideal. Maybe you’ve toned your hair too dark, and just don’t like it.
The first thing you should do is wash your hair often.
While you’re at it, you could also choose to use a clarifying or anti-dandruff shampoo.
Some may also add baking soda to their shampoo to help remove the toner. However, it could be drying and damaging to the hair so a deep conditioner should be used afterward.
See How to Hydrate Hair After Bleaching for more.
There are also others who suggest washing the hair with dish soap to help remove buildup, dyes, and hair toner. This is typically also followed by applying lemon juice and leaving it in for a few minutes.
Like the other methods, this could also be very drying to your hair. Make sure that you use a deep conditioner to counter the drying effects and soothe your hair.
You can follow those steps to “reset” your hair color. You could dive in with yet another toner to see if that color is more to your liking.
Or you could try making an appointment with a professional to get the color dialed in.
Final Thoughts
Hair toners can help you change the color of your hair (including highlights) by canceling out unwanted tones present in your hair.
Does toner fade? Yes, though the speed depends on whether you’re using a true toner or a toning shampoo.
The results will eventually fade as it washes out. Depending on the toner you choose, you’ll need to reapply every six weeks or so.
Temporary toning shampoos are easier to wash out than semi-permanent ones. If you liked the results you get out of your toner, you might want to prolong its effect by using a more permanent or stronger salon solution.
To preserve your color, try to avoid exposing your hair to pollution, chlorine (which can cause green hair tones), hard water, and UV radiation.
On the other hand, you can speed up the toner fading process by shampooing your hair more often with a clarifying or anti-dandruff shampoo. You can also use baking soda, dishwashing soap, and lemon juice.
Just make sure to deep condition to prevent drying out and damaging the hair.
