Hairdressers - toner

[Flyinggeese]

I have a bit of an issue with getting my hair done. Have posted before but it’s mainly around transparency of costs.

I may book for a root colour, but end up paying for toner, blow dry etc. It’s like you have to actively (embarrassingly) opt out as the stylist has an almost money no object assumption.

Anyway, what actually is toner? Shouldn’t a colour be enough?

I’m desperate to have my hair done. It needs a cut and root colour. I’m putting it off as I k is it will be another farce of being talked into an all over colour, assume toner is needed (total mystery) and if I don’t want to walk out with wet hair then a blow dry cost.

I’m rambling. Can anyone relate and advise?

Thanks

Mine needs toner as I have it bleached. The toner changes it from yellow to silver.
I've said before that I just want roots, toner and wet cut without a blow dry. Just be upfront when you book it and ask for the cost!

Thanks wonderpants. I don’t have bleach, just a colour - I don’t understand toner!

Mine won't cut without a blow dry as she says she needs to check the cut works when dry and, to be fair, she does then do the thinning after it's dry.

As for what toner is - no idea. At my last but one cut and colour she said I needed a toner (as well as my half head highlights). Cue lockdown, no hair cut for seven months.

When I booked I asked for the half head highlights, toner and cut. The toner just seems to be a semi permanent colour that she painted on while the foils were on for the highlights, which coloured the bits that weren't getting highlights. Odd.
Looks fine but I can probably just bung a home box semi permanent on if I want that (I think it cost an extra £20 or something).

Agree about being upfront. However they have a price list. I expect to be charged as per that and what have booked. It all goes out of the window once in there!

It’s just too complicated!

Toner changes the colour...

I’ve never had one without my hair being lightened though, with dye I’d expect them to just do the right colour tbh.

Same as @wonderpants, I have a toner as I have bleach and it really does help with any yellow bits - gives a silver/ashy look.

For haircuts, I ask for a wet cut with a rough dry just so I don't leave with dripping wet hair.

Do they ask if you want a toner? Or just do it?

I remember when I used to have blonde highlights, they always had to put toner on. They’d examine the foils and look very interested and say “another five minutes before it takes I think”. And then they’d “put a bit of toner on to tone down the colour”. I never had a clue what they were on about, but it sounded very scientific.

And they’d always want to do a special colour conditioner treatment thing afterwards. Basically seemed to be conditioner but with a very bad head massage. I used to feel a bit embarrassed and want them to stop, but never had the heart to interrupt.

I dye my own hair now - Superdrug £2.99 stuff. No toner or head massage required.

Toner corrects the shade when you have your hair lightened.
So any bleaching/highlighting when it lightens your hair is likely to leave if orange or yellow. Bleach strips colour out and does not deposit colour, so it's the undertones in your hair that gives the yellow shades. The toner deposits colour to counteract this.

If you are getting a 'colour' as opposed to a lightening service I don't see why you need toner as well.
Sometimes toners are used as a gloss as they are semi permanent and can add shine.

Ask your hairdresser what the toner is and why it's recommended for you.

Ah thanks. This is my lack of knowledge showing. I have lighter pieces so must be to get the colour right on that.

If toner is such an obviously essential part of having the lighter colour I wonder why it’s a separate cost?

PuppyMonkey I like your attitude! I can’t stand the false atmosphere and mystery around services in hairdressers.

I’d love it if there was a salon that did a no no nonesense service, friendly and helpful but no gushing and pretending to be excited that you’re having a style or colour change etc.

@Flyinggeese

Ah thanks. This is my lack of knowledge showing. I have lighter pieces so must be to get the colour right on that.

If toner is such an obviously essential part of having the lighter colour I wonder why it’s a separate cost?

Yep, the lighter colour is bleached... and then the toner is to make it an actual nice colour.

I’m not charged extra for it though tbh, I only pay for the toner if it’s on hair that was lightened at a different appointment. As in they actually only lighten the light bits every so often, but add toners in between.

What colour dye do you have on your hair? Toner is designed to take brassy/yellow tones out of your hair, particularly in blondes

I have caramel colour highlights.

If there is no real choice but to have the toner (the colour would
Look wrong without) why is it a separate service not included in the highlights booking I wonder?

I have caramel coloured highlights and have to have a toner on top otherwise my hair just looks brassy and not particularly flattering colour for my skin tone.

It depends how your hair lifts - if you have strong red undertones whatever your base shade it will lift with warmer/orange tones.
Most toners thease days are to ash hair and remove thease brassy tones - though they can be to warm/caramalise as well.
The reason they are notincluded is because every ones hair lifts differently - I tone i would say over half of my clients who have bleach and virtually every teen I do as they see stuff on instagram.
If you dont understand what your hairdresser is doing - ask

I ask my hairdresser at the start of the appointment about the costs including treatments & blow dry.
I usually have highlights but don't need toner.
I won't have a blow dry (£20) if I'm not going out that evening.
I only have treatments every other session of highlights.
When she cuts my hair my hairdresser will rough dry my hair enough to trim the layers.
Also she makes sure it's not wet when i leave the salon.
I'm not the only client who does this.

Gamble66 thanks, yes my hair really wants to go orange at every opportunity, even though I’m brunette. That’ll be it.

I don't have my hair lightened at all, it's originally a dark brown, I have low lights in the same colour just to break up the grey, so I now really have no idea why she suggested "toner". It doesn't seem to have made much difference.

Think I need to find a way of communicating better at the hairdresser’s. The conversation may go ‘think we’ll put a toner on there’ or similar but no ‘that’ll be £20’. I can’t think of any other service where the pricing is so mysterious and ‘money no object’ assumption.

I have toner applied to my hair when I have my highlights done, I also have a bottle of toner at home to use once my hair starts yellowing again.
The Osmo toner is a good one to use at home Op.

When you book or even arrive ask how much the total will be ‘so you can bring the correct amount of cash / transfer the correct amount of cash’. Then you should get a breakdown upfront, with no shocks?

Is toner basically semi-permanent hair colour? Is it similar to or the exact same thing?

damnthatanxiety this is what I wonder too! I once thought it was a kind of ‘agent’ that corrected a colour but one time I was shown a colour swatch boom just like that for regular colour.

Grumpy that’s a good idea. I tend to book online then the surprises come at the appointment.