Those of us who get our hair coloured will have probably heard of toner, the mysterious part of the salon trip where your hairdresser tells you they are going to 'tone' your hair.
This illusive toner sits on shelves ready to be purchased by anyone confident enough to dye their own hair, with many reaching for it thinking it will lighten their colour - only to end up with "a strange muddy" hue.
Kelly Vowles, professional hair dresser and colour expert, told the Mirror how she's tired of seeing customers come in having used toner to try and lighten home bleached hair.
Discover, learn, grow. We are Curiously. Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
The owner of Pixal-Rose Hair Design said: "There is a common misconception that a toner will lift up pre-lightened hair, when in fact this is not their job. I’ve lost count of the times a client ended up in my chair after using bleach at home which didn't develop light enough, so they then used a toner to try and get it lighter again.
"Instead of achieving a clean Instagram worthy blonde, they actually end up with a strange muddy hair colour which isn't the platinum hair they were hoping for. This isn't their fault, this is generally down to the misconception of home dye kits that sit on the shelves in the supermarket with a shiny blonde supermodel on the front.
"Generally it will promise a turnaround of your colour within 20 to 30 minutes but they fail to disclose that a toner is really just another version of hair dye, in professional terms we call this 'tint'.
"Rule number one of tint – it won't lift another tint out of the hair."
Toners are designed to neutralise unwanted colour in the hair, Kelly explained, so if your blonde hair has gone yellow, ginger or golden then the toner will "get rid of those warm notes".
It's well known that bleaching your hair can create "irreversible damage" if used incorrectly, creating long term problems. The hair expert explained: "It's often why we hear of people trying to find alternatives to getting their hair lighter but honestly, you can end up in an even worse situation."
As a curly hair specialist, Kelly added that many of her clients have more naturally delicate hair, which means opting for a freehand bleach technique. Toner is helpful here as the natural colours achieved can be gently changed, rather than using foils which are "more stressful" on the hair.
Kelly said: "Where possible, it's always best to speak with a professional when considering a hair colour, especially when lightening the hair. If you are going to attempt colour at home, just remember, bleach is the only thing that is going to get you to a lighter colour.
"No matter how tempting those toners look on the shelf (for price point as well as picture) it's not always as simple and as easy as it looks."
Do you have a story to share? We pay for stories. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk
