Do you love swimming every chance you get? If so, you’ve probably experienced the not-so-welcome side effect of swimming: the dreaded swimmer’s hair.
Chlorine, salt water, and sun can wreak havoc on your locks, leaving them dull, greenish, or lifeless. But fear not because the pink toning conditioner can bring your hair back to life.
In this article, we’ll discover how the pink toning conditioner can neutralize unwanted hair tones, enhance your hair’s vibrancy, and leave you with a mane that’s ready to make waves.
What is a Pink Toning Conditioner?
A toning conditioner is a semi-permanent hair dye that won’t change your hair color, only tweak its tone. It’s best used after getting your hair colored to enhance, brighten, or correct your new hair color.
And because they are conditioners, they can give you smooth, even color from your roots to your tips. Since they’re low on ammonia, they don’t dive deep into your hair strands; instead, they wrap around your hair, acting like a protective top coat.
Plus, they’re pretty gentle, even on damaged hair types. In fact, they help your hair look and feel better if it’s been through the wringer.
oVertone’s cruelty-free pink toning conditioner, in particular, neutralizes green undertones (swimmer’s hair) and creates a cooler ash-brown color on light to dark-brown hair or hair treated with highlights or balayage.
How Does a Toning Conditioner Work?
Your hair has two primary pigments – eumelanin (brown to black) and pheomelanin (yellow, orange, and light red).
When you bleach your hair, the eumelanin gets a one-way ticket out of there, leaving the pheomelanin mostly untouched. So, if you had dark hair, it might start looking all yellow because of that leftover pheomelanin. And even lighter hair, with less pheomelanin, can turn too yellow.
Unless you were born with super-light blonde locks, your hair probably has some red and orange pigments. So, when you lighten your hair, the bleach has to work double time to lift away all those pigments.
Depending on how long you let that bleach soak, your bleached hair might have unwanted brassy undertones. And that’s where your toning conditioner comes in and do the following:
- Restore your right hair color
- Fix color blunders
- Adjust your shade to perfection
- Give your hair a glossy finish
Though your pink toning conditioner won’t perform a complete hair color makeover, it’s your go-to for playing around with the shade of your natural blonde or lightened tresses.
How Do You Choose Your Hair Toner Color?
When picking out a toner, just stick to the color wheel:
- Purple Toning Conditioner: Neutralizes yellow tones; excellent for super light blondes
- Blue Toning Conditioner: Neutralizes orange or brass tones; perfect for subtle light brown to medium blond hair
- Green Toning Conditioner: Neutralizes red tones; great for black to dark brown hair
- Red Toning Conditioner: Amps up red, red-violet, and magenta colors
- Orange/Copper Toning Conditioner: Ups the intensity of auburn, warm browns, and golden blondes
- Yellow Toning Conditioner: Brightens brown tones and tones down super intense reds
- Pink Toning Conditioner: Neutralizes green undertones
When Should You Use a Hair Toner?
There are several reasons you should consider applying a pink toning conditioner to your hair, such as the following:
To adjust color after hair bleaching
This is your hair toner’s primary function. When you bleach your hair, a toning conditioner will neutralize the brassy tones left on your hair, which are especially prominent in people who’ve gone from a dark base to a sizzling platinum blonde.
To restore your hair color
Ever feel like your hair color’s just not living its best life anymore? Instead of repeatedly slapping on permanent color, a pink toning conditioner offers a gentler way to bring it back to life.
Most hairdressers often use permanent color on your regrowth and then apply a toner to the rest of your hair.
To try out fashion shades
It takes two steps to get those wild, pastel, or vibrant colors. First, your hairdresser lightens your hair if it’s not yet naturally light, and then apply a toner to make it pop. The toner gradually fades, so there’s no awkward regrowth.
To correct your hair color
Did something go wrong during your hair coloring session? Toners are here to the rescue!
They gently wipe away any color mishaps, like streaks or smudges caused by the occasional coloring slip-up.
To enhance hair gloss
Sometimes, your hair just needs an extra shine. Pink toning conditioners enhance your hair’s shine and smooth out the hair surface, making your color radiate like never before.
How Long Does Its Effects Last?
Typically, the effects of your toning conditioner should last a solid 2 to 6 weeks. But in general, your pink toning conditioner’s staying power depends on how often you hit the shower. If you go easy on the hair washes, your toner will hang around longer.
For best results, use a sulfate-free shampoo for colored hair as they’re gentle to your newly-treated hair.
Another factor is your hair color and length — shorter hair tends to get washed off faster. Plus, the overall quality and type of your hair play a part. If you’re a fan of heat styling, sun-soaking, or pool dives, your toner’s clock might tick a bit faster.
